Basho Talk - Aki 2017 (SPOILERS)

[RabidJohn 1,858]

Day 10 left me full of questions.

How did Ishiura manage to lose from that position? Talk about taking a tiger by the tail! Made me laugh though.

Where has Chiyotairyu been hiding his yotsu skills? I'm always impressed by predominantly oshi specialists (e.g. Yoshikaze and Shohozan) who can switch to the belt and get wins.

WTF is wrong with Mitakeumi? His mojo appears to have taken a vacation...

Is Goeido set to go down in history as a kadoban yusho specialist?

Is Harumafuji going to last? You can't fault his fighting spirit or technique, but his knackered limbs are letting him down severely. I suspect he's only still in it at the behest of the NSK.

[Benevolance 2,511]

He lost to Kotoshogiku, henkaed two days in a row against Yoshikaze and the very obviously injured Tochinoshin, got bulldozed to the dohyo edge by Chiyotairyuu and his win against Onosho wasn't that convincing either. Nope, not what I would call very strong.

But it's quite good for Goeidou...

[ryafuji 815]

43 minutes ago, RabidJohn said:

WTF is wrong with Mitakeumi? His mojo appears to have taken a vacation...

Has a neck injury IIRC.

[Philioyamfugi 378]

Nice job of Takarafuji , spinning moves to escape Ishura..fun match to watch. 

[Yubinhaad 11,768]

On ‎17‎/‎09‎/‎2017 at 23:09, Asashosakari said:

I just realized that I never checked up on what might have happened in the Day 1 Mitoryu-Kiribayama bout that caused the latter to withdraw, and by now Sportsnavi's Day 1 coverage has scrolled out of view. Did anyone catch it by chance and has some information?

All I've seen is this picture, perhaps he tried to compete with a pre-existing hand/wrist injury but realised it wasn't going to work so withdrew? Just speculation though, I haven't found any info on the bout.

[dada78641 884]

I have to say, Goeido running away from the rest of the pack has made this a little exciting... still fun to watch of course, but I'm really hoping he will lose and make things a little more interesting again.

[dada78641 884]

On 18/09/2017 at 15:55, dada78641 said:

Perhaps he should go the way of Kinjo and just smack him in the face repeatedly until he is dead.

Well, I don't think Wakaichiro will win. From what I've seen he's not the best at dealing with rikishi far bigger than himself.

Hey, it seems he did go with "the Kinjo" for this match! He didn't knock Maeta out but he did smack him around really well.

 

[Kaminariyuki 500]

49 minutes ago, dada78641 said:

I have to say, Goeido running away from the rest of the pack has made this a little exciting... still fun to watch of course, but I'm really hoping he will lose and make things a little more interesting again.

Yes, Goeido seems to ramp up when Hakuho's not around. He likes that September weather in Tokyo, too, and knows opportunity when it's a knocking. I designate him the Broom Man.

This is not Ishiura's or Tochinoshin's basho...

[Dapeng 236]

6 hours ago, Tsubame said:

If an ozeki (even Goeido) can win two consecutive yusho, they will promote him! I have no doubt on that.

But I rather doubt that if Goeido wins the very next two tournaments, that the remaining four yokozuna are still there in january. With Kakuryu and also Harumafuji are close to their intai (Kakuryu managed to participate for 15 days only in a single basho this year and achieved then just 10 wins), and even an intai of Kisenosato wouldn't really surprise me at all.

Besides, Hakuho is also not healthy and might retire soon, then we could have Goeido as the sole Yokozuna! 

[Bumpkin 438]

8 minutes ago, Dapeng said:

Besides, Hakuho is also not healthy and might retire soon, then we could have Goeido as the sole Yokozuna! 

Or, no Yokozuna at all. (To the tune of "No static at all.") RIP- Walter Becker.

[just_some_guy 284]

7 hours ago, Tsubame said:

If an ozeki (even Goeido) can win two consecutive yusho, they will promote him! I have no doubt on that.

