Aki Basho 2021 - Discussion Thread (Spoilers!)

[Tigerboy1966 1,376]

2 minutes ago, Seiyashi said:

Please don't tell me you were pronouncing it to rhyme with how Susan Calman pronounces bhaji.

I will have to look that up. I just pronounced as the common or garden English F, but the Japanese sound is a sort of cross between "F" and "H" isn't it?

[Eikokurai 3,433]

2 minutes ago, Tigerboy1966 said:

I will have to look that up. I just pronounced as the common or garden English F, but the Japanese sound is a sort of cross between "F" and "H" isn't it?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiceless_bilabial_fricative

[Taikoubana 143]

What color was the macaroon? I missed it.

[code_number3 694]

1 minute ago, Taikoubana said:

What color was the macaroon? I missed it.

Green

[Kaioshoryu 62]

Boring tournament in my opinion. I have no problems with the yokozuna dominating and taking the yusho, that is how it's supposed to be, but there was an overall lack of exciting sumo. Highlight was the ipponzeoi by Hoshoryu. Lowlight: very bad effort from the ozeki pair. They are supposed to contend for the yusho, but they weren't close, they weren't even in the same solar system. Takakeisho needs to get his body and mind back together.

[dcisneros 4]

Congratulations yokuzuna Terunofuji!

[Barutokai 62]

23 hours ago, Asojima said:

Takakeisho and Mitakeumi meet on day 15.  One of them will be forced to acquire a 9th win.  

Mitakeumi got it. Now he needs to be careful that he won't get 24 wins in Nov. and Jan. otherwise they might promote him to Ozeki after Hatsu.

 

[Barutokai 62]

16 hours ago, Hakuryuho said:

Nice senshuraku matchups and I'm a poll worker for the German federal election tomorrow and thus can't catch it live, RIP

Danke. It was pretty crowded here I thought more people would be postal voters.

Hey if we all understand german why do we write in english? just kidding.

So congrats to Waka for predicting his first Yusho right. Maybe Terunofuji can't be jinxed hard anymore?

[Gospodin 187]

2 hours ago, Tigerboy1966 said:

Takakeisho got what he came for on day 12. He wasn't going to take any chances once he got KK.

Same for Mitakeumi a day earlier it seems....They should at least withhold the kensho for "efforts" like that. A disgrace.

[Eikokurai 3,433]

47 minutes ago, Barutokai said:

Mitakeumi got it. Now he needs to be careful that he won't get 24 wins in Nov. and Jan. otherwise they might promote him to Ozeki after Hatsu.

Don’t worry, Mitakeumi knows the game.

[Seiyashi 4,071]

4 minutes ago, Eikokurai said:

55 minutes ago, Barutokai said:

Mitakeumi got it. Now he needs to be careful that he won't get 24 wins in Nov. and Jan. otherwise they might promote him to Ozeki after Hatsu.

Don’t worry, Mitakeumi knows the game.

I wonder if the NSK will, knowing Mitakeumi's tendency to talk big and selfdestruct, will count that as a factor against him if he ever puts up the numbers to be promoted.

[Tigerboy1966 1,376]

21 minutes ago, Gospodin said:

Same for Mitakeumi a day earlier it seems....They should at least withhold the kensho for "efforts" like that. A disgrace.

Agree 100%. There were too many matches this time around which exhibited what might be called a "commitment disparity". I would love to see the NSK strike down with great vengeance and furious anger on the culprits, but I don't think that will happen under Hakkaku.

[Seiyashi 4,071]

3 minutes ago, Tigerboy1966 said:

29 minutes ago, Gospodin said:

Same for Mitakeumi a day earlier it seems....They should at least withhold the kensho for "efforts" like that. A disgrace.

Agree 100%. There were too many matches this time around which exhibited what might be called a "commitment disparity". I would love to see the NSK strike down with great vengeance and furious anger on the culprits, but I don't think that will happen under Hakkaku.

I believe the term you two are looking for is "mukiryoku sumo", or "non-effort sumo" in a somewhat loose translation. The problem is that it's an euphemism for yaocho, and I don't think the NSK is in a great hurry to publicly chastise its rikishi and create the impression that mukiryoku sumo is a widespread phenomenon within its ranks. Maybe the stablemasters will be told to have a private word with the rikishi in question, but withholding kensho won't be the solution they'll go for.

Edited September 26, 2021 by Seiyashi

[rhyen 1,808]

3 hours ago, Thorbjarn said:

Tochinoshin surely is declining. It looked as if he could drop all the way down to Juryo at one point, then he got on a good winning streak.

He rarely uses his once incredible strength anymore, it's more throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks now. It's all logical and understandable, but yeah...

It will be interesting if he will try keeping up in Juryo once he lands there or if he will keep going on until he is out of salaried level. 

Most foreign ozeki will stick around for the paycheck, only the local ozeki might retire early to start climbing the oyakata career ladder.

[Eikokurai 3,433]

1 hour ago, rhyen said:

Most foreign ozeki will stick around for the paycheck, only the local ozeki might retire early to start climbing the oyakata career ladder.

