Natsu 2022 Discussion Thread - here be spoilers

[Amamaniac 2,078]

On 25/05/2022 at 12:49, rhyen said:

It is length, the Oicho mage must form 2 fan shapes. A head wide one at the back and a small visible one on top.

Please take a look at Atamifuji's hair in this tournament.  He already has enough hair for a fan in the back, but what I was questioning in particular is why a fan is not being done for him in the front when it looks perfectly doable at this stage... 

#Godango's view is that it boils down to the tokoyama's judgement call.  

Edited May 28, 2022 by Amamaniac

[Jakusotsu 5,873]

Who was the last Maegashira without any knot at all? Ichinojo?

[sumojoann 1,262]

1 minute ago, Jakusotsu said:

Who was the last Maegashira without any knot at all? Ichinojo?

Not sure if he was the last one.  He had his hair down at the Aki 2014 basho and up at the Kyushu 2014 basho, but it wasn't an oichomage.

[sumojoann 1,262]

Here is the first basho where Ichinojo had a chonmage.  I remember a bunch of us laughed at him because it made his head look really small compared with the rest of his body.

[Yamanashi 3,774]

6 hours ago, lackmaker said:

What must we make of this Hakuho guy(22 JY/D) falling short so often?

We note that he had 45 Yusho, while Wonder Boy had 2.

[fwuzzle23 66]

4 hours ago, Amamaniac said:

Please take a look at Atamifuji's hair in this tournament.  He already has the fan in the back.

I went and looked at his Day 15 match and his hair is pulled tight to his head in the back as per usual for regular chonmage (see the attached image). With that said, he's probably not far off from having the right length for the oicho, he's had the regular chonmage since at least Kyushu last year and I can't imagine it takes as long for mage->oicho as it does for zambara->mage (roughly a year)

[Benevolance 2,482]

Okay, okay. The truth is, they did the oichomage and the sheer splendor of it blinded the tokoyama, the stable's cat, and three elderly passerby. Since the kyokai did not yet have a kimarite for "opponent blinded and knocked over by sudden awesomeness" they asked for a one-basho reprieve to update the list of winning techniques. 

[Yamanashi 3,774]

3 hours ago, Benevolance said:

Okay, okay. The truth is, they did the oichomage and the sheer splendor of it blinded the tokoyama, the stable's cat, and three elderly passerby. Since the kyokai did not yet have a kimarite for "opponent blinded and knocked over by sudden awesomeness" they asked for a one-basho reprieve to update the list of winning techniques. 

1) The blinding oichomage might explain why he's always squinting.

.2) Hair that glows without visible source of power can only be due to radioactivity.  I suggest a shikona change to Atomicfuji.

[Godango 973]

10 hours ago, dingo said:

Regarding Kisenosato as a choker, iirc the reputation came from losing 1 or 2 critical bouts that were needed to challenge Hakuho's results, not losing 4 in a row like Takayasu. 

I'd like to think we can all (even my fellow Takayasu loyalists) can admit he's a choker.

[SDM 9]

So how about wishing for 3 new basho winners this year ending with a Kyushu vistory for Takayasu

Throw in another win for Daieishō  and maybe a first timer like Kotonowaka  or Kiribayama

[RabidJohn 1,721]

Terunofuji's knees prevent him from being completely dominant all the time, so I think we'll see at least one other rikishi bag a yusho before the year's end.

Quite a few former winners in makuuchi still, and I'm not a statistician but my feeling is that they're a bit more likely to win than someone new. I'd love to see Hoshoryu, Kiribayama, Mr 66DDDD and a number of others yusho, though.

I don't recall seeing one won by anyone I thought undeserving, so I'm always happy for the winner.

Edited May 26, 2022 by RabidJohn

[SDM 9]

Agreed, so far the winners all seemed deserving.

I do wonder how long Tero can go on

[Koorifuu 922]

On 25/05/2022 at 14:06, Jakusotsu said:

Who was the last Maegashira without any knot at all? Ichinojo?

Mitakeumi's mullet was 100% string-free on his makuuchi debut in Kyushu 2015, around one and a half years after a debutant, mageless Ichinojo put Kakuryu's yokozuna face on the clay via henka. Still one of the most shocking moments I've seen in ozumo - ballsy doesn't begin to describe it.

