2021 "Kozumo" Hatsu Basho discussion thread

[Rocks 1,807]

I hope Daieisho doesn't win the yusho by 1 as the hair pull would completely taint it. Worse than the bad call against Tochinoshin during Asanoyama's yusho.

The hair pull was blatant, extended and physically causes his head to move in the direction of the pull. It's difficult to say Daieisho would have won without it.

I don't think it was intentional at all but it very much effected the match IMO.

[nelimw 80]

1 hour ago, dada78641 said:

I was curious to see what this looks like so I ran a search. There's a video here (starts at 1m17s):

You can also see the 引分 scroll. I'm sure they still have that somewhere, and I wonder if they'd be able to find it in time if it were to be needed again.

That match at 3:21 was pretty awesome. 

[Naganoyama 5,854]

They could create a new hikiwake scroll in about 10 seconds I guess.

Edited January 21, 2021 by Naganoyama

[Kotogouryuu 126]

I was about to write a post that to me, it looked like Daeisho was falling backwards and instinctivelly sought to grab Meisei for support. They were both already on their trajectiories.

Then I watched the slowmo again. It doesn't look good. That was grab, an extended hold and several yanks that definitely hindered Meisei, who was trying to regain his balance. There have been a couple of borderline cases in the recent years. That wasn't one of them. I didn't actually see it the first time around, my eyes were on their feet, and apparently I wasn't the only one.

[RabidJohn 1,665]

Not understanding Japanese that well at all, I assumed the mono-ii was to discuss the potential hair pull. 

I don't believe it was deliberate, nor do I believe it particularly affected the outcome of the bout, but I've seen rikishi penalised for less...

[Djihi 33]

6 minutes ago, RabidJohn said:

Not understanding Japanese that well at all, I assumed the mono-ii was to discuss the potential hair pull. 

I don't believe it was deliberate, nor do I believe it particularly affected the outcome of the bout, but I've seen rikishi penalised for less...

I dont think the hairpull was discussed at all. The monoi was to check if Daieishou was alt of the dohyo first. 

[Amamaniac 2,078]

17 hours ago, Thorbjarn said:

One more win for Ura to conquer his doubts for this basho, crossing my fingers! 

Ura called, and he wants to thank you for crossing your fingers.   His KK is now official! 

[hakutorizakura 590]

Anything about the hairpull in the Japanese news?

[Thorbjarn 214]

17 hours ago, Iwayama said:

Do you mean Asanoyama? Shodai has beaten Terunofuji four times, the most recent being July 2020.

One hundred percent who I meant, I tend to missspell Asanoyama (and misspell / missspell) all the time. (read: I was tired and messed up, but definitely meant Asanoyama) 

[Yubinhaad 11,546]

Takagenji is reverting to his bad old habits and needs a refresher from the etiquette oyakata - not even the slightest effort at bowing following his loss to Shohozan today. 

[Amamaniac 2,078]

Ozeki Watch for day 13

With just three days to go in the 2021 New Year Tournament, we have ourselves a two-horse race.  One of the horses in that race is in fact an Ozeki, but his sprint to the finish line is more like a steeplechase, while the other horse has a dry track and a backwind in its favour.

Having lost his bout today to Terunofuji, Asanoyama is no longer even an outside bet for the yusho, if we're being honest.  The good news is that he has already secured his Ozeki status, and so the immediate pressure that he was under is now off.  Tomorrow, it is his turn to feed on a rank-and-filer, M5w Okinoumi.  But in general, there are never any real gimmes in oozumo.  Just ask Shodai how things went against the 35 year-old Top Division veteran on day 11.  But in Asanoyama's case, Okinoumi has not represented much of a challenge.  The two have met 11 times, and Asanoyama has won 10 of them.  These two men like to fight on the belt, and in their last two matches, Asanoyama executed uwatenage overarm throws ... like a boss.  Unlike power monster, Terunofuji, Okinoumi can be crafty and has plenty of experience under his mawashi.  I'll just say that this should go Asanoyama's way either on paper or off.

And in the musubi no ichiban final bout, Shodai will be facing West Sekiwake, Takanosho.  Takanosho defeated Endo today, and is now poised to get his 8th win or kachikoshi.  Takanosho is also Takakeisho's stable mate, and with the Ozeki sidelined due to injury, Takanosho is the only one left in the Top Division to defend the newly formed Tokiwayama Stable's honour.  I call that incentive.  Master Rice Ball has been getting better and better (i.e., more and more dangerous) with each passing basho.  The head-to-head record between him and Ozeki Shodai is dead even (2-2).  This will be the first time that they meet since Shodai's Ozeki promotion.  An Ozeki scalp is definitely in the cards, but Shodai knows just how critical his last three bouts are, and if he wants a shot at the Emperor's Cup, he has to dig deep and win Friday, Saturday, and Sunday!  This will definitely be the bout to watch tomorrow, especially if when Daieisho wins his matchup with Ryuden.

It's crunch time.  Let's see who "crunches" under the pressure. 

Edited January 21, 2021 by Amamaniac

[Amamaniac 2,078]

3 hours ago, hakutorizakura said:

Anything about the hairpull in the Japanese news?

Sponichi Annex mentions the monoii, but nothing about the hairpull.

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/35815a1f54e93af3866e6b1412003f62c4523a0b

[Kashunowaka 300]

Asanoyama keeps repeating the same strategy over and over against Terunofuji. Their bouts have been remarkably similar since they are both trying to get the same migi-yotsu grip and then Terunofuji wins from there. Try something else goddammit.

