Hankegami

Hello everyone! Sorry for missing out most of the party, but the forum is filled with bugs and I have little patience to circle them around. Not today, though. I was also waiting for the tournament to shape out, frankly. In the meanwhile, I kept watching the bouts (thanks to Moti) and cheering my faves, and that's it. Now, let's get back to business: how did my faves fare on Day 13? Mitakeumi is surprisingly still hanging on. Ok, he was against 117 kg Midorifuji but we're deep into week 2. It's like full moon for the half pinoy-wolf. At 6-7, he still has a chance to save his basho somehow. Kinbozan lost by the great idea of going for a belt fight with Ryuden after having pushed him almost out. By the slow-mo, he took the belt to finish him by yorikiri - someone forgot to pass him the memo of NEVER going on a belt fight against Ryuden unless you are a better belt gamer than him. Quite astonishing. I admit I am quite fond of Ichiyamamoto, so I am glad he's sitting at 9-4 with room for further improvement. Sure, he absolutely has a joi wall, but it would be nice for him to get another merry-go-round up there. I also like his decision of going for the belt whenever necessary - and people keep describing him as Abi lite! About Abi... merry two go-rounder against Fujinokawa! The 20-year-old kid is giving quite the spectacle by moving around relentlessly. He's still having issues racking up a robust score, but considering how young he is I wonder how much can he improve in the next few years. Yoshinofuji played the gatekeeper against Tokihayate today. To be honest, I has not been amused by his ability to ruin the party for my favorites, but I must admit he has the ability to carve a spot for himself. I hope he heals up and show how far he can go in 2026. Now, the bigshots. Kotozakura is in some discreet trouble right now. He failed to upset Hoshoryu despite his many tries, and he's now sitting at 7-6 with Onosato and Aonishiki waiting to get a piece of his scalp. He can either be the party wrecker for someone, or going kadoban despite all his struggles this basho. Finally, the musubi no ichiban. Went somewhat better than I expected. Aonishiki tried something new to turn tables, and it almost worked. Still no cigar, though. The Ukrainian is now in a delicate position, with 3 losses and a good chance to fail breaking his 11 wins barrier - again (courtesy of Wakatakakage, but a loss is a loss). Also, Onosato seem somewhat shakier in the last few days. I like Hoshoryu's chances for the yusho at this point. I concur. Aonishiki fled out ages before Onosato hit the ground. I like the kid - I was rooting for him, to cry out loud - but the shimpan have a recent history of regarding jump outs as a losing move. There isn't much to argue about, really.

Just did it and it worked. I can again post and like around (just gave some to Moti for his video). That's baffling.

