March basho 2021

[Seiyashi 4,068]

Isegahama not looking very happy with Midorifuji's matta... And that was a very ginger recovery from Midorifuji after being swatted around like a rag doll. I hope he's alright.

[Yaochozuna 137]

As someone has already put it I don't really understand Kakuryu's motivation any more. The moment he got Japanese citizenship I expected him to retire. Whenever he starts preparing for a basho he just injures himself. Can it be money? Or does he somehow delude himself?

With Hakuho it's been quite similar lately but given his Covid-19 case and his previous extraordinary achievements I'd be willing to grant him the "one more time". For the Olypics' sake.

But of course I'm just a random fan and not an elderly man on a supposedly "toothless" council.

[Eikokurai 3,433]

Day 4 is Yorikiri’s Revenge. Four so far in the first eight bouts after just six in the first three days. Order is restored to the galaxy.

[Seiyashi 4,068]

Lovely sukuinage by Tochinoshin. There's life in the old boy yet!

[Eikokurai 3,433]

Daieisho has his work cut out to stay in sanyaku, let alone make it to the Sekiwake rank he ought to have been at this time. Hopefully he’ll ease through week two against the lower rankers.

[Seiyashi 4,068]

That was a hell of a fight Meisei gave Terunofuji. But that was ozeki-class sumo, for sure.

[Seiyashi 4,068]

1 minute ago, Eikokurai said:

Daieisho has his work cut out to stay in sanyaku, let alone make it to the Sekiwake rank he ought to have been at this time. Hopefully he’ll ease through week two against the lower rankers.

I don't know what it says about his win that he beat most of the same opposition for his yusho, and yet is struggling against the same opposition this time. It's not like he's lacking for power or fighting spirit either.

[Kaninoyama 1,663]

1 hour ago, Seiyashi said:

Isegahama not looking very happy with Midorifuji's matta... And that was a very ginger recovery from Midorifuji after being swatted around like a rag doll. I hope he's alright.

To be fair, he always looks unhappy. 

Edited March 17, 2021 by Kaninoyama

[Akinomaki 39,580]

Shibatayama is enraged by the 2 yokozuna, but Oguruma emphasized that the retirement of a yokozuna is decided by the yokozuna himself. "That Hakuho decided to have surgery means he cares about staying active. That should receive respect." Miyagino named Nagoya as the do or die basho, but Oguruma is "opposed to a return halfway prepared. A return for Aki or Kyusho is no problem." "The outsiders should not make a fuss, so let's watch attentively without rushing."

Oguruma has an opinion corner on Hochi http://hochi.news/articles/20210316-OHT1T50271.html

[Seiyashi 4,068]

Wow. I didn't expect the non-yokozuna Oguruma on the NSK board to be that vocally supportive of Hakuho, more so than Shibatayama. I wonder whether his "outsiders" includes the YDC.

[since_94 650]

39 minutes ago, Seiyashi said:

That was a hell of a fight Meisei gave Terunofuji. But that was ozeki-class sumo, for sure.

Regarding Terunofuji’s kotenage, one word comes to mind: 

BRUTAL.

And I mean that in the best way. Man’s clearly on a mission.

[Gospodin 185]

43 minutes ago, Seiyashi said:

That was a hell of a fight Meisei gave Terunofuji. But that was ozeki-class sumo, for sure.

That was brute strength, not exactly good sumo.

[since_94 650]

8 minutes ago, Gospodin said:

That was brute strength, not exactly good sumo.

It wasn’t pretty. His defensive portion of the bout was more impressive, perhaps, in comparison. Not pretty either. Just brutal and ultimately effective.

[Amamaniac 2,078]

35 minutes ago, Akinomaki said:

Shibatayama is enraged by the 2 yokozuna, but Oguruma emphasized that the retirement of a yokozuna is decided by the yokozuna himself. "That Hakuho decided to have surgery means he cares about staying active. That should receive respect." Miyagino named Nagoya as the do or die basho, but Oguruma is "opposed to a return halfway prepared. A return for Aki or Kyusho is no problem." "The outsiders should not make a fuss, so let's watch attentively without rushing."

The only problem with an Aki or Kyushu return is that being kyujo in July/Nagoya would essentially rule out Hakuho from taking part in the Olympics.  There was a big stink when Asashoryu played a friendly soccer match in Mongolia when he was supposed to be kyujo resting...  I don't think Hakuho is committed to Aki or Kyushu.  I think he is committed to Nagoya/Olympics and throwing in the colourful little towel.

[Tigerboy1966 1,376]

1 hour ago, Seiyashi said:

That was a hell of a fight Meisei gave Terunofuji. But that was ozeki-class sumo, for sure.

