70th All Japan sumo championships

[Akinomaki 40,814]

8 hours ago, Katooshu said:

Ochiai beat both Taniokas and bulldozed everyone he faced until Nakamura beat him. It's not hard to imagine him going all the way if Nakamura hadn't been there - really looked a force.

And he did beat the other Ochiai (Nittaidai), who had a fusensho from Nichidai's Kawasoe/-zoe in the first round (Nichidai's student yokozuna Kawazoe was absent as well, 4 in all absent this time). Funny that the Nittaidai blog only for this double Ochiai bout gives the first names. Even if they had adjacent bouts, they were only shown with the school name http://blog.livedoor.jp/nittaidaisumo/archives/5302443.html

Edit: interesting that a foreigner from corporate sumo took part, a Munkhsaikhan, like Chiyoshoma. Nittaidai's Choijil lost in the 3rd round.

Edited December 7, 2021 by Akinomaki

[Katooshu 3,335]

Ya Munkh graduated from Kyushu Joho I believe 2 years ago. He was pretty good and made the best 16 at the student championship and semifinals of the 2019 national Towada tournament, beating Yersin in the quarterfinals with a nice utchari. Kanzaki went on to win that tournament and on the way beat Nakamura in the semifinals - the only time I've seen him beat Nakamura in 5 or 6 meetings.

Edited December 7, 2021 by Katooshu

[mikawa 1,794]

The 34th National Primary School Championships also took place last Sunday, and also inside the Kokugikan. Here's a video of the entire tournament:

 

[mikawa 1,794]

Results of the 34th National Primary School Championships:

Grade 4

Winner - Okayama Yuya (岡山 祐弥), Aomori

Runner-Up - Sasaki Haruki (佐々木 陽希), Akita

Semi-Finals - Nyamuchiru Tobushinborudo (ニャムオチル トゥブシンボルド), Niigata
Semi-Finals - Takemoto Toki (竹本 都輝), Kumamoto

Grade 5

Winner - Sasaki Hisatsugu (佐々木 久継), Shizuoka

Runner-Up - Ote Sera (大手 星来), Kumamoto

Semi-Finals - Paru Muti (パル ムティ), Tokyo
Semi-Finals - ??? (??? ???), Kyoto

Grade 6

Winner - Katagiri Kyosei (片桐 恭晟), Ishikawa

Runner-Up - Odaira Maki (大平 真輝), Niigata

Semi-Finals - Kai Yota (甲斐 陽太), Miyazaki
Semi-Finals - Morimoto Kotaro (森本 琥太郎), Akita

[mikawa 1,794]

Quick Comments

Grade 4 - One of the prefectures that didn't send a team to this year's Wanpaku Tournament was Aomori Prefecture, which meant that one of the best rikishi in this year group didn't get to compete there. However, the huge former Hakuho Cup winner Okamoto Yuya did get a chance to take part last weekend and he duly came away with the Primary School Yokozuna title. He has thus far not shown much in terms of technique, but at this stage his massive stature does the job for him.

The Enho-like Hirano Juito made it to the quarter-finals, where he put up a mighty effort, only to just fall short at the edge of the ring.

Grade 5 - The result of this year group left me feeling really disappointed. The top two rikishi of this year group are most definitely the Wanpaku Yokozuna Kumagai Kyuta and the Hakuho Cup winner Ote Sera, but neither of them could prevent the larger Sasaki Hisatsugu from winning the whole thing. And it's not like Hisatsugu is stronger than them or anything (he's not), but Kyuta seemed to lose steam towards the end of his bout and the age-old "slippiotoshi" (credits to Moti) proved to be Sera's downfall. Both of them are stronger and more skilled than the eventual winner, but Hisatsugu is just, heavier. I wouldn't even have mind half as much if he had the kind of power that the likes of Toma Tsuguto and Yamamoto Masakatsu had back in the day.

At least Paru Muti once again delivered a miraculous performance to reach the semi-finals. His sumo is still fairly unpolished (he's only been learning sumo for about a year or two), but somehow he finds ways to win bouts. I have no idea how he does it, but I'm not complaining.

Grade 6 - Defending Wanpaku Yokozuna Katagiri Kyosei proved to be too strong for everyone as he wins the second major tournament this year. Another performance like this in next year's Hakuho Cup (if it happens) and he'll have the "grand slam" in the bag. My club kohai Ozawa Kaito was excruciatingly close to making it to the semi-finals, but a last-gasp utchari proved to be his undoing.