I was once again on blacklist today (for absolutely no reason, I didn't post zilch recently), so my post comes belated. EDIT: Probably because of the http / https stuff. Wild. ............. Well, well, well... Day 13 here we are. From bottom to the top, Shishi (9-4) is the best Shishi I have seen perhaps ever. He even advanced today to move Churanoumi (actaully a good wrestler) out by yorikiri. He has a chance to hit 10 now, which he never managed to do in Makuuchi. Mitakeumi... won against Oshoma? And here I thought it was the end of my favorite lard tank. Yesterday, that is. Mitakeumi was in command pretty much the whole match, and walked Oshoma over with grace and hinkaku and all. I'm very glad he has yet an outside chance to KK, and anyway a path toward a soft MK. I am also glad that Hakuoho still got some gas. He dispatched Onokatsu far faster than Atamifuji did with 1-12 Gonoyama (not really a compliment, Atamin), and Oho with lower Makuuchi aficionado Ryuden. Impressive. Today I noticed that, once again, Hiradoumi has fell under my radar. The guy convincingly dispatched Tamawashi despite his awful 2-7 record against him. Of course, Aonishiki has been amazing as always today. Takanosho was no pushover, and was close to winning several times during their match. However, the kid stood his ground until he got a chance to pay back Takanosho with his own money. Most outstanding. He's now just one win away from the magic 11 wins for a S2 slot, and even has a chance to round up his final score to 12 to fatten up his upcoming Ozeki bid. Please don't mind me, I'm waving this Ukraine flag for political purposes here - not being a fan in the slightest. Takanosho himself did very well, by the way. 10 wins under his belt and two still available for him also. Whelp, Takayasu still fighting on. He showed his vintage self against poor Wakamotoharu today, despite his MK. Trying to soften the fall the best he can. Papa Bear still not thinking about retirement, clearly. And - Kirishima is not done yet. Shodai tried hard to turn tables on their bout, but Kirby insisted and managed to pull him out. His KK hopes live for yet another day. Now, the quest for the yusho. Hoshoryu is somehow chocking. He managed to avoid giving out kinboshi this tournament, but in return he's now losing against his most problematic opponents. On the bright side, Kotozakura is definitively on an ok - not wonderful, but ok - shape. Onosato, as expected, dispatched 136 kg Wakatakakage like nothing. 12-1 and the tournament is for him to lose now. The Day 14 torikumi just came out also. As expected, we get Onosato vs. Kotozakura and Wakatakakage vs. Hoshoryu tomorrow. The fist two have a 6-4 H2H, with Onosato winning the last four. These also coincide with KZK's slump after his Kyushu 2024 Yusho. Billed 189 cm and 179 kg, Kotozakura does not conform to the typical wrestler to be ran over by Ogresato. If he's really in a good shape, he can put up quite the fight just for his honor - like he did today against Hoshoryu. The other two have a 7-8 record in favor of WTK, but Hoshoryu won their last four F2F although they coincide with WTK working up his current Ozeki bid - i.e. against the best WTK. This makes Hoshoryu's perspectives (for tomorrow) better than Onosato - on paper. However, WTK is now 6-7 with today, with no room for more losses. He won't go down easily (henka incoming?). Following the arasoi, the only guys with an actual chance to yusho remain 12-1 Onosato and 11-2 Hoshoryu. However, in case of a total collapse of them both (unlikely but not impossible, especially if KZK wins tomorrow and Hosh wakes up on senshuraku), the 10-3 duo of Aonishiki and Takanosho gets back into consideration for a playoff - as long as they keep winning. Long, long shot. Tomorrow we get Hiradoumi vs. Aonishiki (never met), and Takanosho vs Kirishima (15-5 - seriously). Both matches promise to be most interesting. The first bout is a total enigma, while Takanosho is the clear favorite for the second. However, Kirby is one loss away from MK and demotion, so he will certainly fight back hard. Of course, an Onosato win tomorrow will either put the yusho run down to the Yokozuna final bout, or outright for an early win (if Onosato wins and Hoshoryu manages to lose again).

A bit late to the party but I guess showing up late is better than not showing up at all. Lifetime left-handed. Millennial generation (so a bit younger than some here), so I was never pressured to be 'corrected'. However, the stigma was not 100% gone in 1990s Italy. My mom did actually consider to 'correct' me - not because of her personal beliefs but for social stigma, really -, but my kindergarten teachers convinced her it was outright stupid. Lots of help also came from my grandfather (her dad), an old-fashioned Catholic but who completely welcomed me with my left hand and all. He really taught me to tell religiosity and superstition apart. I was never exposed much to left-handed tailored items, though. More than anything else, I learned to work out with standard right-handed devices. For example, I use the front office's main computer mouse at my work - set for the right-handed - with my left hand. I just click the main button with my ring finger instead than with my index, and vice versa.