(Disclaimer: Kakuryu's face never actually got on the clay, but I'm a serial offender when it comes to dramatism and embellishment!)

Edited May 26, 2022 by Koorifuu

[Jakusotsu 5,873]

7 hours ago, Koorifuu said:

Mitakeumi's mullet was 100% string-free on his makuuchi debut in Kyushu 2015, around one and a half years after a debutant, mageless Ichinojo

Wow, you're right! Quite amazing (for me) that Ichinojo has been around much longer than Mitakeumi.

[Gospodin 187]

On 27/05/2022 at 08:41, Jakusotsu said:

Wow, you're right! Quite amazing (for me) that Ichinojo has been around much longer than Mitakeumi.

Injured back and all, but It still baffles me how nimble Ichinojo was in his Makuuchi debut.

[Akinomaki 40,038]

Mitakeumi in an interview with his local paper talked about the reason for his makekoshi. He injured his right shoulder when he dropped from the dohyo on day 1 after pushing out Takayasu. After that the pain remained and he couldn't raise his shoulder, couldn't do his standard move of pushing up his opponent anymore. A rikishi's job is to go on, he adjusted his moves and managed to get 6 wins: "There was nothing negative at all". The shoulder is OK now. http://www.shinmai.co.jp/news/article/CNTS2022060600783

Edited June 23, 2022 by Akinomaki

[Octofuji 349]

That's encouraging to hear (in a way). The only other 6-9 he's had in the last five years was Kyushu 2019, when he was concussed and yet fought on anyway.

[Yamanashi 3,774]

1 hour ago, Octofuji said:

That's encouraging to hear (in a way). The only other 6-9 he's had in the last five years was Kyushu 2019, when he was concussed and yet fought on anyway.

So it's almost a given, going forward, that the answer to the question "Gee, Mitakeumi is heading toward a MK; I wonder if he's injured?" is "Yes."

[SDM 9]

I think Mitakeumi still has a lot to offer.

[SDM 9]

Actually, talking about the "poor" performance of the 3 ozekis it does raise questions.

Since we have now been told that Mitakeumi is suffering from a current injury.

It has also been suggested to me that Takakeishō has some issue of a physical nature.

Then, if the talk about Shōdai suffering from effeccts of long Covid is in fact so, then perhaps we can still cling to hope for competition as a whole?

[Seiyashi 4,072]

11 minutes ago, SDM said:

Actually, talking about the "poor" performance of the 3 ozekis it does raise questions.

Since we have now been told that Mitakeumi is suffering from a current injury.

It has also been suggested to me that Takakeishō has some issue of a physical nature.

Then, if the talk about Shōdai suffering from effeccts of long Covid is in fact so, then perhaps we can still cling to hope for competition as a whole?

Mitakeumi's too young as an ōzeki to be really properly assessed, but given his maiden basho and his general results I think he will be a decent enough ōzeki that will average 10-5 most of the time.

Takakeishō is effectively on the Hakuhō end-career cycle of one brilliant basho, one withdrawl, and then the next basho looking a bit shaky but still clearing kadoban. He'll be one of the stronger ōzeki in terms of silverware at the end of the day, but he won't be going on any rope runs as a result.

Shōdai, on the other hand, was already looking wacky before long COVID hit, and it can't have helped whatever issues he had beforehand. I'm sort of hoping that he gets properly demoted and then comes back to the rank with some strong results, because his actual strength - when he is able to show it - is arguably ōzeki level. Not many rikishi can take that much abuse from opponents in the ring and still be able to retaliate from inferior positions.

[Yamanashi 3,774]

9 hours ago, Seiyashi said:

Shōdai, on the other hand, was already looking wacky before long COVID hit, and it can't have helped whatever issues he had beforehand. I'm sort of hoping that he gets properly demoted and then comes back to the rank with some strong results, because his actual strength - when he is able to show it - is arguably ōzeki level. Not many rikishi can take that much abuse from opponents in the ring and still be able to retaliate from inferior positions

Interesting point.  It made me think about Clark Kent being roughed up by some hooligans: he has to beat them so they'll stop bothering him, but he can't let them know he's Superman.  So, he "lets" one guy hit another guy by "mistake" and then another attacker "trips" and Clark Kent gets away, while Lois Lane says "Gee, Clark, you were lucky you weren't killed!"  And Shodai -- er, Clark -- smiles wryly to himself.