Basho Talk Haru 2015

[Mongolith 51]

I would slag off Hak off for the Henka but its almost like Kise wanted to dive into the dohyo. On Morgan's pic Kise is almost horizontal before Hak even touches him. Has looked awful getting owned by the nodowa yesterday and today appeared to be wearing blinders.

Edited March 21, 2015 by Mongolith

[808morgan 814]

Thanks for the footage Moti, best I could get!

[inhashi 2,363]

Henka is legit I understand, but yokozuna Hakuho what the heck was that? Is he that desperate?

[bettega 433]

Henka is legit I understand, but yokozuna Hakuho what the heck was that? Is he that desperate?

I think the message, to Kyokai, is: "I don't give a damn! I surpassed you all!" Exactly what he wants I don' t know. Be respected as a elder? I don't know.

BTW: that choke move from Harumafuji against Kise has a name? He used it many times and my first memory of it was against Kaisei in 2010 - I was "choked" by the sheer agressivity of it.

Edited March 21, 2015 by bettega

[Mongolith 51]

Henka is legit I understand, but yokozuna Hakuho what the heck was that? Is he that desperate?

I think the message, to Kyokai, is: "I don't give a damn! I surpassed you all!" Exactly what he wants I don' t know. Be respected as a elder? I don't know.

BTW: that choke move from Harumafuji against Kise has a name? He used it many times and my first memory of it was against Kaisei in 2010 - I was "choked" by the sheer agressivity of it.

I think its called nodowa. Last basho he embarrassingly upended Kasei and Kise with it.

-BTW I do agree that Hak no longer gives a damn about apperances. That replay on day 13 has set him off (I personally thought he would be over it by now but the grudge with the press has made it persist).

Edited March 21, 2015 by Mongolith

[inhashi 2,363]

Henka is legit I understand, but yokozuna Hakuho what the heck was that? Is he that desperate?

BTW: that choke move from Harumafuji against Kise has a name? He used it many times and my first memory of it was against Kaisei in 2010 - I was "choked" by the sheer agressivity of it.

It's called Nodowa: Thrust your open palm into the opponent's throat to push his center of gravity upright and backwards. Harumafuji has it utterly perfected.

Edited March 21, 2015 by inhashi

[Benevolance 2,534]

I don't know if desperate is maybe the right word. Disgruntled is better, perhaps? This isn't the first time Hakuho has henka'd Kise (so maybe it's a personal dislike?) but it really seemed like Hak was making a statement of some sort.

Aside from Hak's behaviour, Kise looked more like Kotoshogiku there, head down and barrel forward. Terrible sumo. I'm not sure quite what he was thinking, though maybe he's just been frustrated by this tournament, too, and simply wants to get it over with.

Edited March 21, 2015 by Benevolance

[inhashi 2,363]

Ah yes. I've forgotten about their broken love affair ;-) .

[Gernobono 467]

If you feel this way then why are you still watching when you know that parts or all of sumo is staged?

said it before

i love ozumo

[bettega 433]

I'll say again: in Hatsu'15 we'll have 5 Ozeki - 2 of them new and 1 Intai. And you should believe me :D

[Shokikogi 33]

I'll say again: in Hatsu'15 we'll have 5 Ozeki - 2 of them new and 1 Intai. And you should believe me :D

I don´t believe you! :-D

[dingo 1,477]

Aside from Hak's behaviour, Kise looked more like Kotoshogiku there, head down and barrel forward. Terrible sumo. I'm not sure quite what he was thinking, though maybe he's just been frustrated by this tournament, too, and simply wants to get it over with.

He might've simply thought that Hakuho won't henka. Which he usually doesn't, but seems like he wanted to be petty this time. I don't understand Hakuho at all this time. Is he too proud to admit to himself he was wrong? Does he feel the press's reaction justifies being a jerk? He could show some maturity and let bygones be bygones, but instead he seems to choose to drag it on and on.

[yorikiried by fate 2,038]

Henka is legit I understand, but yokozuna Hakuho what the heck was that? Is he that desperate?

BTW: that choke move from Harumafuji against Kise has a name? He used it many times and my first memory of it was against Kaisei in 2010 - I was "choked" by the sheer agressivity of it.

It's called Nodowa: Thrust your open palm into the opponent's throat to push his center of gravity upright and backwards. Harumafuji has it utterly perfected.

He's but a mere shadow of the true master: Darth Hoku, him of the Dark Side^TM.

Edited March 21, 2015 by yorikiried by fate

[inhashi 2,363]

It's called Nodowa: Thrust your open palm into the opponent's throat to push his center of gravity upright and backwards. Harumafuji has it utterly perfected.

He's but a mere shadow of the true master: Darth Hoku, him of the Dark Side^TM.

Woah.

[Kogam 13]

I just rewatched the Terunofuji-Ichinojo bout. It seems to me that Ichinojo really did get a deeper left hand grip on Terunofuji mawashi after the mizu-iri. On the English simulcast, Ken noticed that, but Murray said Ken was mistaken. I wonder if there will be any official reviewing of that match.

[ALAKTORN 346]

I’m not sure what Hakuhō was trying to do there. He’s been doing more defensive, “go no sen” tachi-ai in the last few days, but that was kind of a henka at the same time.

[Kasutera 258]

I get the feeling yaocho only comes into play when someone's rank is on the line, or someone risks demotion back into juryo, because if more important matches were getting fixed, using pro wrestling logic, Endo would have become Yokozuna several bashos ago. Endo getting treated like the home-grown blue chipper is very similar to how Dwayne Johnson was portrayed when he debuted as Rocky Maivia.