Good Day 12, everyone! Shishi already got his KK after his unremarkable last two showings still in the lower Maegashira ranks (4-11 at M11w; 7-8 M17w). He even has 3 days to go to further pump up his final result. I am quite fond of every westerner in sumo, so I am most glad of his achievement. Hope he's set to stay in Makuuchi for some while now. Also, despite his loss against Shishi, as @RabidJohn has pointed out, Mitakeumi still has some stamina in the tank. I hope it comes handful, since he's now 5-7 and he can still, well... I doubt a KK, but a soft MK is still in the cards for him. And... Shodai reverted to his old lower Maegashira self already, by losing to Ryuden of all people. I mean, I get losing against someone, but please not crash out one of the best belt gamers in the field just to lose against some average guy. Thanks in advance, Shottie. By the way, he's up against Kirishima for tomorrow - so the Committee was expecting for him to win today. Wonderful. Now, knowing Shodai as we all do, I expect him to handle Kirby his MK. Honor mention to Gonoyama for his first win this basho! Happy for him, both because a 0-15 is always a awful sight, but also because he's mathematically safe from demotion to Juryo. Open some sparkly wine at the heya tonight, kid! Finally, the Y/O. Unfortunate loss for Kotozakura. He had Takanosho more than once, but he failed to end the job. However, this shows he's still in an ok shape and can be dangerous in the last three days (tomorrow Hoshoryu). Onosato... well, he's the usual. Off went Kirby. And, of course, Hoshoryu Aonishiki, my boy! Still got the Nephew's number! Great, great bout! That said, let's talk about the current arasoi. Hoshoryu got caught up, and he's getting an uneasy final sketch. Tomorrow he will get Kotozakura ( 14-9 ), a problematic opponent whether in a good shape. Their record has a streak-ish pattern, and they almost take turns to be the other's daddy. Hoshoryu is getting the part as of late, but the last time he went against a good KZK (2024.11) he famously lost. His Day 14 bout will be probably decided by the winner of Takanosho vs. Aonishiki tomorrow. If Takanosho wins, he will get paired up against the Yokozuna (Onosato most likely being slated against KZK). Otherwise, WTK is on the menu as per tradition. I'm a bit crossed that the Committee is endangering Aonishiki's (9-3) result instead of pairing Takanosho against Onosato, but I guess they didn't expect KZK to lose. Can't be helped. Looks like that. Both Wakatakakage (6-6) and Kirishima (5-7) are in a precarious position now. The latter, in particular, is just one loss away from demotion, being S1w with no room for a pseudo-demotion within the rank. On the other hand, Kirby has already done his san'yaku duty and can still save himself by winning over against Maegashira joi. Bad news: he plays gatekeeper against Shodai tomorrow. Terribly dangerous. About his performance today, I don't think it was bad actually. Onosato (191 kg) is just unplayable below 150 kg of mass. He tossed out Aonishiki (138 kg in May), Wakamotoharu (147 kg), and Kirishima himself (147 kg), and plowed the dohyo with Hiradoumi (137 kg). His only loss up to this moment has been against the bulkier Hakuoho (159 kg), and daddy Hoshoryu is also above that tipping point (150 kg). Other wrestlers who gave him some degree of scare include Tamawashi (181 kg), Oho (178 kg) and Takayasu (176 kg). Also, Hoshoryu has definitively the better footwork. Kirishima was actually doing well, standing on his ground and parrying Onosato's shoves while looking for an opening... that is, until that last shove that jeeted him on the ropes. In short, Kirby must take on some 5 kg more if he wants to get a chance against Onosato at any time - although he has more pressing issues at the moment than breaking his duck against the Yokozuna.

Well, I guess I can post my Day 11 comments also. Shishi (7-4) is putting up quite the decent tournament while lumbering around ad staying unimpressive. He's now one win away from KK with four days to go. Meisei (3-8) lost again today and is on a virtual 6(1) losing strike (actually 4+2, interrupted by his Day 9 win against Nishikigi - basically a freebie). He's in serious danger of demotion if he doesn't start to win soon. I got anther look at him after his absence from Hoshoryu's dohyo-iri for two days straight, and I 'm starting to get why he likely waived his role there. He doesn't look well. Takanosho (9-2) is putting up a very nice basho. He's still on the run - technically - and looking good in general. Now, let me write down a Fujinokawa (4-7) appreciation post. I admit I never followed him much. He's not winning big and threatened no record on his way up. But boy, he's a total fighter! He's really putting all his best in his fights. I'm starting having Ura vibes from him - no matter winning or losing, he provides a lot of fun. Not to mention he's very young still (20 y.o.). Best bout of the day was perhaps Hakuoho vs. Oho. The Reiwa Monster is clearly not at his best but he's not the kind of guy who surrenders easily. More so props to Oho for winning the bout. Now, now, now... Atamifuji. Lost to osteology wing patient Abi like nothing. I have a soft stop for Atamin (we share the same birthday, albeit several years apart), but that's not the level he promised us on his way up. Sure, he's not losing as bad as Gonoyama (0-11), but the latter is definitively nursing an injury and is otherwise a reliable joi adjacent level wrestler. Now, let's talk about san'yaku. Shodai (9-2) had the gall to show up to create trouble to Aonishiki (8-3). I mean, well-executed plan, Shottie, but you're made to be hated sometimes. The Committee put Shodai back on lower Makuuchi for tomorrow - facing Ryuden. No extra joi pairings for the moment (perhaps later on?). I guess they assumed Aonishiki would've won. I am bummed for Aonishiki though. Now he can drop just another one if he wants to force a S2 slot for himself in Kyushu. The good thing is that he only has to face Hoshoryu of the big boys (scheduled for tomorrow), the bad thing is that he must go 3-1 from tomorrow onward. Sure, he's Aonishiki, but it's still quite the dance on the rope to perform. Paradoxically, the chance for a regular Sekiwake spot to open up anyway has gotten more likely with today. Wakatakakage (5-6) sunk his remaining Ozeki hopes with his latest loss today, and also must go 3-1 to get his KK. Including his scheduled matches against Kotozakura, Onosato, and Hoshoryu - unless the Committee scraps them altogether. Well, played, WakaBro3. Kirishima (5-6) is in a similar situation, although he doesn't look just as hapless. He lost with dignity against Hoshoryu today, and he will finish his Y/O duty tomorrow by getting run over by facing Onosato. That's 1 most likely loss, to be followed by 3 more feasible bouts in the last three days. About the Y/O, they all won today. Kotozakura (8-3) is definitively doing good this basho. He already got his KK and can think about fattening up his final score from now on. He earned this also. Wakamotoharu is not pushover, and yet he managed to damage control him until he had the chance to reverse the situation. Hoshoryu (11-0) still on the lead. Kirishima brought him to a potentially dangerous belt fight, but he once again emerged as the better belt master. Onosato (10-1) remains sole runner-up after some actual scare against Takayasu. Papabear (3-8) did not want his MK at all, and seriously tried to out-Onosato the man himself. Too bad he didn't have the stamina to end him off, so he ended up Onosato'd like everyone else. So... The arasoi. Four days to go, 11-4 the lowest possible bar for the Yusho. However, I just cannot see Hoshoryu to collapse this much. It looks more and more by the day that the Cup is going to be a Yokozuna issue between him and Onosato. I only wonder whether the Committee will force 9-2 Takanosho and Shodai into the fray, or will leave them be with the Yok getting their Yok feed.

