Hatsu 2015 Comments

[Mintofuji 18]

With his win against Kotoshogiku, Hakuho's career win percentage (82.74%) exceeds Taiho (82.73%) for the first time in his career.

[bettega 431]

With his win against Kotoshogiku, Hakuho's career win percentage (82.74%) exceeds Taiho (82.73%) for the first time in his career.

I couldn't get to these numbers... what are your data? I'm using the SumoDB and wikipedia

And thanks for the info

[Mintofuji 18]

With his win against Kotoshogiku, Hakuho's career win percentage (82.74%) exceeds Taiho (82.73%) for the first time in his career.

I couldn't get to these numbers... what are your data? I'm using the SumoDB and wikipedia

And thanks for the info

I used SumoDB, for example here. However I used the numbers for wins and losses, so it includes fusen losses. If you don't include them, Taiho is ahead (83.44% vs 82.82%)

[Gurowake 4,016]

If you look at Makuuchi only, Hakuho is well ahead of Taiho in winning percentage, with more wins and less losses (Taiho may have less non-fusen losses, but he's still well behind in wins). If you look at Yokozuna only, Hakuho is behind by a few wins, but has plenty less losses for a superior winning percentage. Career comparisons that include lower divisions are somewhat meaningless as they didn't necessarily start at the same experience level; Hakuho quite clearly had absolutely no experience when he entered.

Edited January 22, 2015 by Gurowake

[shimodahito 304]

if you count all yushos..... taiho has 34 (32+1 juryo, 1 sandanme), hakuho will have 34 (33+1 juryo)..... so we may have to wait another basho for hakuho to be the undisputed yusho leader.

it's amazing looking at hakuho's very average stats in his lower division years.....

[Benevolance 2,483]

Call me naïve, but I've got this hunch that Hakuho is going to ensure that no matter how you want to frame it, he is the winningest yokozuna of all time by a safe margin.

[Jakusotsu 5,874]

"All time" is such a big word...

[orandashoho 720]

... all time up to now...

[sumojoann 1,262]

YAY, HAKUHO DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sumojoann 1,262]

Unbelievable!!! A torinaoshi with Kisenosato, and then Hakuho won his 33rd!!! Zensho yusho!!!

[sumojoann 1,262]

Uhhhh...............He DID win the yusho, didn't he? Why isn't anyone else commenting??

[Gernobono 463]

... all time up to now...

5 is the highest number of all numbers.....

up to 5

[Gernobono 463]

Uhhhh...............He DID win the yusho, didn't he? Why isn't anyone else commenting??

you think any more besides your 3 makes it bigger?

[Morty 1,483]

All credit to Kise today, he made Hak earn it...

But it is a privilege and a pleasure to watch Hakuho perform his sumo. He is so far ahead of everybody else skill wise that it is sometimes like watching boys up against a man. Nevertheless it is rare to be able to experience an athlete with such supreme talents and they come along only very rarely. Even if you don't like him there is no denying his quality. It will be a while before we will see another one as consistently good as he is. I'm really pleased I was able to see him win his 33rd Yusho and I hope he turns it into a zensho on the weekend.

[Monnodo 60]

After looking beatable in the beginning, Hakuho has proved once again, that he is the man, by beating Kotoshogiku and Kisenosato convincingly.

Congratulations to Hakuho, he deserves everything he gets, I am glad he did it, even though I thought in the beginning that this would be Harumafujis Tournament. Everything about this day and Hakuhos win was great (Except for Araibira spoiling it for me on Facebook), and I hope he will get plenty more yusho.

[wanderer 159]

Call me naïve, but I've got this hunch that Hakuho is going to ensure that no matter how you want to frame it, he is the winningest yokozuna of all time by a safe margin.

I remember him saying on one of Mongolian tabloids that there are couple of yusho which were not properly recognized (no emperor's cup etc) and he wants to make absolutely sure to get awarded the emperor's cup at least 32 times. I think he is not done yet.

[krindel 671]

Call me naïve, but I've got this hunch that Hakuho is going to ensure that no matter how you want to frame it, he is the winningest yokozuna of all time by a safe margin.

I remember him saying on one of Mongolian tabloids that there are couple of yusho which were not properly recognized (no emperor's cup etc) and he wants to make absolutely sure to get awarded the emperor's cup at least 32 times. I think he is not done yet.

To the best of my knowledge he didn't get an emperor's cup only for the "Technical Examination Tournament" after the yaocho scandal... Is there another such case?

[Washuyama 638]

I feel I've just witnessed history! When I started watching/following sumo, 2nd place on the yusho list was Futabayama's 12. (!) To see Taiho's record fall is indescribable. Hakuho belongs in the same breath as the greatest sportsmen in history... Jordan, Ali, Nicklaus, etc... Hakuho takes a back seat to none of them!

Wow!!

