Haru 2022 Discussion Thread (SPOILERS!)

[Taliesin 68]

Yes, when second basho in the ozeki run is better than the first one, it's always tempting to watch one more basho if in question. I think if now, after 9 and 12, 11 wins follow, it's ok to not promote and ask for 10 wins in Nagoya.

[Thorbjarn 214]

Not only was Wakatakakage inches away from being pushed out, his knee was maybe to inches away from touching down. It was a fantastic tournament by Wakatakakage and worthy kimarite, but as a fan of Takayasu I can't help but ask myself if he could have gotten any closer to the Yusho without actually winning it. 

[Godango 956]

I am devastated, but the silver lining that is these young bucks coming through is pretty terrific. Thoroughly deserved yusho by Wakatakakage, Kotonowaka being in the mix on day 15 for the second basho in a row, and Hōshōryū getting his shin-sanyaku kachikoshi are all wonderful stories for the future of sumo. I love this sport.

[Eikokurai 3,433]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but does that make Wakatakakage the first shin-Sekiwake to win a yusho in the six-basho era?

[Hankegami 412]

9 minutes ago, Katooshu said:

That's got to hurt for Takayasu and his supporters. Drops the first one, gets his hopes back up, then drops his 2nd chance after going on the offensive. Ouch. Double the sting. Glad I'm not a Takayasu fan right now.

Glad I am not Takayasu himself. I won't be surprised if he will enter a Shodai-like depression moment now. He really failed hard the last rush.

He was devoured by his nerves, anyway. Just watch his blotched tachi-ai in the playoff. Despite this, I am pretty sure he got Wakatakakage in at least a couple of instances. He basically had him on the bales at the end. Wakatakakage did a Yokozuna level job by keeping in basically doing limbo with his right leg (I thought he was going to touch the clay with his knee there), but Takayasu is bigger and heavier. He should have finished the job instead of getting dragged on the side. My take is that anxiety caught him up. He was damn desperate to push Wakatakakage out and was left surprised by his resistance and sidestep.

[Rocks 1,807]

8 minutes ago, Swami said:

I still think he is on borrowed time as ozeki, Takakeisho too, once a bout goes to the belt, it's curtains for him.

I have to  agree about Takakeisho. Although I think he will hnag tough and get 8 a lot I think he might be in the yusho race a lot less. 

[Godango 956]

5 minutes ago, Eikokurai said:

Correct me if I’m wrong, but does that make Wakatakakage the first shin-Sekiwake to win a yusho in the six-basho era?

You are correct, sir.

[Eikokurai 3,433]

Takayasu’s tsukebito is backstage consoling him with, “It’s a yusho equivalent. It’s the same thing.”

[Eikokurai 3,433]

1 minute ago, Godango said:

You are correct, sir.

History making. A basho to remember.

[Rocks 1,807]

8 minutes ago, Hankegami said:

Glad I am not Takayasu himself. I won't be surprised if he will enter a Shodai-like depression moment now. He really failed hard the last rush.

I doubt it. At 32 and 2 years past his prime he's gotta figure I'm lucky just to have been there at the end. I think any depression he feels over his career came 2 years ago. 

He's never been lucky so he can't be surprised he wasn't here.  He fought 7 sanyaku in his last 6 days. Age and injury caught up with him. 

I'm not saying he'll be right back in the yusho race next basho but I doubt he'll do really poorly unless he gets injured badly. 

Edited March 27, 2022 by Rocks

[Eikokurai 3,433]

1 minute ago, Rocks said:

I doubt it. At 32 and 2 years past his prime he's gotta figure I'm lucky just to have been there at the end. I think any depression he feels over his career came 2 years ago. 

He's never been lucky so he can't be surprised he wasn't here.  He fought 7 sanyaku in his last 6 days. Age and injury caught up with him. 

I'm not saying he'll be right back in the yusho race next basho but I doubt he'll do really poorly unless he gets injured badly. 

And next basho he’ll be right back up top fighting the joi schedule so it won’t get any easier.

[Kaninoyama 1,694]

1 minute ago, Rocks said:

I doubt it. At 32 and 2 years past his prime he's gotta figure I'm lucky just to have been there at the end. I think any depression he feels over his career came 2 years ago. 

He's never been lucky so he can't be surprised he was here.  He fought 7 sanyaku in his last 6 days. Age and injury caught up with him. 

I'm not saying he'll be right back in the yusho race next basho but I doubt he'll do really poorly unless he gets injured badly. 

It's not just that he came up short, but the way in which he did. If he wins just one of his last three bouts, he wins the yusho. Instead, there's no way to look at this other than as an epic collapse. As a Takayasu fan I'm in pain. Can't imagine how he's feeling. 

[Godango 956]

1 minute ago, Rocks said:

I'm not saying he'll be right back in the yusho race next basho but I doubt he'll do really poorly unless he gets injured badly. 

