Haru 2022 Discussion Thread (SPOILERS!)

[robnplunder 974]

4 minutes ago, Hankegami said:

I read somewhere they are members of an Osaka Sumo club. Membership grant them front rows every Haru basho.

My guess was that they are the Japanese chapter of the Illuminati.  They look good in their robes though.

Edited March 25, 2022 by robnplunder

[Seiyashi 4,068]

Mitakeumi living up to his rank. Reaches the coveted double-digit wins as shin-ōzeki, and at least temporarily stalls Wakatakakage's hopes of a hatsu yūshō. If this is his new level of sustained performance he will be anchoring the top end of the banzuke for a long time yet.

Now it remains to see if Takayasu can capitalise against Takakeishō. 

Edited March 25, 2022 by Seiyashi

[robnplunder 974]

4 minutes ago, Seiyashi said:

Now it remains to see if Takayasu can capitalise against Takakeisho. 

Takakeisho will beat Takayasu today.     Well, almost.   It is now Takayasu's basho.  

Edited March 25, 2022 by robnplunder

[Kaninoyama 1,649]

That was calm, collected, patient sumo by Takayasu. If he can maintain that composure over the next two days he's going to earn his long-awaited first yusho. 

Edited March 25, 2022 by Kaninoyama

[Eikokurai 3,433]

Wow! What a bout that was! Props to Takakeisho for hanging in there way past his usual stamina limit, but Takayasu take a bow. The yusho is yours!

[Taliesin 68]

Takayasu is so awesome! Defended against oozeki without any cheap tricks, caught him and finished. A thing of beauty.

[Seiyashi 4,068]

2 minutes ago, robnplunder said:

4 minutes ago, Seiyashi said:

Now it remains to see if Takayasu can capitalise against Takakeisho. 

Takakeisho will beat Takayasu today.  

Nope 

It's amazing to see Takayasu take on Takakeishō in an oshi match and at least come out even, long enough for Takakeishō to run out of steam.

With his win, the entire 4-loss field is eliminated. Wakatakakage must win out to keep his hopes alive, and Mitakeumi must pray for Takayasu to slip up to give him a chance. Takayasu is most certainly in the home stretch now and looking really good mentally.

[Akinomaki 39,497]

7 minutes ago, Hankegami said:

11 minutes ago, Seiyashi said:

Mildly off-topic: does anyone know what's with the people in the ringside seats in the brown vests?

I read somewhere they are members of an Osaka Sumo club. Membership grant them front rows every Haru basho.

Top members of the Tozai-kai www.touzaikai.org, the Osaka equivalent of the tamari-kai in the kokugikan, the maintaining members (iji-in) of the NSK

[Eikokurai 3,433]

4 minutes ago, Seiyashi said:

With his win, the entire 4-loss field is eliminated.

They basically were anyway. I'd already discounted them. 11-4 wasn't going to win the yusho.

[Akinomaki 39,497]

Switch off again

[Seiyashi 4,068]

Danger bells for Shōdai. He lost his best opportunity to pick up his KK against Kotonowaka, and now has to contend with a motivated and in-form Takayasu tomorrow. His KK could come down to a relative can on senshūraku.

[Seiyashi 4,068]

1 minute ago, Eikokurai said:

6 minutes ago, Seiyashi said:

With his win, the entire 4-loss field is eliminated.

They basically were anyway. I'd already discounted them. 11-4 wasn't going to win the yusho.

Considering it was Takayasu in a lead, it was more likely than any other situation with a 2 win lead, but still.

[Taliesin 68]

Shoudai is somewhat easily dispatched by Kotonowaka. Which Shoudai will turn up against Takayasu tomorrow is a very important question. 

P.S. Who feels that Takayasu should receive ginou-shou?

[Eikokurai 3,433]

Koto-nodowa takes out Shodai, ending his comeback streak and keeping himself in the yusho race. Plenty of twists and turns to come this weekend.

[Seiyashi 4,068]

1 minute ago, Eikokurai said:

Koto-nodowa takes out Shodai, ending his comeback streak and keeping himself in the yusho race. Plenty of twists and turns to come this weekend.

Kotonowaka is gone. There's no way he's catching up to Takayasu even if the latter loses out. Mitakeumi and Wakatakakage are the ones still in with a prayer, but it's going to be hard to find a tougher opponent for Takayasu than Takakeishō.

Edited March 25, 2022 by Seiyashi

[Eikokurai 3,433]

3 minutes ago, Seiyashi said:

Kotonowaka is gone. There's no way he's catching up to Takayasu even if the latter loses out.

He's 10-3, same as Mitakeumi, and they meet tomorrow. He needs some things to fall his way, but if Takayasu does lose out and KNW wins, they're tied.