Trial reply - I have been on blacklist since yesterday, right after after I posted my thanks to Kintamayama for his video. Must have been too much of an insult for the server, I guess. If this goes through, I' ll EDIT this post with my actual reply. Stay tuned. ------------------------ Yay! Good Day 10, everyone! After a few more days off, I'm finally back for the final sketch! Now, my usual thoughts. During the first half of the tournament, I predicted that Mitakeumi and Atamifuji wouldn't have performed this bad - they looked like they were moving satisfactorily. Well, I was damn wrong. Them both just lost steam, and do not make that much effort anymore. I'm ready for getting my feelings hurt badly Anyway, Mitakeumi surprised me in a certain way, today - he successfully performed a henka! I mean, last times he tried he just went down like a sack of potatoes. He's putting some clear effort now - although this means he's planning to use it more and more in the future. Finally a clear counter-plan for his usual "Weak 2" Mitakeumi behavior! Going on, the pool of win-less rikishi has shrunk down today with Abi's win against Tamawashi. Didn't expect it, considering how bad his arms have looked this tournament. No cigar yet for Gonoyama, though. However, since he's likely going to get the other worst performers in the tournaments in the coming days, I think he will get his first win rather soon. Now, time to burden you with my usual paragraph praising Aonishiki because yes. Hakuoho struggled and waved and swung and threw all he could, but my boy accompanied him out unfazed. Sure, Hakuoho had that bad packaging on his arm, but it was still a nice display of strength from Aonishiki. However, with Wakatakakage losing to Hiradoumi (his first loss ever against him! Well played, Waka) we can be virtually sure that no standard Sekiwake spot will open up for Kyushu. I mean, WTK still has an outside chance to get 10-5 and put his Ozeki candidacy up on the table by winning against Onosato, Hoshoryu, and Kotozakura, but... It looks unlikely from how he is performing now. This means that Aonishiki must win 3 more to hit 11 and force a S2w slot to be opened for him. Certainly not impossible, but not a cakewalk either. Finally, the big three. Kotozakura surprised me positively. He's infamous for being Kirishima's main source of freebie wins ( 7-15 ), and yet he managed to counter him and capitalize on a badly timed makikae from Kirby. Always a good look when you win against opponents who know your number. Onosato keeps being stupid strong. Hoshoryu must really keep his one point cushion win the longer he can, because I cannot see whoever can bring Onosato down in the next few days. Hoshoryu himself today vindicated his recent lucked out wins with a dominant performance against Wakamotoharu. Magnificent show of technical skills, true peak Hoshoryu.