I thought Meisei was on his way to a sanyaku spot before he got injured last year. His whole career has been two steps forward, one step back, repeat, and I think he will be a fixture on the top half of the banzuke for the next few years. I just wish he'd get a proper shikona instead of his given name: today's match was like "Shining Mount Fuji" vs "Dave".

[Seiyashi 4,068]

3 minutes ago, Tigerboy1966 said:

I thought Meisei was on his way to a sanyaku spot before he got injured last year. His whole career has been two steps forward, one step back, repeat, and I think he will be a fixture on the top half of the banzuke for the next few years. I just wish he'd get a proper shikona instead of his given name: today's match was like "Shining Mount Fuji" vs "Dave".

At least his shikona is still somewhat poetic; you could read it as "Bright Life". The really pedestrian-sounding and meaning family names in makuuchi would be Mitakeumi's Omichi (Big Road) and Takanosho's Ishii (Stone Well). Asanoyama's Ishibashi means Stone Bridge but imo sounds ok for a shikona, whereas Takakeisho has the opposite problem: Sato literally means Helpful Wisteria but sounds really commonplace. Endo's shikona is probably the worst offender of Aerith and Bob amongst the whole of makuuchi.

[Tigerboy1966 1,376]

3 minutes ago, Seiyashi said:

At least his shikona is still somewhat poetic; you could read it as "Bright Life". The really pedestrian-sounding and meaning family names in makuuchi would be Mitakeumi's Omichi (Big Road) and Takanosho's Ishii (Stone Well).

Meisei's family name is Kawabata (river-field) which is quite boring. When was the last time we had a makuuchi wrestler using his given name? Hokutofuji competed as Daiki but he changed that when he was promoted from juryo.

[orandashoho 720]

I thought that there were people who liked Endo keeping his own name rather than pretending to be some dragon or mountain.

[Swami 245]

I suppose one thing that is helping Hakuho and Kakuryu indirectly is that nobody is making a real move for yokozuna, I did think Asanoyama might have got there by now, but he hasn't really kicked on in the way I thought he might.  I can't really see Takakeisho as a yokozuna, and I'm not convinced by Shodai either.  

If you look back to 1992, after four yokozuna retired in the space of a year, there were a few tournaments where different guys were taking turns winning yusho, but eventually Akebono and Takahanada stepped forward to take their place at the top.  I'm not sure who is going to do it this time, Terunofuji may well return to ozeki but he's 29 now and maybe won't have the same stamina he had when he was younger.

 

Swami

[hakutorizakura 582]

16 minutes ago, Swami said:

 

If you look back to 1992, after four yokozuna retired in the space of a year, there were a few tournaments where different guys were taking turns winning yusho, but eventually Akebono and Takahanada stepped forward to take their place at the top.  I'm not sure who is going to do it this time, Terunofuji may well return to ozeki but he's 29 now and maybe won't have the same stamina he had when he was younger.

I think the banzuke is supposed to be a highly stratified distribution, where the difference in sumo prowess is very large between both ends (Y and M ranks, and even more if the lower divisions are included). Nowadays, the Y layer is practically missing and there is significant mixing in the ranks under, which makes the full range or difference between O and M small, thus resulting in a free for all basho everytime. I guess that was also the case in 1992, until the Y emerged and the strata became stabilized...

 

By the way, when is Enho vs Ura?! Will be looking forward to it! I just realized that they have never met before.

[Seregost 123]

Kakuryuu probably just wants to mount the dohyo once more. I don't think he's just fooling around, and trying to make things unneccesary longer. Since he got citizenship, his immediate future is not a problem anymore. But if you have reached the top of the sport after many years of hard work, you don't want to be injured, not show up for some tournaments, and suddenly say you retire. So I understand him, and I don't see any "obscure" reasons there. If that it's a mockery of the rank, that's another thing to talk about.

[Eikokurai 3,433]

53 minutes ago, Tigerboy1966 said:

When was the last time we had a makuuchi wrestler using his given name? 

Endo does.

[Tigerboy1966 1,376]

2 minutes ago, Eikokurai said:

55 minutes ago, Tigerboy1966 said:

When was the last time we had a makuuchi wrestler using his given name? 

Endo does.

Endo uses his family name, like Shodai and Takayasu.

[Godango 956]

18 minutes ago, Tigerboy1966 said:

Endo uses his family name, like Shodai and Takayasu.

Also Yago, albeit now in Juryo.

[Eikokurai 3,433]

29 minutes ago, Tigerboy1966 said:

Endo uses his family name, like Shodai and Takayasu.

Ah, I see what you mean.