But I rather doubt that if Goeido wins the very next two tournaments, that the remaining four yokozuna are still there in january. With Kakuryu and also Harumafuji are close to their intai (Kakuryu managed to participate for 15 days only in a single basho this year and achieved then just 10 wins), and even an intai of Kisenosato wouldn't really surprise me at all.

Given Guido's history as Kaptain Kadoban and furthermore the fact that this will be the most "easy" yusho in recent memory (what with almost all of the top ranked rikishi out), I think the only way he gets yokuzuna consideration is if he wins the next one 15-0. Even then I wouldn't be surprised if the YDC said "let's see how he does the next basho."
That said, I too expect him to be back to his usual inconsistency in November even if he does win this one.

[Benevolance 2,511]

2 hours ago, dada78641 said:

Hey, it seems he did go with "the Kinjo" for this match! He didn't knock Maeta out but he did smack him around really well.

I love Wakachiro's little self-slap ritual at 2:08. Something I'd expect to see in boxing or football, but it was hilariously out-of-place in sumo. Does he often do that, or was he just sending a warning to his opponent? 

[Katooshu 3,335]

There are a lot of self slappers, although his routine stands out for its intensity. 

Edited September 19, 2017 by Katooshu

[Asashosakari 19,688]

Slippiotoshi or ultra-rare technique? You be the judge.
 

 

[dada78641 884]

33 minutes ago, Asashosakari said:

Slippiotoshi or ultra-rare technique? You be the judge.

I don't think he was actively pushing downward while the other guy fell...

[Katooshu 3,335]

10 hours ago, MrGrumpyGills said:

Omg, the bout between Ishiura and Takarafuji was one of the most entertaining bouts I've seen in a while XD

It might be the most comical makuuchi bout I've seen..I don't think Takarafuji knew where Ishiura was for half the match, but he still ends up winning 

Edited September 19, 2017 by Katooshu

[Bumpkin 438]

10 hours ago, MrGrumpyGills said:

Omg, the bout between Ishiura and Takarafuji was one of the most entertaining bouts I've seen in a while XD

Ishiura looked like he was trying to untie Takarafuji's mawashi. Takarafuji kept trying to turn his head around but that's kind of difficult considering, well, you know...he has no neck!

[Yubinhaad 11,768]

2 hours ago, Asashosakari said:

Slippiotoshi or ultra-rare technique? You be the judge.

I was hoping a video would turn up, thanks! While slipping plays a part, Konno has his hands on Ono's mawashi and is clearly bearing down on him, so I definitely agree with the sabaori call. First of the year, too.

[robnplunder 976]

6 hours ago, RabidJohn said:

 

How did Ishiura manage to lose from that position? Talk about taking a tiger by the tail! Made me laugh though.

Where has Chiyotairyu been hiding his yotsu skills? I'm always impressed by predominantly oshi specialists (e.g. Yoshikaze and Shohozan) who can switch to the belt and get wins.

WTF is wrong with Mitakeumi? His mojo appears to have taken a vacation...

Is Goeido set to go down in history as a kadoban yusho specialist?

Is Harumafuji going to last? You can't fault his fighting spirit or technique, but his knackered limbs are letting him down severely. I suspect he's only still in it at the behest of the NSK.

 

Very good questions!  I had the similar ones.

Ishiura match was the highlight of the basho by far.  That's saying a lot about this basho as I lost interest only in day 2.  

Chiyotairyu?  This appears to be his career remembering basho. 

Mitakeumi blew his chance at a double digit win (to set up an Ozeki run) with all the Y's and O's out of the basho so early.   Perhaps, he tried too hard?   That showed in his match against hapless Aoiyama.   I penciled it in for a easy Mitakeumi win before the match.  How wrong I was!

My hope and wish is for Goeido to get the yusho.   That'd be sweet.

Harumafuji seems to be in twilight of his career.   The other Yokozunas are not too far behind as they become older and more prone to injuries (and slower recovery).  