Edited March 25, 2022 by Eikokurai

[Seiyashi 4,068]

2 minutes ago, Eikokurai said:

4 minutes ago, Seiyashi said:

Kotonowaka is gone. There's no way he's catching up to Takayasu even if the latter loses out.

He's 10-3, same as Mitakeumi. He needs things to fall his way, but if Takayasu does lose out and KNW wins, they're tied.

Oh right, whoops, my bad. I'd assumed the arasoi sidebar on the DB had been updated and forgot to refresh it.

[Hankegami 412]

Shodai "I-must-get-KK" Naoya failed to secure his KK against Kotonowaka, who remains tied with Mitakeumi at third place. This, combined with Takakeisho having not closed his business for this basho (he tried really hard against Takayasu), spices things up for tomorrow.

At the end, the NSK blew up the classic Ozeki battle once again in favor of this six-way turnout. Tomorrow Shodai vs. Takayasu (15-9, but 11-1 for the most recent confrontations), Kotonowaka vs. Mitakeumi (0-1), and Wakatakakage vs. Takakeisho (1-5). All three Ozeki are strongly favored to win their matches, and all three are strongly interested in winning them (once again, Takakeisho showed today he's still here for business). This also means that one between Kotonowaka and Mitakeumi will be off race tomorrow.

Shodai vs. Takayasu is undoubtedly the match of the day. Takayasu had a terrible record against Takakeisho, yet he won today. This means that his precedents against Shodai should be read with a pinch of salt. However, Shodai is there to clear his kadoban, and he knows he will likely have another difficult match on senshuraku (he will probably get Wakatakakage). Better taking down Takayasu whether possible.

Edited March 25, 2022 by Hankegami

[Kujo 116]

46 minutes ago, Seiyashi said:

Hōshōryū not having the best basho either. Methinks he's trying too hard for throws.

 

45 minutes ago, Eikokurai said:

Hoshoryu feels the full weight of Ichinojo's attack. Literally. That looked uncomfortable.

Was Hoshoryu trying to uchari Ichinojo?  That's crazy (we need a uchari emoticon)  

[Jakusotsu 5,721]

22 minutes ago, Seiyashi said:

Danger bells for Shōdai. He lost his best opportunity to pick up his KK against Kotonowaka, and now has to contend with a motivated and in-form Takayasu tomorrow. His KK could come down to a relative can on senshūraku.

As Hankegami said above, Shodai's opponent on Senshuraku will most likely be Wakatakakage who won't have any better aite available.

[Taliesin 68]

Well, both Takayasu and Wakatakakage are completely different this basho. Wakatakakage's strength reached some critical threshold - if earlier it was just enough to somehow stall the big guys, now he really moves them, and almost easily. Takayasu is very collected. He does not switch to thrusting at the worst possible timings. He always seems to have a plan and the ability and composure to go to the end. Plus he is just healthy and rested. So, I don't think it's right to say they are underdogs for some bout just based on past records. Deeper analysis including styles and different scenarios would be needed for that.

[Seiyashi 4,068]

Just now, Jakusotsu said:

As Hankegami said above, Shodai's opponent on Senshuraku will most likely be Wakatakakage who won't have any better aite available.

It's not hard to see Shōdai getting screwed, then, if he has to deal with both yūshō contenders.

[Taliesin 68]

Shoudai has nobody to blame if he is demoted. Who asked him to lose that much. If he is really an Ozeki, taking one win in last 2 days should be doable (actually he was supposed to get KK today). His schedule wasn't the hardest it could be. No Terunofuji this basho, he also had no Abi. For example on day 11 he faced Takarafuji who was 3-7 at maegashira 5.

[Amamaniac 2,078]

2 hours ago, Hankegami said:

2 hours ago, Seiyashi said:

Mildly off-topic: does anyone know what's with the people in the ringside seats in the brown vests?

I read somewhere they are members of an Osaka Sumo club. Membership grant them front rows every Haru basho.

The "club" is called the Touzaikai, and yes it is based in Osaka.  

http://www.touzaikai.org

Interesting that a number of the reserved cushions are not occupied during the Top Division bouts.  What I wouldn't give to sit on one of them.  Heck, I'd even wear one of those god-awful super cool vests!

Edited March 25, 2022 by Amamaniac

[Amamaniac 2,078]

Down in Makushita today, 24 year-old Kinbozan secured the division title with a perfect 7-0 record.  This guy has some serious heat, winning from down in the middle of the Ms rankings (Ms34w) and this is only his third official tournament!!!

The interesting thing about him is that he is from Kazakhstan.  Will he make it to the Top Division before Tochinoshin and Aoiyama hang up their mawashi?  How would it look if the only non-Japanese wrestlers in the Top Division were Mongolian? (rhetorical question)

I'll be routing for this guy.  #represent.