We haven’t had that many foreign Ozeki! All the Mongolian ones and a couple of the Americans eventually made it to Yokozuna. Of the European ones, Baruto stayed on for just three more basho* after demotion and Kotooshu just two (and is an Oyakata). Konishiki and Tochinoshin are the only two who fought on lower down the banzuke.

*He was on the banzuke twice more but one was a full kyujo and the next his intai, so they’re not worth counting.

[Tigerboy1966 1,376]

1 hour ago, Seiyashi said:

The problem is that it's an euphemism for yaocho

That's why I didn't use the term! So I coined a euphemism for a euphemism.

[Amamaniac 2,078]

3 hours ago, Akinomaki said:

A new dominant yokozuna. Not like Kisenosato, I think he'll add a few more before he retires, in maybe four years, as my estimate. He has learned to use his battered body well. With that, even Waka can predict the yusho winner correctly.

No Japanese dominant yokozuna in sight, not even on the banzuke yet, I'd say. If the kyokai keeps sending their best hopes down to makushita, they will have to wait till the next ice age for a new yokozuna. The present crop barely hangs on to ozeki.

I feel the same way as you, but I am looking at the situation a little differently.

Terunofuji's timing is fortunate in a sense.  Unfortunate in the sense that he is secured promotion to the highest rank a little late in his career with 6 years squandered due to injury.  But fortunate in that Hakuho might be retiring soon, and then it will be pretty clear sailing for the knee-less wonder.  As long as he doesn't get reinjured, I can see him picking up a good number of Top Division championships, easily surpassing Kakuryu's 6 and likely surpassing Harumafuji's 9.  

For him to surpass Hakuho's current record, he'd have to win every tournament for the next 6+ years.  I think we can all agree that that ain't gonna happen.

Edited September 26, 2021 by Amamaniac

[Eikokurai 3,433]

4 minutes ago, Amamaniac said:

Kakuryu's 7

6

[hakutorizakura 590]

Well, that's that. I agree that with this level of competition Teru can get 10 yusho easily. I think he's more less back at his pre-injury ozeki sumo level (but with much more calmness), but the competitions are different.

[Amamaniac 2,078]

3 minutes ago, Eikokurai said:

8 minutes ago, Amamaniac said:

Kakuryu's 7

6

That makes it even easier (as in more likely) for Terunofuji to move past Kakuryu.  He now has 5 Top Division championships under his belt, so he's just one away from tying and 2 from surpassing...  

The big question is whether 2022 will be Terunofuji's year, or will Hakuho pull a Tom Brady and spoil things a little for him.

[Seiyashi 4,071]

7 minutes ago, Amamaniac said:

That makes it even easier (as in more likely) for Terunofuji to move past Kakuryu.  He now has 5 Top Division championships under his belt, so he's just one away from tying and 2 from surpassing...  

The big question is whether 2022 will be Terunofuji's year, or will Hakuho pull a Tom Brady and spoil things a little for him.

I think Hakuho is going to retire soon. Which sounds about right, 3-4 more yusho for Terunofuji in 2022 while the younger rikishi mature and make their own push for sanyaku; then maybe say 2023 before the likes of Hoshoryu, Hokuseiho, Kotonowaka, Kotoshoho, and the up and comers currently in makushita make their own pushes for ozeki and yokozuna.

[Dapeng 232]

4 minutes ago, Amamaniac said:

That makes it even easier (as in more likely) for Terunofuji to move past Kakuryu.  He now has 5 Top Division championships under his belt, so he's just one away from tying and 2 from surpassing...  

The big question is whether 2022 will be Terunofuji's year, or will Hakuho pull a Tom Brady and spoil things a little for him.

With the current banzuke, Hakuho can easily win 14 or zensho. Both Haku and Teru have knee problems and Teru's won't last longer than Haku. If Haku determines to fight until his master's retirement, Teru may not be able to reach yusho number 10.

[Atenzan 1,074]

16 hours ago, Sakura said:

I'm delighted by the idea that a cat is called Bob.

I love cats with human names, my own cat is called Peter :)

[Katooshu 3,132]

Even if he wins all of his matches from now until retirement, Hakuho will have to complete more than 1 tournament every year and a half to be a big hindrance to Terunofuji's success.

Those knees are the big question with Teru for me. How long can he stay healthy for? I still worry that they could go anytime. But if we just take him in his current form, and with Hak competing infrequently, I think he'll run his yusho numbers up pretty quickly. The rest of the field just does not have many standout competitors at the moment; no doubt there are some who seem to have excellent potential, but they are not major threats yet.

Edited September 26, 2021 by Katooshu

[Tigerboy1966 1,376]

16 minutes ago, Atenzan said:

16 hours ago, Sakura said:

I'm delighted by the idea that a cat is called Bob.

I love cats with human names, my own cat is called Peter :)

You feel less silly when you're calling for them to come in from the yard. Bob, Peter, Jim, Maggie or Kate sound more sensible that Twinkle, Tinkerbell, Bossyboots or Peekaboo.