Same issue. I think it's general malfunctioning. I also add my most heartfelt thanks to Moti - love his videos immensely

Good Day 6, everyone! Fresh remarks from live: I didn't really noticed Tomokaze before today, probably because of his bad foot never promising good. However, he's now 5-1 after a fiery match against a Meisei in a clearly bad shape. However, the lower Makuuchi has a lot of old glories in bad shape, so it's fair game here. I take that Tomokaze feels better than most others this tournament, which makes me glad. Always rooting for the underdogs personally. Daieisho vs. Mitakeumi was one of these geriatric bout I was talking about. I mean, Daieisho is not done yet (he was doing so well until a few months ago), but losing a fiery match against Mitakeumi tells a lot about his current condition. About old glories, Shodai is definitively on fire. Last time he went 5-1 he won the Yusho, just saying (he was Sekiwake back then, so entirely different pool of contenders). He certainly does not move at san'yaku level, though, but he can rake up a lot of wins there in lower Makuuchi. Did we just get our dark horse for this tournament? Another guy staying out of the radar is Wakamotoharu, who is now quietly 5-1. He's just doing his usual stuff, and it's working. Now, my favorite kid. Aonishiki wonderfully resisted a major slap fest (courtesy by Takayasu) to win the Komusubi early face off. Takayasu is certainly in a bad shape (0-6), but I doubt his paws do not hurt. The kid is showing strength, resistance, and resilience. Tomorrow grand match up with Wakatakakage vs. Aonishiki - neither guy can really lose (see my post below), although probably WTK has far more to lose. Finally, Kirishima doubled down with another loss, to Tamawashi of all people. I really hope he stops, and quickly. He cannot live off of 8-7 unless he just wants to live by. Now, instead of making average comments about the Y/O winning around, I prefer to talk about the arasoi as it is shaping up. First, the very bottom. Four guys stay at 0-6 with today: Takayasu, Abi, Gonoyama, and Nishikigi. Aside from Nishikigi (on his usual losing strike), the other people should the the L and stay home. They are not fit enough to be competitive in the joi as they are now. The same goes for most of the 1-5 people: Kinbozan and Daieisho, more Atamifuji who is just letting his fans down despite not performing that bad actually. The former two cannot go kyujo, though: they must rack up enough win to save their Makuuchi spot. That's really unfortunate. It's in times like this that I hope that talks about a return to some kind of kosho system will become reality. Speeding up to the top (let the guys in the middle live their life), the 5-1 pack is extremely packed - indeed. No slowing down from yesterday. Onosato keeps showing that his only loss was just a bump in the road. Kotozakura does not appear just as inevitable, but he's moving well (definitively at his best in 2025) and keeps winning. I already commented about WMH, but I should spend two words about Takanosho now. He's performing very well, and he's not even that low in the banzuke (M7e). Looks good for a comeback to the joi in Kyushu. Anyway, how's Ura in this pack? I mean, I'm glad, but he's just doing his Ura stuff. He didn't even bother to use his bag of tricks at the moment, which tells a lot about the level of the competition he has faced these days. Finally, I already covered Shodai and Tomokaze, abut also Churanoumi deserves some credit. I admit I always sleep on him, he never stuck me as someone to follow. I am glad many people are getting the stakes high, though. Last but not least, Hoshoryu keeps his zensho dreams alive. Today's win against Oho tells far more than keeping his front-runner position safe. Their rivalry is well-documented, and Oho is actually in a good shape (he handled Aonishiki magnificently and gave actual trouble to Onosato). In another tournament, he would have certainly handed a big L to the Nephew. Hoshoryu overcoming such a huge bump in mid-tournament shows he's really in a good shape and mindset. Looks very good for him overall. It would, if a standard Sekiwake spot becomes available. Kirishima just burnt his chance today, but WTK is still on the run. Most important, last week (12/09), Head Shimpan Takadagawa-oyakata stated (japanese article, and reddit posts [1, 2] with English translation [I double checked myself via DeepL]) that he's not a fan of the 33 wins benchmark, and he looks more to the quality of sumo. To this extent, he remarked that WTK already showed this much, and he only has to get "double digits". Like many others, I take they are ready to promote him with a 10-5 (32/45) barring a major collapse in his performance. WTK is 4-2 with today, which means he still got a 2 losses' cushion for a fireproof promotion, and even 3 for a custom-tailored promotion. I elaborate my point further. WTK has a history of 'cold starts' and winning streaks in the second week (see his DB page). Last tournament he went from 3-3 to 10-5, and he's one win ahead this time around. Previous examples - all at Sekiwake - are even more bizarre. In 2023.03 he even went from 0-5 to 7-7-1, and only his ACL injury really barred him to get KK. In 2022.09, he went again from 3-3 to 11-4. On the other hand, he also had more modest chevauchées from a bad start to a 8-7 or 9-6. Furthermore, the Y/O are doing really well this tournament, so he might face serious issues in his last stretch. This suggest s that everything can still happen, but my point is that the database strongly suggests that it is way too soon to call WTK's Ozeki run over. He's actually following his usual pattern, and there are plenty of precedents of him going on a week 2 strike to get 10+. In the event, the current butchering of the upper Maegashira joi would open up a spot for Aonishiki even with a 10-5 if not below. However, he still must win as many bouts as he can in the perspective of an Ozeki bid o his own for Kyushu. That's a very good point, although they already wronged Aonsihiki enough by denying him a Komusubi spot last tournament. Anyway, Takakeisho also had a 9-6 in his run, while keeping everything at 10+ looks less likely to be shunned upon. Well, we can just wait and see.

