Day 4 comments - Aki 2017

[Kaikitsune Makoto 189]

Yago has had knee injuries in both legs and he did not actually give that strong impression in his makushita 7-0 yusho. He has had bad start this basho but today beat Abi to gets his first win.  Unfortunately doesnt look like future sanyaku rikishi.

Yamaguchi had serious knee injury which took him down the banzuke for ages. He has now climbed back but does his sumo at his physical limits meaning he doesn't have more horse power and is most likely at around his limit in sumo. Maybe chance to get to makuuchi but looks like he has most likely reached his limit when it comes to strength.Today he did his head leaning attacks well by using his power fully outclass Hidenoumi. Very good sumo by Yamaguchi getting to 3-1 at J5.

Very weak performance by Asanoyama against Tokushoryu. If he does this kind of sumo, no future for him in sumo. If I was his oyakata, he'd get some scolding after this pathetic tsukiotoshi loss. Tachi-ai was good and he beat Tokushoryu in that and admittedly he ended up in his less favourite hidariyotsu which is on the other hand Tokushoryu's bread, butter and tilsit cheese. Still not following woth his feet and succumbing to very easy tsukiotoshi loss was unforgivable. Feeble stuff by upcoming promising rikishi. "What was that shit??????!!!" is my recommendation to his oyakata. This was a bout where loses lost and winner didn't win actively. Bad bad bad. 2-2 is ok for a debut but this kind of content....

His rival of a sort Yutakayama did much better against Endo who looks surprisingly genki actually even when obviously very little keiko due to ankle recuperation. He doesn't favour his ankle conspicuosly. Endo¨s tachi-ai has no rough edges, it is  kind of like a whisper of a rhino (I understand what I mean...). It is silent and robotic. It is beautiful. Quiet before impact. Rather unique. Reminds me of Musoyama's at one point in his career. Silent and expression unchanged before strong impact. Quite even tachi-ai, tsuppari by both, energetic bout with nothing left on the dohyo. Eye poked and all, Endo had good dohyo sense. Not much fatique in his muscle-nerve system. Good sumo by both.

Azumaryu beat Okinoumi despite Okinoumi getting his favourite right hand outside. Good on the edge resistance by Azumaryu followed by pivot and uwatenage was great but somewhat similar to Asanoyama's loss, this was really bad loss by Okinoumi who got big advantage from the start and was in comfort zone. Yet lost to Juryo rikishi. Okinoumi is one of these frustrating rikishi who should be much better than he is considering his abilities. Two bad losses already at low maegashira.

Daishomaru has Nishikigi's number. 7-1 after today¨s bout which was grey. Impact and then pulling NIshikigi to oddly slow motion like loss.

Daieisho hit a hairy wall which didn't move anywhere but with good mobility and relentless repeated pushing attack from various angles, he had good flow and beat Kaisei to get 4-0.

 

Arawashi's henka win was disappoiting to Arawashi, Chiyoshoma, Kokugikan, Kitanofuji and some others. Could have been interesting considering the lanky (relative term..), speedy and technical style of both.

Takarafuji utilized kotenage yank again against Ikioi. He did the same against Chiyonokuni. Takarafuji got the upper hand at the tachi-ai and Ikioi was quite upright or at least in very inefficient position and was then yanked a bit by Takarafuji's kotenageish move before being pushed out.

Chiyonokuni showed most of his overdoings today against Ichinojo. Arms flailing, totally missed push and missed pulling move, back bending in hopeless situation at the edge and then flying away. Very uncontrolled chiyonokunish sumo. Ichinojo just had to pay attention to this out of sync, out of control foe and take his first win of the basho (yesterday fusensho).

Takakeisho and Kagayaki had some initial change of pushes before Takakeisho made the mistake to pull letting Kagayaki use the momentum and even with his rather off target pushing attack he was able to take his first win. Kagayaki is not finding the target well. All the time seems a bit off the target.

Chiyotairyu: good hit, then pull. This time getting closer to failing the pull but still worked quite well. Not as strong as first 3 days. 4-0 though. Shohozan wasn¨t quite able to close it when that pull came but wasn't that far either.

Shodai had good tachi-ai and reaction to after impact shift by Tochiozan. Then got his left hand inserted and without problems ousted Tochiozan. Excellent sumo in every way.

Peculiar stuff. Tamawashi 0-8 against Mitakeumi and definitely not good ankle AND his all out charge didn't have much leverage with no good pushing stance by hands, more like like pushed MItakeumi back without anything else except his tachi-ai momentum and desperate lets just go forward like a demon. Very strange bout and MItakeumi was not able to dig in a bit and stop the charge even though it was very far from optimal charge. Kaio once had meniscus injury and was doing badly when he faced Takanohana. He was put pressure on the knee when going forward. He surprised himself, Takanohana and everyone else by going to out aggressive tsuppari/tsuki attack driving Takanohana back and then seized his right hand outside grip easily beating the yokozuna.

Kotoshogiku and Yoshikaze locked in immediately. Good solid kotenage by Kotoshogiku. He is doing well indeed. Yoshikaze is not in bad shape was is not winning yet.

Eventless bout between Onosho and Terunofuji. With such sharpness and self confidence Onosho is difficult for anyone and Terunofuji looked stiff, was given some pressure by average pushes from below and then basic pull or "I will let him fall now on his own"-retreat. Terunofuji 1-3. He did show his power yesterday in nnnnngh-bout against Tochinoshin but...

Goeido second henka in a row. Such is life.

Hokutofuji concentrated on his tachi-ai against Harumafuji but lost it anyway with a strange little jump but as genki rikishi often, he had very good reactions close to the edge with strong pivot and pull scaring Tochinoshin in the process and then got right hand outside and got perfect kinboshi. Hokutofuji can do sumo in many ways and with his physical prowess and spirit, surely a big asset to sumo.