[bettega 433]

Terunofuji's tachiai is bad. AND with that bad tachiai he's now a S with 12 wins - do you imagine what would happen if he gets that tachiai right?

About Hakuko trying for the 69 wins: to ohard for his age.. at least 3 zensho (more probably 4) is too much. His chance to this record was in fact 2010

[Jakusotsu 6,389]

I get the feeling yaocho only comes into play when someone's rank is on the line, or someone risks demotion back into juryo, because if more important matches were getting fixed, using pro wrestling logic, Endo would have become Yokozuna several bashos ago.

The problem is that Endo would need much more continuing support than Goeido to keep that level. And that the Mongolians don't give a damn about him. B-)

[Andreas21 219]

I just rewatched the Terunofuji-Ichinojo bout. It seems to me that Ichinojo really did get a deeper left hand grip on Terunofuji mawashi after the mizu-iri. On the English simulcast, Ken noticed that, but Murray said Ken was mistaken. I wonder if there will be any official reviewing of that match.

I think mizu-iri is weird altogether. It had changed the situation often in the bouts I've seen. Here, it clearly gave Ichinojo an advantage, he nearly toppled Teruno. But Teruno is so solid now, and self-confident, that he could turn it around. He's on a great run. I'm curious where it ends.

No surprise to me that the matches between these two are so close. They are similar in Sumo style, in strengths and weaknesses. Could be a great rivalry in the future.

[Asojima 2,874]

I just rewatched the Terunofuji-Ichinojo bout. It seems to me that Ichinojo really did get a deeper left hand grip on Terunofuji mawashi after the mizu-iri. On the English simulcast, Ken noticed that, but Murray said Ken was mistaken. I wonder if there will be any official reviewing of that match.

I think mizu-iri is weird altogether. It had changed the situation often in the bouts I've seen. Here, it clearly gave Ichinojo an advantage, he nearly toppled Teruno. But Teruno is so solid now, and self-confident, that he could turn it around. He's on a great run. I'm curious where it ends.

No surprise to me that the matches between these two are so close. They are similar in Sumo style, in strengths and weaknesses. Could be a great rivalry in the future.

Matches almost always come to a quick end following a mizu-iri. The positions are not precisely duplicated and the tensions are different. One of the rikishi will usually grab a quick advantage.

[Masumasumasu 902]

Henka-ho.

Kise-no-memory ;-)

That was clear payback to the Kyokai as he still holds a grudge over the mono-ii issue and he knew he could use Kise for that.

Hakuho lost that match. Watch the replay. The top of his foot touched the dohyo before Kise went out.

Hakuho is a rather ill-mannered Yokozuna who couldn't care less about the quality of his kimarite.

Hakuho is so adamant about the shimpan's incompetence that he is willing to pull a henka to make a childish point?

Watch him lose at 5:15:

http://youtu.be/AeKGqCYX6C0

[HenryK 38]

I for my part have no doubt that many ozumo matches are thrown. The tournament format, the organization of the kyokai, the incentive structure for rikishi, all this invites manipulation. I have no good sense for how many matches are affected, but there is no doubt in my mind that neither Kotoshogiku nor Goeido would have made it to Ozeki had they had to earn their wins. But the Kyokai needed Japanese in the upper sanykau ranks after Chiyorairo, Komtomitsuki and Kaio left the sport in quick succession. So the one-trick-pony rikishi Kotoshogiku - who had managed not even 8 wins per basho on average when ranked joi-jin in 2009/10 - suddenly put in 11 in 2011. And Goeido must be one of the weakest Ozkei in recent history.

Interesting suggestion that Mongolose rikishi would help one another get promoted. Why not, beat them with their own means. Surely better than going against the Kyokai head on and fall flat on hour face.

[HenryK 38]

I for my part have no doubt that many ozumo matches are thrown. The tournament format, the organization of the kyokai, the incentive structure for rikishi, all this invites manipulation. I have no good sense for how many matches are affected, but there is no doubt in my mind that neither Kotoshogiku nor Goeido would have made it to Ozeki had they had to earn their wins. But the Kyokai needed Japanese in the upper sanykau ranks after Chiyorairo, Komtomitsuki and Kaio left the sport in quick succession. So the one-trick-pony rikishi Kotoshogiku - who had managed not even 8 wins per basho on average when ranked joi-jin in 2009/10 - suddenly put in 11 in 2011. And Goeido must be one of the weakest Ozkei in recent history.

Interesting suggestion that Mongolose rikishi would help one another get promoted. Why not, beat them with their own means. Surely better than going against the Kyokai head on and fall flat on hour face.

I meant Chiyotaikai, of course.

[CT3* 331]

I suspect Hakuho and many other foreign rikishi face indignities that we the viewing public have no clue about. Perhaps he feels particularly slighted by the media and so refuses to engage them.

After the "scandal" of his comments, I distinctly recall seeing him offer a contrite sounding statement on some Japanese television show. But the media persisted in bringing up the issue.

Hakuho has generally behaved very deferentially and he's constantly and publicly showed gratitude to Taiho and repeatedly said that breaking the record was his was of "repaying his debt" of gratitude to Taiho (what does that even mean?). He breaks the record, makes one ill-advised comment and the Japanese media continue to pester him about it.

The guy has literally dedicated half of his entire life to sumo. We may never know exactly what has motivated him to cease speaking to the media, but as a fan I'm not bothered by it.

For the moment, he's doing his talking on the dohyo. And I'm still very much interested in what he has to say by way of his performance within it.