Hatsu 2022 discussions (results)

[Thorbjarn 214]

Lightning quick Ashitori by Ura. Good start into Week 2, week 1 wasn't catastrophic... Maybe he has a shot at a KK. 

[Seiyashi 4,071]

Shodai stops the rot for now, but Wakanohana is complaining all the way about his waist being way too high. As it was Endo nearly took him to the edge before Shodai managed to rally with a rotation and a makikae to drive Endo out.

[Thorbjarn 214]

Shodai has a tendency to be really upright in his bouts. It's valid criticism. 

Terunofuji v Okinoumi went like every match between the two of them over the last tournaments. You won't beat the Yokozuna like this. 

[Eikokurai 3,433]

22 minutes ago, Thorbjarn said:

Terunofuji v Okinoumi went like every match between the two of them over the last tournaments. You won't beat the Yokozuna like this. 

Yeah, it’s frustrating as a spectator to see a rikishi fight Terunofuji like Okinoumi did today. He tried nothing, just a brief hug-and-lean before being walked out with ease. A waste of everyone’s time.  

[Gospodin 187]

Granted, but what else should Okinoumi do, given his abilities ?

 

[Eikokurai 3,433]

1 minute ago, Gospodin said:

Granted, but what else should Okinoumi do, given his abilities ?

Lateral movement isn’t beyond his abilities.

[Thorbjarn 214]

Yeah, Okinoumi is always the guy to go straight forward into Terunofuji, he might have a bit of momentum for a second, then gets yorikiried out of the ring. No sideways moments at all. It's kind of admirable that he tries winning like he does, but it's also lunacy, since it has been proven time and again to not work. 

[Kaninoyama 1,694]

The current crop of yotsu-style rikishi has almost no prayer against Terunofuji because he's just so much stronger and better at what they do, while oshi wrestlers like Tamawashi, Daieisho, and Abi have at least a fighter's chance provided they can keep the Yokozuna away from the mawashi and get him off balance. 

 

Edited January 16, 2022 by Kaninoyama

[since_94 650]

Impressions of Day 8: Oho looked so fundamentally solid against Ichiyamamoto that when combined with his size and strength, I can’t help but see anything but greatness in his future. Of course much remains to be seen, but I had a moment, a vision, you might say, of him wearing a rope like his grandfather. 

Very happy to see Takarafuji quietly putting together a good record in workmanlike fashion. The spin move was unusually flashy for him.

Chiyomaru vs Akua was a battle of the iridescent beetle shell green and highly entertaining all around.

Loved how Chiyonokuni continued to fight even when his back was turned to Onosho at the bales and he was clearly going to lose. Shows his fighting spirit.

Tamawashi / Hokutofuji was a particularly brutal affair, and not the kind of bout any rikishi likely wants to have every day. Very intense sumo, highly entertaining.

Mitakeumi clearly wants this. Haven’t seen his facial expression showing such determination in forever. 

Overall, safe to say the fans were entertained.

Edited January 16, 2022 by since_94

[Octofuji 327]

5 hours ago, Seiyashi said:

I must be suffering from a really bad case of rose tinted lenses, but Ura's henka-ashitori somehow feels really cheap to me. I'm not sure I would have had the same reaction if it had been Terutsuyoshi or Enho, and I'm not sure why either.

I know what you mean but it was perfectly executed wasn't it?

Yes Ura's got quite a bit heavier than the average person-you-don't-mind-a-henka-from, but he's got his own disadvantages and so the odd ashitori doesn't seem too bad to me.

It also feels like he's trying them far less than he was a few bashos ago.

[since_94 650]

5 hours ago, Seiyashi said:

I must be suffering from a really bad case of rose tinted lenses, but Ura's henka-ashitori somehow feels really cheap to me. I'm not sure I would have had the same reaction if it had been Terutsuyoshi or Enho, and I'm not sure why either.

Fans sitting ringside seemed similarly nonplussed, by and large, as judged by their reactions. What gives? Too much reliance on gimmicks (by which I mean waza), for want of a better word?