[Inside Sport Japan 762]

6 hours ago, mikawa said:

At least Paru Muti once again delivered a miraculous performance to reach the semi-finals. His sumo is still fairly unpolished (he's only been learning sumo for about a year or two), but somehow he finds ways to win bouts. I have no idea how he does it, but I'm not complaining.

 

Palu, not Paru.

His dad is Wycliff Palu who played 58 times for the Australian national rugby team between 2006 and 2016 and is now a coach in Japan.

[Katooshu 3,335]

Best 16 on NHK - in digest form. Unfortunately skips one of my favourite parts, which is seeing how the 2 finalists prepare in the tense 5 minute break before the yusho match.

 

Edited December 8, 2021 by Katooshu

[Inside Sport Japan 762]

21 minutes ago, Katooshu said:

Best 16 on NHK - in digest form. Unfortunately skips one of my favourite parts, which is seeing how the 2 finalists prepare in the tense 5 minute break before the yusho match.

 

IIRC They went back to the Shitakubeya where there were no cameras.

[mikawa 1,794]

14 hours ago, Inside Sport Japan said:

Palu, not Paru.

His dad is Wycliff Palu who played 58 times for the Australian national rugby team between 2006 and 2016 and is now a coach in Japan.

Many thanks for the correction, it's pretty interesting to see a professional rugby player's son doing sumo. Looking into this, it seems that his full name is Muti Zidane Palu, Zidane just happens to be my favourite footballer of all time

[Inside Sport Japan 762]

All Japan tournament an optimistic indicator of a return to normal - Japan Times

 

[Akinomaki 40,814]

On 07/12/2021 at 19:02, mikawa said:

Grade 5 - The result of this year group left me feeling really disappointed. The top two rikishi of this year group are most definitely the Wanpaku Yokozuna Kumagai Kyuta and the Hakuho Cup winner Ote Sera, but neither of them could prevent the larger Sasaki Hisatsugu from winning the whole thing. And it's not like Hisatsugu is stronger than them or anything (he's not), but Kyuta seemed to lose steam towards the end of his bout and the age-old "slippiotoshi" (credits to Moti) proved to be Sera's downfall. Both of them are stronger and more skilled than the eventual winner, but Hisatsugu is just, heavier. I wouldn't even have mind half as much if he had the kind of power that the likes of Toma Tsuguto and Yamamoto Masakatsu had back in the day.

Sasaki (169cm, 135kg) reported his yusho to the mayor of Mishima. Since 3rd grade he is a member of the Mishima sumo club. In the future he wants to go into ozumo. http://www.at-s.com/news/article/shizuoka/1001892.html

[Akinomaki 40,814]

On 07/12/2021 at 19:02, mikawa said:

Grade 4 - One of the prefectures that didn't send a team to this year's Wanpaku Tournament was Aomori Prefecture, which meant that one of the best rikishi in this year group didn't get to compete there. However, the huge former Hakuho Cup winner Okamoto Yuya did get a chance to take part last weekend and he duly came away with the Primary School Yokozuna title. He has thus far not shown much in terms of technique, but at this stage his massive stature does the job for him.

On 07/12/2021 at 18:42, mikawa said:

Grade 4

Winner - Okayama Yuya (岡山 祐弥), Aomori

Okayama (center) with the members of the Goshogawara club o - we'll likely see him in Isegahama-beya in the future

[Akinomaki 40,814]

Tottori based BSS San-in housou followed Ochiai during preparations for the All Japan and during the tournament, the program appeared on YT.

Ochiai received the kanto-sho at the  tournament https://www.crank-in.net/news/98384/1 (VPN needed)

Another program about him on the BSS San-in housou ratte channel (the channel mascot doesn't really look like a rat though - likes caffè latte, so that's the name origin)

Edited December 28, 2021 by Akinomaki

[Katooshu 3,335]

Ochiai is a bull. He handled some good collegiate and corporate rikishi like they were little kids, and it wasn't just about strength - he got superior positioning as well. It isn't much of a stretch to envision him making it to the best 4 or finals had he not run into Nakamura that early.

I imagine that he's gotten huge attention from various stables and universities. Although I am a big fan of college sumo, he is the type of talent that I would like to see join ozumo straight away.

Edited December 29, 2021 by Katooshu