Edited September 19, 2017 by robnplunder

[Randomitsuki 2,843]

Takarafuji. The phenomenon. For years, I have been wondering how he manages to survive in such lofty regions of the banzuke. He seems to be slower than most other rikishi in Makuuchi, and he also doesn't look like a real powerhouse. I cannot recall a single bout that he won with so much aplomb that I just went "wow". Feel free to provide me with evidence to the contrary.

But of course, there must be a reason why he is up there for quite some time. I guess the answer is that he is among the most economical rikishi out there. He does not do much, but what he does is usually extremely well-timed and extremely clever. Therefore, it does not surprise me much that he would be the one to pull a Houdini out of this situation against Ishirua - of course, in pure Takarafuji slo-mo style. Gotta love this guy! With so much economy in his moves, I also wouldn't be surprised if he still had a very long career ahead of him.

[Katooshu 3,335]

Takarafuji seems to be one of the calmest rikishi out there. Very rarely do I see him flustered, even in situations like that. On the other hand, he can be too passive sometimes...

[MrGrumpyGills 134]

7 hours ago, Yatagarasu said:

Was I the only one who positively cringed at this?  When Ishiura was holding onto the back of Takurafuji's mawashi it reminded me of one of those Jason and the Argonauts type films with the tiny protagonist riding on the back of a giant flailing claymation cyclops.  

I usually don't care for slapstick at all, but this match gave me a really good chuckle when I watched it on livestream and again on Kintamayama's vid. It's hilarious XD

[dingo 1,303]

7 hours ago, Benevolance said:

 

 

But it's quite good for Goeidou...

It might even be a good enough for a yusho... But only in Wacky Aki. Still doesn't make it strong sumo overall, even though today was quite good. 

Edited September 19, 2017 by dingo

[Kaikitsune Makoto 209]

46 minutes ago, Randomitsuki said:

Takarafuji. The phenomenon. For years, I have been wondering how he manages to survive in such lofty regions of the banzuke. He seems to be slower than most other rikishi in Makuuchi, and he also doesn't look like a real powerhouse. I cannot recall a single bout that he won with so much aplomb that I just went "wow". Feel free to provide me with evidence to the contrary.

But of course, there must be a reason why he is up there for quite some time. I guess the answer is that he is among the most economical rikishi out there. He does not do much, but what he does is usually extremely well-timed and extremely clever. Therefore, it does not surprise me much that he would be the one to pull a Houdini out of this situation against Ishirua - of course, in pure Takarafuji slo-mo style. Gotta love this guy! With so much economy in his moves, I also wouldn't be surprised if he still had a very long career ahead of him.

Economical is a good word. He is not that impressive with his moves or agility but he is very strong physically, especially when he gets his right hand outside grip. Relatively free from major injuries and good solid all around sumo abilities enable him to do well. I do think most of his success is due to his power. He has good basic skills and good sumo sense but nothing spectacular as such. He is like a sumo businessman. Improved version of Tamarikido back in the stone ages. Comes to work, does his work, goes home to read swan books in surrealistic mixture of laughter and jealously.

[Asashosakari 19,688]

54 minutes ago, Randomitsuki said:

Takarafuji. The phenomenon. For years, I have been wondering how he manages to survive in such lofty regions of the banzuke. He seems to be slower than most other rikishi in Makuuchi, and he also doesn't look like a real powerhouse. I cannot recall a single bout that he won with so much aplomb that I just went "wow". Feel free to provide me with evidence to the contrary.

But of course, there must be a reason why he is up there for quite some time. I guess the answer is that he is among the most economical rikishi out there. He does not do much, but what he does is usually extremely well-timed and extremely clever. Therefore, it does not surprise me much that he would be the one to pull a Houdini out of this situation against Ishirua - of course, in pure Takarafuji slo-mo style. Gotta love this guy! With so much economy in his moves, I also wouldn't be surprised if he still had a very long career ahead of him.

Sadly though, he definitely seems to have lost some power over the last year or so, and the number of situations where he just can't quite seem to finish off his opponent has been on the rise. I suspect his days as a joi threat are largely over, but I agree, it wouldn't be too surprising to see him keep hanging in makuuchi for a long time to come.