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Asojima

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Pretty disappointed that ichi was not able to stay in sanyaku but at least he lost to tugboat who I like. Not even gonna bother guessing the sanyaku after today's decimation other than hoping that fuji does well there and guessing whoever else is promoted is unlikely to be there after the end of the next basho. I do think there is a bit of backscratching between the Mongolians but it's mainly Hak doing the giving after his counterparts truck over the field. Despite that Hak is gonna shatter pretty much every major record but the consecutive wins as I doubt he will be as motivated.

Edited by Mongolith

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Oh, Takararuji! :-( Let a certain sansho and sanyaku berth (probably sekiwake, too) slip through his fingers. Will he ever get a better chance?

Edited by ryafuji
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Brilliant belt work by Hakuho today. Kak had the better grip and the better leverage until he tried to push Hakuho on the edge. Hak recovered and turned Kak a bit, loosening Kak's grip. He then sinked in his other hand on the underside of the belt and pushed him for the win. I don't believe it was fixed. Kak clearly didn't know what to do after he had Hak on the edge and couldnt finish him. He also lost most of his grip when he tried it. While he stalled after Hak saved himself, Hak was getting the other hand locked firmly on the belt.

Not sure when/if we will get a Japanese Yokozuna but Kisenosato, Goeido and Takayasu are the best current bets. If Kisen could get nasty, mean and aggressive, I think he could. He just has to win one and they will hand him it. Goeido's resume isn't that different from Kisenosato and he seems to be able to beat Yokozuna and hit 3-4 loss records. The jump would really not be that much, but I feel his size is an issue. Takayasu is further off, but he can beat some Yokozuna and I think he has something.

As for non-Japanese, Terunofuji looks good but hasn't gotten many big wins yet. I feel he has the size and the personality to make it a possibility. If Ichinojo could stop fooling around, get rough and get his act together, I think he could definitely do it since he has the size and has beaten names already. I really hope this basho is a wake up call to him and I hope his coaches chew him out. I see a lot of good stuff in Tochinoshin, but I'm really worried that he just has a ceiling. I don't see Aoiyama ever doing it since he relies too much on standing straight up and brawling without technique, just like Osunaarashi.

It will be hard for anyone period though at the moment with Hakuho, two Yokozuna and three Ozeki. That's a lot of people to get through. The time to do it was when Kakuryu did it with a lack of Ozeki, Harumafuji having injury problems and Kisenosato having consistentcy problems. I feel like if Hakuho left for say maybe half a year to one year, we'd probably have 1 new Yokozuna(Kise or Koto) and probably a few new Ozeki(Tochinoshin, Ichinojo).

Edited by rzombie1988

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It was also important the way Hakuho pinned Kakuryu's elbow, bending it inward, taking the power out of his arm and turning and raising his body. Kak had to get the arm out of there, but trying to move an arm on Hakuho has almost always meant a quick push out.

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Oh, Takararuji! :-( Let a certain sansho and sanyaku berth (probably sekiwake, too) slip through his fingers. Will he ever get a better chance?

He is not so old, and has shown vast improvement even since making it into Makuuchi. I see him making sanyaku a couple of times at the least.

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I feel like if Hakuho left for say maybe half a year to one year, we'd probably have 1 new Yokozuna(Kise or Koto) and probably a few new Ozeki(Tochinoshin, Ichinojo).

That crossed my mind too. If Hakuho were absent, Kisenosato would be Yokozuna pretty soon. I mean, this basho his win count equalled one Yokozuna and bested another.

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The only real long-term prospect for the Japanese in Makuuchi right now is Chiyootori. The rest of the Japanese contingent seem too old to have the time to develop into Yokozuna; Kisenosato has been very close, but he doesn't have the benefit of being able to work together with the top rikishi in securing promotion like the Mongolians have (maybe).

I'd look further down the banzuke. In Juryo you have Onosho, Kagayaki, and will have Horikiri all with superlative age/rank combinations, and then you can also look at Meisei, Rikishin, Terutsuyoshi, Takayoshitoshi, Takagenji, and maybe Hakuyozan, Kotaro, and Mizuta, all of whom are young for their rank. Maybe consider college prospects Abiko, Shodai, Ishiura, and Hidenoumi who have been steadily moving up with only slight hiccups. And who knows about Ryuden and Hamaguchi, who haven't really had much of a chance yet and have been very good on their way back up?

