Seiyashi

Nudist sumo? Is he that determined to get demoted via automatic forfeit of every match?

Takanosho's torn ACL was apparently over a year ago. In any case, he's made it to and stayed at sekiwake on that allegedly torn ACL, so the injury is probably moot at this point.

While a zensho is definitely gone and a 14-1 yusho appears difficult for Takakeisho at the moment, a 13-2 or 12-3 doten may yet "hold" his run over till the next basho. Purely speculative here, but it's hard to see the YDC and the NSK denying an ozeki consistently turning in 13-2 yusho and doten over 3 or 4 basho, especially when you're almost certain to lose both existing yokozuna by the end of the year.

To be fair, Takayasu wasn't and isn't in as bad shape as Kisenosato was back then, and Onosho really brought it today. If Takayasu gets smoked by, say, Kiribayama, then yes something doesn't quite add up.

Out of reacts but concur. Shodai had a very tough customer today but took it fantastically, Takakeisho got played by a relatively more soberly smart Mitakeumi, and I have no idea what the dickens Asanoyama was doing today. The worst of it is that he looked like he gave up before he even actually got to the bales. To be fair to him, he's also the one most likely to be suffering ring rust amongst the active sanyaku. If he goes on at this rate I rather he fail to clear kadoban and come back with better motivation and experience. He's not impressed very much after his shin-ozeki basho. One could say it's due to the weight of expectation, but that comes with the territory. Speaking of Tochinoshin, colour me impressed with his super deliberate yori-dismantling of Tamawashi. It seems the pivot from his old style is complete and Tochinoshin is very successfully adopting an inexorable, forward style with his strength.

Holy crap. Just looking at the 4 heya alone is just.... holy mother of god.

Sadly enough, this is true for me at least - it's the first basho since I started watching sumo where I was hoping it wouldn't be happening for everyone's sake. It feels a bit off to make light of the basho where it could all go haywire any second.

I'll leave out the COVID in the name, but the thread has been renamed to the Kozumo Hatsu Basho. Anyone else not looking forward to watching this basho? With the number of cases and absent rikishi, it feels like the basho is a car crash waiting to happen.

Done!

I have got to agree. Miyagino and Arashio being sidelined was sad, Kokonoe and Tomozuna being out as well just elevates it to farce.

Well, if you believe certain outlets, the NSK is in the red and is trying to avoid digging themselves deeper with this basho. And with the state of emergency permitting the 5k spectators, they've pretty much been sanctioned to hold a spectator basho by the government, so why be a smart alec and take the initiative to play safe?

I am very convinced now and I humbly apologise for my presumption

I'm willing to concede the point, although I'd argue that the record of wins from entry into sumo is so intimately tied up with rank that the kyujo will loom large. In the normal state of affairs, if anyone goes kyujo, that's back down the banzuke you go, and you won't be in the makushita joi with 28 wins. That notwithstanding, the extra time to train is still going to be an "unfair" advantage, isn't it? That's also what I was getting at. It's impressive to get 28 wins and to the makushita joi within 6 months of entering pro sumo. Hokuseiho's record, if he does set it, is going to be over a longer time frame, and that will take some lustre off it no matter what.

On the contrary, the extra time may well help him if he develops his technique with that time. The problem is, it's definitely going to permanently put a question mark next to his record, since it's arguable that it's a 21-0, 0-0-7, then a X-0. That said, I don't think it matters in the long run if he storms into Juryo within three more basho afterward.

Can both of you try clearing your browser cache/accessing the forum from a not-normally-used browser and see if it's still that slow?