Good day 5, everyone! My usual remarks: First of all, I am glad that my "adopt a rikishi" dear ones are taking up a few wins down in lower Makuuchi. Shishi has got an important win against an unremarkable Tobizaru. The Monkey is 3-2 but he lost to, huh, Tomokaze and Shishi himself. He didn't look impressive overall. I guess it's another case of healing-on-the-dohyo medical receipt. The other major holder of this recognition, Mitakeumi, also managed to get his win. Yay. Going a bit up, Shodai appears somewhat on fire this Aki. Last time he went 4-1 was on 2024.09 (a coincidence?), when he posted a 10-5 from M4e. Perhaps it's a good sign. Or perhaps he's going to take a nap soon (2024.03, 4-1 > 8-7). Kusano is having an unremarkable basho instead. His bull-like strength is still there, but it's nowhere as efficacious as two months ago. Now, Aonishiki. I'm the only one who got Yokozuna sumo vibes from his bout against Kirishima? Calm, controlled, waiting for an opening. Very different from, let's say, just lumbering over like too many heavyset rikishi do. Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying he's Yokozuna level. Just that he showed a major peak today. Too bad for Kirishima, though. I only hope he's bouncing back tomorrow - last basho he began losing big after his day 5 loss to Aonishiki himself. I'm also happy for Wakatakakage, who keeps stacking up wins for his Ozeki run. I'm rooting for you, WakaBro3. This brings me to a St.James Infirmary Blues corner. WTK opponent, Abi, is nowhere as Abi as he should be. His arms are clearly functioning barely. Ichiyamamoto is probably also suffering from discomfort in his arms, but in his case he's apparently using more and more yotsu to make up (his kimarite list includes 39 wins by yorikiri - 25% - but 12 [30%] in the last two years in a career spanning 8 years). Takayasu is also obviously hurt (not an uncommon occurrence for him - basically happens every odd basho), not to mention Daieisho. I imagine these three in particular are still in for to save their spot somehow. Finally, the big guys are doing good. Kotozakura, Hoshoryu and Onosato are performing magnificently. I said that already, but KZK is the most aggressive I ever seen him. A final thought about the arasoi. Hoshoryu is now sole leader at 5-0, passing with full marks Wakanohana III's recommendation to stay either 4-1 or 5-0 to have an actual chance to win the Cup. The Nephew did the same (getting even to 6-0 before getting his first loss) in 2024.11, when he got his best result ever by the numbers (13-2J), but also in 2023.11 (10-5). Funnily enough, Hoshoryu never performed very well in Aki - so this is an absolute novelty for him. The 4-1 runner-up group is stacked, but there are plenty of outstanding competitors. Onosato and Kotozakura above all, but also Kirishima despite his loss today. Wakamotoharu is somewhat a surprise to be found here - his sumo appears just the usual, but it's a good sign seeing him doing this good. I hope he gets a good result eventually. Of course, it's too soon for advancing conclusions, but I like how things are shaping up. A lot of much-hyped names are on a good spot and we can hope for a competitive tournament.