Yeah, I take consolation in the fact that he still clearly belongs in the joi/sanyaku when he's healthy. 

If not for that injury 2-3 years back, his career could have taken a very different trajectory. But being a former ozeki is great, and being a sanyaku gatekeeper ain't so bad. Who knows, the Filipino Bear may even rise up to Ozeki again someday, his sumo is strong.

[Leo C 52]

Wakatakakage yusho, yay! I was nervous just watching it. Great action on the final day. Also happy Hoshoryu got his kachi koshi at the very end.

[Rocks 1,807]

3 minutes ago, Kaninoyama said:

It's not just that he came up short, but the way in which he did. If he wins just one of his last three bouts, he wins the yusho. Instead, there's no way to look at this other than as an epic collapse. As a Takayasu fan I'm in pain. Can't imagine how he's feeling. 

And if he had been facing one of the joi doing well in his last 6 days as he should have he would be the yusho winner. There's no way he should have been facing a 7-7 Abi on Day 15. Maybe Daiesho or Ichinojo.  Even Tamwashi or Kirbayama.  Never Abi. Kotonowaka shouldn't have had Hoshuryu either. That only makes sense because they were literally fighting to see who would get the Komusubi slot. 

[Jakusotsu 5,813]

I've pencilled in Abi as winner in all sumo games yesterday, but after a good night's sleep I've changed my picks - no way Takayasu would lose that one, right?

And then I watched Takayasu entering the hall with the most "what-the-heck-am-I-doing-here?" expression I've ever seen, even on him, and I instantly knew what would happen.

That idiotic ending of the play-off bout was just the icing on the cake he'll never gonna eat.

[Akinomaki 39,776]

1 hour ago, Jemuzu said:

How come Inosuke isn’t the gyoji?

It is just a sekiwake as the highest one in the ketteisen, thus a sanyaku gyoji is doing it. The tategyoji is on if an ozeki or yokozuna is in the playoff.

[Eikokurai 3,433]

32 minutes ago, Kaninoyama said:

If he wins just one of his last three bouts, he wins the yusho.

Good point. The loss against Shodai yesterday wasn’t terminal because it was still in Takayasu’s own hands, but yes, he could have wrapped it up with a day to spare and turned up today and chilled. Instead he lost and then failed to take two more opportunities to seize the title.

Great scriptwriting, btw, to have Shodai be the guy who handed Takayasu the chance to redeem himself in the playoff. As far as a tightly woven narratives go, this basho’s ending has been one of the best in years.

[dada78641 884]

I know I haven't shown my face around here in quite a while, but wow. What a thrilling conclusion, both in the lead-up to it and in the final bout itself. Watched it live with my parents. I feel a little bit bad for Takayasu, but Wakatakakage definitely deserved it just as much as he did.

[Chiyotasuke 257]

On 26/03/2022 at 19:53, Chiyotasuke said:

Now it is certain that Wakatakakage will finish this basho as at least a runner-up, so I queried the SumoDB to find how many achieved it in their Sekiwake debuts. 12 rikishi did and only Futabayama had finished with a yusho.

Before Futabayama, Shimizugawa also had won the yusho in his Sekiwake debut. As a result of the Shunjuen Incident he couldn't make his debut at the rank in Haru 1932. So the query function didn't work here. I was informed about it when NHK showed this:

(+) Wakatakakage is also the 3rd makuuchi champion from Fukushima pref. after Tokitsuyama and Tochiazuma I

Edited March 27, 2022 by Chiyotasuke
Better pics

[Akinomaki 39,776]

1 hour ago, rhyen said:

Interesting, who is the gyoji refereeing this match?

Kimura Yodo (Edit: Youdou)

Edited March 27, 2022 by Akinomaki

[jsolo 106]

Wakatakakage is the first Shen-Sekiwake to win a Yusho since Futubayama in 1936 (it was part of his 69 match winning streak.

Natsu 1936

 

[Kotomiyama 165]

I did not comment during the basho because I really wanted Takayasu to win and I feared jinxing him. When he lost against Shodai I thought he was done, but the playoff gave me hopes.

I really thought he had the yusho in the last push and yet Wakatakakage managed to win. Dramatic.

Despite liking Wakatakakage a lot, I can only think on the poor Takayasu. I fear that he will never be in the position to win again in the future...

[Seiyashi 4,071]

1 hour ago, Kaninoyama said:

On another note, why was there a second gyoji (Konosuke?) sitting at the foot of the dohyo?

Don't you always need a second, spare gyoji in case the first gyoji gets incapacitated somehow? There was that time where Tamajiro had to go up the dohyo to announce the winner after Inosuke hit his head or was otherwise a bit out of it after being knocked off the dohyo. 

[Old Shatterhand is dead 29]

Can’t explain the reason but I never liked Takayasu therefore I am very delighted about Wakatakakage’s yusho…

What a senshuraku of a not really exciting basho!