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Gernobono

There were some bouts where 7-7 rikishi faced makekoshi rikishi and the 7-7 guys lost. Personally, I enjoyed the Hakuhou/Kakuryuu bout. It had a nice back and forth to it. Did I expect Goeido to win? We all did.

Although I am sure that fighters sometimes help each other, I don't watch with the presupposition that its all fake or that the Mongolians are simply better actors.

If that is how you view the sport, why continue to watch?

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7-7 rikishi were 4-4.

Sadanoumi beating Takarafuji was the most surprising outcome for me, as Sadanoumi really didn't have much on the line; it was basically impossible for him to make sanyaku*, and now he'll end up in the joi with very little chance of making sanyaku unless he's actually getting much better. Myogiryu beating Tochiozan was a bit surprising, but given Ichinojo's loss it probably clinched a Komusubi spot for Myogiryu. Toyohibiki was fighting to remain in Makuuchi; Kagamio probably is getting an unlucky demotion due to the loss as the other rikishi on the brink of demotion, Chiyomaru, managed to beat the 7-7 Arawashi.

So with the exception of Sadanoumi, the 7-7s who lost were fighting highly motivated opponents. The ones who won, not so much. Homarefuji gets a KK over the 8-win Yoshikaze, Kotoyuki over 8-win Kyokushuho, and Goeido over the 9-win Kotoshogiku who had absolutely no reason to win at all. Only winner who really had to fight was Terunofuji against Tamawashi, contending for a Sekiwake spot (Tamawashi will probably still get Komusubi with the loss, but Terunofuji would not have, so maybe even here there was collusion although Terunofuji is probably a much stronger rikishi).

It would be nice if rikishi gave it their all every fight, but the way the system is designed doesn't really encourage that.

*While he would have made sanyaku with a loss by Terunofuji, that match had already happened by the time his match occurred, and Sadanoumi would have been ringside to see it.

Edited by Gurowake

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tumblr_niqxtzcjz01tu97pzo1_400.giftumblr_niqxtzcjz01tu97pzo3_400.giftumblr_niqxtzcjz01tu97pzo2_400.gif

Toyonoshima is my favorite and I was really happy he won, I like Ichi too and I didn't think Toyonoshima would win. Never count him out, hes kind of like Aminishki, he'll take you out.

Edited by 808morgan
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tumblr_niqyipSKpe1tu97pzo1_400.giftumblr_niqyipSKpe1tu97pzo3_r1_400.giftumblr_niqyipSKpe1tu97pzo4_r1_400.giftumblr_niqyipSKpe1tu97pzo2_r1_400.gif

Above from Mongolian TV, and NHK below.

tumblr_niqybzrbfx1tu97pzo1_400.giftumblr_niqwk3qtVo1tu97pzo1_400.gif

Edited by 808morgan
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I feel like if Hakuho left for say maybe half a year to one year, we'd probably have 1 new Yokozuna(Kise or Koto) and probably a few new Ozeki(Tochinoshin, Ichinojo).

You wish. Hak will get all remaining basho this year (all zensho - that includes all the remaing records) and will go to Mongolia to be a hunter with an eagle

column-frontier-hawk_32493_600x450.jpg

Edited by bettega
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It looks like the three headed Mongol Monster has brought peace and tranquility to the sumo world. The most important milestone behind, the monster may actually consider birth of a Japanese Yokozuna, but not before giving Kakiryu his first few yusho ranked at Yokozuna.

Having said so, I don't think bouts between Yokozuna in the past basho were anyhwhere close to acting. Hakuho secured his record run before meeting the other two. In other words, Hakuho saved a trouble for the other two, which shows how great Yokozuna is Hakuho. They would have worked out something if his record was on the line in the last two days.