[Pica-Pica 24]

Often Hakuhos wins are a bit cheap and fast. But this was Sumo basics executed with perfection.

I'm confused about the idea of a "cheap and fast" win, as opposed to a win gained through text-book perfect technique. It seems sensible that Hakuho (or any other rikishi) would apply the basic and timeless martial arts principle, "minimum effort for maximum outcome" whenever possible. It mightn't always be pretty, but if it works, it works!

[ALAKTORN 346]

After looking beatable in the beginning, Hakuho has proved once again, that he is the man, by beating Kotoshogiku and Kisenosato convincingly.

I still stand by the fact that he was playing with his food. He was practicing different approaches against opponents he could afford to.

[Gurowake 4,016]

Often Hakuhos wins are a bit cheap and fast. But this was Sumo basics executed with perfection.

I'm confused about the idea of a "cheap and fast" win, as opposed to a win gained through text-book perfect technique. It seems sensible that Hakuho (or any other rikishi) would apply the basic and timeless martial arts principle, "minimum effort for maximum outcome" whenever possible. It mightn't always be pretty, but if it works, it works!

Any of Hakuho's fast wins are far from cheap. He just slams into them and pushes them out like you're supposed to - he doesn't do anything that's not worthy of top-flight sumo. That he has the power and skill to do it almost effortlessly against the best there are goes to show just how far above everyone else he truly is.

The record is just not particularly exciting though, because we could all see it coming and it was just a matter of time. Chiyonofuji and Taiho's last wins were 5 tournaments after their previous one, and in Taiho's case the 3rd-last yusho was another 5 basho before that. They clearly were declining when they hit 30 yusho, while Hakuho is still basically at the peak of his career. The real question is can he get 40 before be decides to quit? He could probably get 50 if he wanted to put his body through the wringer enough times, but he's said he's only going to give it a couple more years.

[Kotogouryuu 127]

This why I watch sumo.

[Adil 232]

Tokitenku has won three bouts by susoharai this basho, the most victories by a rikishi in one basho in makuuchi by this kimarite. Only on two other occasions has a rikishi used it more than once in one basho (in makuuchi): Kyokushuzan in Natsu 2000 and Tokitenku himself in Aki 2011. Tokitenku beat Takayasu by susoharai in two consecutive basho: Nagoya 2011 & Aki 2011.

[Adil 232]

Often Hakuhos wins are a bit cheap and fast. But this was Sumo basics executed with perfection.

I'm confused about the idea of a "cheap and fast" win, as opposed to a win gained through text-book perfect technique. It seems sensible that Hakuho (or any other rikishi) would apply the basic and timeless martial arts principle, "minimum effort for maximum outcome" whenever possible. It mightn't always be pretty, but if it works, it works!

Any of Hakuho's fast wins are far from cheap. He just slams into them and pushes them out like you're supposed to - he doesn't do anything that's not worthy of top-flight sumo. That he has the power and skill to do it almost effortlessly against the best there are goes to show just how far above everyone else he truly is.

The record is just not particularly exciting though, because we could all see it coming and it was just a matter of time. Chiyonofuji and Taiho's last wins were 5 tournaments after their previous one, and in Taiho's case the 3rd-last yusho was another 5 basho before that. They clearly were declining when they hit 30 yusho, while Hakuho is still basically at the peak of his career. The real question is can he get 40 before be decides to quit? He could probably get 50 if he wanted to put his body through the wringer enough times, but he's said he's only going to give it a couple more years.

Hey, Andreas21... Could you please expand on what you meant when you said Hakuho's victories are often "cheap"? He has been the epitome of sound, controlled sumo, with textbook wins over all of his opponents. I would have found it surprising even if you had said his wins are "sometimes" cheap, but often?

Your comment makes me think there are two possibilities:

1) You have a great eye and can see something in Hakuho's sumo technique that pretty much everybody has missed. There have been discussions about his extra shoves, but his victories being cheap? I don't think so, or maybe I just missed those threads.

2) You don't like Hakuho all that much.

Just curious; no offense meant whatsoever.

[Benevolance 2,483]

All. Time.

Browsing the forums, one would get the impression that Hakuho's wins fall into two categories: he either beats his opponent swiftly and cleanly (and is dubbed a cheap winner at any cost); or his opponent forces him work for his win only because he 'toyed' with his opponent and it backfired. Never is there the assumption that Hakuho might genuinely lose in an honest competition.

And he's not done yet. Barring a sudden and rapid collapse of his strength, competitive cunning and technique, he's got more yuusho's under his mawashi. Only 3 times since reaching yokozuna has he failed to get 12 wins, and he manages a 13 wins or better effort 5/6 basho each year. The bar is very, very high. Even those contenders that can beat him (Kise, Haru, Goiedou, Kak come to mind) will not challenge his dominance until they can beat all the other rikishi with the same consistency that Hak shows.