[Orudo Toriitorunku 12]

I agree with the earlier comments: What on earth was Okinoumi trying to do? It is very obvious that no current wrestler is able to run straight into Terunofuji, grab his belt and then defeat him. The second Terunofuji gets even one hand on the belt and has two feet on the ground, the match is over. Since he changed his style into being less aggressive, he seems to have become more or less impossible to defeat as long as he is in balance. And running into the front of him will not unbalance him...  

[Seiyashi 4,071]

For balance's sake, I feel I ought to mention that there is a not-insignificant school of thought in Japan that looks favourably upon fighting the good fight even though you know it's lost - courage being doing the dangerous thing knowing that it's dangerous etcetc. That, plus the suspicions that Okinoumi is harbouring an undisclosed injury, might lend some credence to the view that Okinoumi just wanted the bout over and done with, and Terunofuji certainly delivered that with a minimal amount of fuss and injury.

[Hakuryuho 334]

23 minutes ago, since_94 said:

Impressions of Day 8: Oho looked so fundamentally solid against Ichiyamamoto that when combined with his size and strength, I can’t help but see anything but greatness in his future. Of course much remains to be seen, but I had a moment, a vision, you might say, of him wearing a rope like his grandfather. 

It's such a shame he isn't trained to be a primarily yotsu-wrestler.
In my opinion the underutilisation of his long limbs and size in general will hamper his ascension through the ranks quite significantly. 
Sometimes he is forced to wrestle on the belt and he usually does remarkably well in these instances.

I completely concur when it comes to his Yokozuna prospects but only on the condition that he transitions to a yotsu-first-style instead his current oshi/tsuki style.

[Orudo Toriitorunku 12]

5 hours ago, Seiyashi said:

I must be suffering from a really bad case of rose tinted lenses, but Ura's henka-ashitori somehow feels really cheap to me. I'm not sure I would have had the same reaction if it had been Terutsuyoshi or Enho, and I'm not sure why either.

I normally do not like henkas, but this one was so perfectly executed that it is hard not to like it. And the threat of henka is necessary. Without it, sumo would turn into a competition of who is able to turn himself most into a freight train running into a wall.

[Seiyashi 4,071]

3 minutes ago, Orudo Toriitorunku said:

5 hours ago, Seiyashi said:

I must be suffering from a really bad case of rose tinted lenses, but Ura's henka-ashitori somehow feels really cheap to me. I'm not sure I would have had the same reaction if it had been Terutsuyoshi or Enho, and I'm not sure why either.

I normally do not like henkas, but this one was so perfectly executed that it is hard not to like it. And the threat of henka is necessary. Without it, sumo would turn into a competition of who is able to turn himself most into a freight train running into a wall.

There's no disagreeing about the place of henkas as a tactical response, but completely irrationally I wouldn't describe his henka as perfectly executed. But I'm less interested in describing his henka than trying to figure out why I don't like it so much but would forgive it if Enho or Terutsuyoshi had done it instead. Maybe it's Ura's bulk being deceptive, or the action being away from the gyoji, I don't know. And FWIW the crowd didn't seem to like it much either.

[Orudo Toriitorunku 12]

1 minute ago, Seiyashi said:

There's no disagreeing about the place of henkas as a tactical response, but completely irrationally I wouldn't describe his henka as perfectly executed. But I'm less interested in describing his henka than trying to figure out why I don't like it so much but would forgive it if Enho or Terutsuyoshi had done it instead. Maybe it's Ura's bulk being deceptive, or the action being away from the gyoji, I don't know. And FWIW the crowd didn't seem to like it much either.

Might it be because Ura has spoilt us with a seemingly endless row of unexpected wins and near wins in difficult situations? When he takes the easy route, rather than pulling something unexpected out of his hat of tricks, it feels a bit like a letdown. Enho and Terutsuyoshi on the other hand, do not have much choice. They are so physically limited size-wise that no matter what they do, a win is always impressive.