Kisenosato has been around for ages now with the same guys around him, Hak, Haru, and Kak. He is under the same mercy of time. That means parity in power and technique among these guys will not change dramatically in coming years. That pretty much pins him at where he is now. There is only one scenario that he could make it to Yokozuna. It is not far fetched to assume that the three headed Mongol Monster suddenly decides to make it happen.

Ichinojo had the much required stop after his meteoric rise. He experimented, fooled around, and loosened himself a bit. Watch him this year.

Tochinoshin finally came to where he was before. Barring injuries, he may make it to Ozeki, expect no further advances considering his age.

Terunofuji is a wild card at this point. He will stay in Sanyaku unless he stops his habit of standing upright. Top guys will quickly exploit this.

Endo is still trying to find himself, but I do believe he may become a better ozeki than Goeido.

Hakuho is barely 30, and injury free. In contrast Taiho and Chiyonofuji were in much different shape when they reached their record. Although Hakuho is in perfect shape, he may consider retiring. There is nothing left to prove, and he conquered himself (read: no sobbing or fist pumping after winning the 33rd yusho). He may attempt one more yusho this year and I think that will be it. There is one little but important information circulating around in recent days that may change this perspective though. Apparently Hakuho was told by his wife (she is Japanese) that the journey is not over if there is some gas left in the tank.

We will see what happens.

Edited by wanderer

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Hakuho still has the consecutive bout win record to go after. He's at 24 currently.

On the more esoteric side, Taiho had two 6-yusho streaks that were unconnected, something no one else has yet to manage that Hakuho would if he wins in Osaka. Hakuho's will also be further apart if he manages it, and then if he wins again in Natsu he'd be the first to win 7 consecutively twice. There's also the "win all yusho in a calendar year" achievement Hakuho has yet to manage that Asashoryu did, as well as the record for most consecutive yusho; currently Hakuho's 7 in 2010-11 is tied with Asashoryu in 2004-5.

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Meanwhile, Kyokutenho should survive another basho in makuuchi, and gets really really close to passing Kaio for most career makuuchi bouts (he needs to fight the whole of Haru and a few bouts of Natsu)...

Can't help but think that if not for that forced basho he had to sit out due to the car driving incident he'd have long since smashed records for most consecutive bouts (career and makuuchi). The guy hasn't willingly missed a bout since his third honbasho back in 1992!!!

Still, I'll be really happy if he can manage to save his makuuchi ranking yet again and live to fight another month :-).

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On another note which Asashosakari hinted in the promotion/demotion thread, Tokushoryu is also credited with a Jun-Yusho.

Seems somewhat overvalued compared to Harumafuji and Kisenosato's 11-4's, but what the hey, right?

It's also only the 6th time in history that a M16 is credited with a Jun-Yusho. The last two times were Baruto and Toyohibiki....interestingly, they were both awarded the Kanto-sho.

Side point/query: How often is it that only the Kanto-sho has been awarded?‹‹

Edited by Propmanoz

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On another note which Asashosakari hinted in the promotion/demotion thread, Tokushoryu is also credited with a Jun-Yusho.

Seems somewhat overvalued compared to Harumafuji and Kisenosato's 11-4's, but what the hey, right?

It's also only the 6th time in history that a M16 is credited with a Jun-Yusho. The last two times were Baruto and Toyohibiki....interestingly, they were both awarded the Kanto-sho.

Side point/query: How often is it that only the Kanto-sho has been awarded?‹‹

Jun-yusho is no official award or anything. The kanto-sho can be awarded if there's a role played in the yusho race. A strong start is very favorable towards a sansho, a strong finish not so much. Tokushoryu finished with five wins and never played a role in the yusho race, even "lucking" into the jun-yusho because of losses of stronger rikishi. Another often seen reason for a kanto-sho is a 10-5 or better from shin-makuuchi or 11-4 or better from returnees, but Tokushoryu was in makuuchi last basho as well, so no consideration here too. He just was totally under the radar this basho.

You can see for yourself on this informative page that this is the 14th time only the kanto-sho (sometimes more than one) was awarded.

Edited by Doitsuyama
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My attention was kind of spotty this basho, and I knew Ikioi wasn't winning on the days I paid attention but...1-14? Really?

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