Good Day 4! A few pleasing surprises today. I'm starting to think the other wrestlers have decided to use Aonishiki's low stance against him. Low stances are usually good in sumo, but for two days in a row Aonishiki was floored first - he got a torinaoshi against Atamifuji, and got a loss against Oho today. Of course, Oho's throw was beautiful - but it was also caused by Aonishiki failing to raise Oho's leg, and the latter taking advantage of his higher position to put his weight on the Ukrainian. No drama yet, but perhaps Aonishiki will not get a hand as easy as in the previous tournaments. Wakatakakage and Kotozakura both won today, but I will wait some more time to understand how far they can go this tournament. Hakuoho's win was a thing of wonder - Onosato is no pushover. I am worried about him touching his biceps over and over after the match, though. Now, the arasoi leaders. Hoshoryu got an easy one - Abi has issues with his arms, most clearly. Anyway, a win is a win, and a pattern is a pattern. The Nephew didn't go 4-0 since his Yok run, so it looks promising. However, he also started 4-0 in 2023.11 & 2024.01 (10-5 final) and 2023.01 (8-7). This was another Hoshoryu, though - perhaps. Kirishima also got an easy one on washed Gonoyama and upped to 4-0. Kirby is another one with mixed precedents, even more than Hoshoryu. Just saying, he went 4-0 also last basho, only to finish 8-7. However, he also started 4-0 in 2024.09 (12-3J) - but his previous post was back in 2021.09 (9-6). Interestingly, neither of Kirishima's two yusho was a byproduct of a 4-0 start (started 3-1 in both instances). Interestingly enough, there is no dark horse challenger at this point of the basho. A lot of people in the lower Makuuchi got 3-1, but no 4-0 on sight. Well, things can change fast this early in the tournament. For example, Atamifuji vs. Hoshoryu could be more problematic than it seems for the Yokozuna. They have a most surprisingly 5-3 precedent, with 4-1 in their last five encounters. Onosato vs. Oho is another interesting match. Precedents are 4-3, but 1-3 in their last four. Finally, another great Day 5 match is Aonishiki vs. Kirishima. They have met only once - last tournament - and also last time was on Day 5 with Kirishima coming from a 4-0 partial. Aonishiki, of course, uchimuso'd Kirishima. Will Aminishiki's golden boy repeat himself?

Good Day 3, everyone! Sorry for missing the first two days of daily comment, but I fear I'm going to show up only occasionally this basho. Anyway, here's my impressions from the first three days: Shishi is not performing that bad from M18e. After his awful showing in Natsu and quite fortunate 7-8 (with even a freebie) in Nagoya, I feel he's performing decently now. I'm not saying he's going places, but he looks like he will save his Makuuchi spot for Kyushu if he keeps going around this level. Mitakeumi finally cashed in a win today. Everyone stressed how his recent personal loss and mourning would likely lead to an awful performance, but I didn't see Mita(*old - we got another Mita as of late) wrestling this bad over the last three days. Just unable to finish his work properly. I have the impression he's not set up for a disaster basho despite everything. Daieisho is clearly under-performing instead. Everyone was expecting him to make a bloodbath of mid-lower Makuuchi, but the opposite is now a possibility. I guess his injuries have not fully healed yet. Kusano does not look on his way to another wonder basho. I read around he's likely carrying an injury - possible. However, today's win shows that his strength is still there, and that he can perfectly pull a KK from his current position. I'm getting good vibes from Atamifuji despite his current 1-2 showing. Today he clearly lost the tachi-ai to Kirishima, but he put up a great fight against Aonishiki yesterday. In general, I feel like he's moving better than in the past. I am expecting a satisfactory basho from him. Now, Aonishiki. The kid just doesn't slow down. He has a long way ahead before figuring out Onosato - you know, the top dog in the tour right now -, but he's proving day after day that his sumo is san'yaku material at the least. His fight against Atamifuji yesterday was most marvelous, and showed what an insane lower body strength he got. As about today, he wonderfully dispatched an actually remarkable Kotozakura. The sole Ozeki has looked his best since Kyushu 2024 in the first two days, so his loss today might say more about Aonishiki than Kotozakura himself. I am positive that KZK might be set for something (far?) more than an 8-7 this time around. Wakatakakage looks like he wants to stay Sekiwake instead. 1-2 is not exactly a good start for a 10+ total. However, WTK has always been a rather erratic wrestler, and he has already provided several instances of going on winning streaks after a mediocre start (07.2025 [2-3 > 10-5]; 11.2024 [3-2 > 10-5]; 09.2022 [2-3 > 11-4], etc). He's also infamous for setting on a 9-6 much too often, though. Kirishima looks good. I think he's set for his usual good basho of his post-Ozeki Kirby Cycle (8-7, 12-3J, 6-9, 11-4, 8-7, 11-4, 8-7, 3-0 and going). Finally, the Yokozuna. This basho looks juicy. Hoshoryu is clearly eager to perform well. He honored Hakuoho with a master-class HNH and got his 3-0 opening. Nephew didn't start with three straight wins since his Yok run in 11.2024 / 01.2025. Onosato is brutal. Stupid strong. The main quest for Aki is stopping him from getting a zensho, I think.