[rhyen 1,809]

2 hours ago, since_94 said:

 

Very happy to see Takarafuji quietly putting together a good record in workmanlike fashion. The spin move was unusually flashy for him.

 

 

[MrGrumpyGills 119]

I'm perfectly fine with the henka + leg grab Ura did today, although I usually frown upon henkas. It was swift and effective. Had it been Terutsuyoshi, I would've felt the same.
OTOH I'm not an Enho fan at all. I'll leave it at that ;)

[Jakusotsu 5,815]

3 hours ago, Orudo Toriitorunku said:

I normally do not like henkas, but this one was so perfectly executed that it is hard not to like it.

Oh, it's very, very easy not to like it, believe me.

[maglor 122]

9 hours ago, Seiyashi said:

I must be suffering from a really bad case of rose tinted lenses, but Ura's henka-ashitori somehow feels really cheap to me. I'm not sure I would have had the same reaction if it had been Terutsuyoshi or Enho, and I'm not sure why either.

Enho - <100kg

Terutsuyoshi - 117kg

Ura - 147kg

I didn't mind it, but I think if you're the type of fan who doesn't mind henkas as long as it's from a small guy vs a bigger guy Ura's a bit too big these days to get the same sympathy. Takanosho only 17kg heavier than Ura after all

[Yamanashi 3,724]

4 hours ago, Seiyashi said:

There's no disagreeing about the place of henkas as a tactical response, but completely irrationally I wouldn't describe his henka as perfectly executed. But I'm less interested in describing his henka than trying to figure out why I don't like it so much but would forgive it if Enho or Terutsuyoshi had done it instead. Maybe it's Ura's bulk being deceptive, or the action being away from the gyoji, I don't know. And FWIW the crowd didn't seem to like it much either.

I dunno, it didn't look too  much like a nefariously planned attack to me.  He's very opportunistic, and I think he went down low like he often does, and there was that big ham just waiting to be grabbed.  Maybe it didn't sit well because it wasn't a NPA and so it looked inartful.  It certainly is a good thing if it elicits a response, but more strategical than tactical, since he's now got 2-3 basho's worth of opponents second-guessing themselves at the tachiai.

[MumboJumbo 34]

As I've watched Mitakeumi through the years, I've always thought he fights well against oshi guys. He resists the thrusts/slaps very efficiently and is able to force himself beneath the strikes. Looking at his record against some notable oshi specialists (that pop into my head), he seems to match up favorably. Maybe his domination of Tamawashi has skewed my view a bit.

7-2 Abi

4-4 Aoiyama

13-7 Daieisho

12-10 Hokutofuji

10-3 Onosho

11-10 Takakeisho

26-3 Tamawashi (!)

 

[Rocks 1,807]

4 hours ago, Seiyashi said:

4 hours ago, Orudo Toriitorunku said:

10 hours ago, Seiyashi said:

I must be suffering from a really bad case of rose tinted lenses, but Ura's henka-ashitori somehow feels really cheap to me. I'm not sure I would have had the same reaction if it had been Terutsuyoshi or Enho, and I'm not sure why either.

I normally do not like henkas, but this one was so perfectly executed that it is hard not to like it. And the threat of henka is necessary. Without it, sumo would turn into a competition of who is able to turn himself most into a freight train running into a wall.

There's no disagreeing about the place of henkas as a tactical response, but completely irrationally I wouldn't describe his henka as perfectly executed. But I'm less interested in describing his henka than trying to figure out why I don't like it so much but would forgive it if Enho or Terutsuyoshi had done it instead. Maybe it's Ura's bulk being deceptive, or the action being away from the gyoji, I don't know. And FWIW the crowd didn't seem to like it much either.

Perfectly executed? No. It was barely executed. A henka usually looks okay when it's done against a guy blindly charging. Not here. Just a desperate attempt by Ura to do something which  happened to work. Few like this chiefly due to Takanosho's lame response to it. He could have  thrown off that leg grab with some effort. He didn't. The match sucked because of Takanosho, not Ura. 

[Rocks 1,807]

Chiyomaru - Akua? How much more blatant does a hair pull need to be?