[Jakusotsu 5,815]

25 minutes ago, Kashunowaka said:

Asanoyama keeps repeating the same strategy over and over against Terunofuji. Their bouts have been remarkably similar since they are both trying to get the same migi-yotsu grip and then Terunofuji wins from there. Try something else goddammit.

Patience. Just another couple of years, and he'll win eventually.

[dingo 1,160]

I gotta agree, in the slow-mo replay the hairpull is clearly visible and Daieisho absolutely benefited from it. Not sure if it was intentional, but for hansoku that doesn't count anyway. 

Also, is Takanosho Takarafuji's successor for the no-neck sumo discipline? 

[Seregost 130]

I'm happy for Kotosoho, but it would have been so great if Tokushoryu had pulled that one off...

[Kaninoyama 1,694]

12 hours ago, Amamaniac said:

Let's look at rookie Midorifuji.  In his bout against Aoiyama today, the newest small man took a harite-slap beating before he managed to drop the Bulgarian bruiser down and out of the ring using katasukashi.  The under-shoulder swing down is fast becoming his signature technique, and today Midorifuji proved that it can work against just about any opponent (or perhaps I should say he has the skill to execute it against just about any opponent).

When Midorifuji broke into the Juryo Division last March, he didn't use the technique, not even once.  He did, however, use it twice in July and once in September.  Then in November, he used it to get four of his yusho-winning 10-5 record.  Thus far in his January 2021 Top Division debut, he has executed katasukashi four times, and he still has three more days to add to that total!  

NHK's broadcast has already revealed that stable master Isegahama (former Yokozuna Asahifuji) also liked to used this kimarite, and has clearly found a true disciple in Midorifuji.

I humbly submit that we dub Midorifuji the "katasukashi kid".  Just a suggestion...

The broadcast also noted that he's ambidextrous in his use of the technique. Yesterday, for the first time, he used it on the left side.

The thing is, Aoiyama knew it was coming, did everything in his power to keep Midorifuji away from him, yet still fell victim to it. 

Hopefully he can get at least one more on his way to kachikoshi to complete an already impressive makuuchi debut. 

[Ichimawashi 573]

Murray Johnson on the English Day 12 feed mentioned that Goeido, in the domestic broadcasting booth, was having trouble with his hair, because he has no access to the hairdressers and his danpatsushiki has been postponed to 2022 in order to attract spectators and make money.  What the phaughck, Kyokai?  If you want him to maintain a mage for two years after retirement, send a hairdresser over every few days and pay the damn bills.  Or hold the danpatsushiki now and take the loss.  This is just plain mean. 

[Kaninoyama 1,694]

1 hour ago, Kashunowaka said:

Asanoyama keeps repeating the same strategy over and over against Terunofuji. Their bouts have been remarkably similar since they are both trying to get the same migi-yotsu grip and then Terunofuji wins from there. Try something else goddammit.

It's his "kata." He's vowed to live and die by this technique. When he employs it against Terunofuji, he dies. 

[Gurowake 3,922]

16 minutes ago, Ichimawashi said:

Or hold the danpatsushiki now and take the loss.

I believe that ex-rikishi pay the costs for their danpatsu-shiki but take all of the gate receipts, and thus want as many spectators as possible to pay to get in.  There are a ton of them waiting to happen while the number of allowed spectators is artificially low.

[Eikokurai 3,433]

14 minutes ago, Kaninoyama said:

It's his "kata." He's vowed to live and die by this technique. When he employs it against Terunofuji, he dies. 

I suppose there’s the argument that if he employs another technique his chances of winning go down even further as he’d be less skilled at it, like having a defender play up front in a game of football and asking him to shoot instead of tackle. It might confuse the opponent but you handicap your own team. At least using his preferred grip Asanoyama gives himself a shot. Sometimes there’s an aite who’s just got your number no matter what you do. 

[Kaninoyama 1,694]

18 minutes ago, Eikokurai said:

I suppose there’s the argument that if he employs another technique his chances of winning go down even further as he’d be less skilled at it, like having a defender play up front in a game of football and asking him to shoot instead of tackle. It might confuse the opponent but you handicap your own team. At least using his preferred grip Asanoyama gives himself a shot. Sometimes there’s an aite who’s just got your number no matter what you do. 

Terunofuji has everyone's number when he gets a firm grip on his opponent's mawashi. 

[Katooshu 3,135]

21 hours ago, since_94 said:

Aoiyama looking both ungainly and ungracious in a loss against a much smaller opponent in Midorifuji. Grabbing the leg was unnecessary, ineffectual and looked petulant IMO.

He grabbed the leg as he was falling, which is a legit move usually recorded as watashikomi, and then as he was rolled on the ground his arm just happened to hook around Midorifuji's leg in the motion of the fall. I don't think there was anything wrong with it.

Edited January 22, 2021 by Katooshu

[Katooshu 3,135]

And Yoshii just keeps going and going and going.....I think it shows some mental toughness that he's come back from 0-3 and 0-2 in the last 2 basho to KK each time.

[Tigerboy1966 1,376]

Mongolian newcomer Arauma lost his unbeaten record today, so we get a 6-1 play-off in jonokuchi. The others involved will be Toshonishiki and Atamifuji. Arauma lost to Atamifuji in maezumo but beat him on day 1 this time so we have a nice little rivalry forming.