Well, well, well. Quite the Day 14. I am not amused. My boy Aonishiki got overpowered by villainous Kusano despite doing his best, with the result that a playoff is much on the cards for tomorrow. Even worse, Kirishima utterly failed to dispatch Tokushoryu Kotoshoho and his kawaii lips, giving him the sole lead. As @Akinomaki just wrote, 'shoho did everything very fine this basho, and would have earned his Cup fair and square. However, I am a bit down with this perspective, since I am still reluctant to perceive Kotoshoho as a future star. Yusho are about good stories for me, and I don't like the narrative here. Different issues with Kusano - he's too much dominant. I like dark horses better. Please don't get bothered by my complains, anyway. I am just bummed that my favorite narratives are slowly going down the drain. To be fair, I think few among us (and possibly among the shimpan also) considered Kotoshoho a serious contender before the very last days. It's much of a Tokushoryu situation - which in part also involved the otherwise the impossible-to-underestimate back-to-back Juryo Yusho winner Kusano. Everyone had eyes for Aonishiki and secondarily on Onosato - with Ichiyamamoto coming third. There's also the issue that's unfair to pit low-ranked rikishi against the joi "just to be sure", with the danger of hampering them from getting a good result. Few could foresee the likes of Kotoshoho, Kusano, and also Atamifuji going on a winning spree. That's not in the usual character of at least two of them.

Thanks, I didn't realize that their match-up in itself would avoid a potential 2 loss collapse. More the reason for withdrawing Onosato from kinboshi duty, though - putting him back among fellow san'yaku under-performers, I mean. That's wild. The funny thing is that the current san'yaku is not particularly weak in itself. However, let's not forget that Aonishiki should have been Komusubi this tournament. The JSA is reaping what they sowed, also considering how the anointed Komusubi pair is doing right now (with all due respect to Takayasu, who is having a decent tournament but he could have also had it as a M1-M2). They cannot even put up the tradition argument, since them saving 6-9 Takayasu was unprecedented. In short, let's not forget that this equally unprecedented situation was forced and should not have taken place to begin with.

Nagoya 2025 Day 13 on the books. Now, let's check out the arasoi: leaders, 11-2 Aonishiki... and Kotoshoho?!? Gracious goodness... Runner ups, 10-3 Atamifuji (whut?!?) and Kusano?! Nice san'yaku we got there. Jokes aside, I'm stunned. Aonishiki is the least unlikely of this merry bunch up in that place. The guy looks the real deal and he's a joy to watch. Ichiyamamoto did his best, but the boy didn't just bulge. His immovability is most impressive. Kotoshoho... Kinboshi? Seriously? Fine, Onosato is clearly tired, but props to him for winning a match on the belt. I didn't know Kotoshoho knew belts did exist. He really seems in a time of grace when he can do the impossible. Atamifuji overpowered a certainly injured Kotozakura, but don't forget Four Tits is a bona fide heavyweight himself. This tells both how good is Atomic this tournament, and how bad KZK is. Finally, Kusano is the second least unlikely guy up there, despite his low rank. I was most positive that Kirishima would have given him another Wakatakakage experience, but for the third time in a row (Onosato, Kotozakura, and now Kusano) Kirby managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. That sotogake from Kusano was sick anyway. Now, let's talk about the final match-ups for Day 14 and 15. Onosato is most likely done with giving out kinboshi - or at least the JSA should make it sure about that. I believe they will revert him to his usual schedule: Wakatakakage on Day 14, and Kotozakura on Day 15. He's not out of contention yet - technically - but he needs a lot of luck for all the four top arasoi guys to lose their matches. In particular, Aonishiki and Kotosohoho should just collapse for Onosato to get back in the picture. Yep, Aonishiki and Kotoshoho. But also Atamifuji and Kusano. They will likely face each other during the last two days at this point. The only guys who already faced each other were Kotoshoho and Kusano (Day 3, Kotoshoho won). Considering that Aonishiki and Kotoshoho have a lead, the worst it might happen is for them to lose on Day 14 and make level with the other two on Day 15. This would actually lead to a 2-men playoff in the worst case - instead of leaving them separately with the chance of up to a 4-men playoff. Hence, I predict Aonishiki vs. Kusano & Atamifuji vs. Kotoshoho on Day 14. If Kotoshoho (who cannot face Kusano) wins, we will get a Darwinian match Aonishiki vs. Kotoshoho on Day 15, otherwise we will get Aonishiki vs. Atamifuji, with Kusano and Kotoshoho free to roam around. That's another actual possibility, but I think they should play match-ups on Day 14 to thin down the pool of potential contenders. If they keep them apart they would actively engineer a 4-way 12-3 playoff. However, if Kusano wins (in my foreseen match-ups) he can well be paired against Onosato on Day 15.