Akinomaki

Kyushu 2023 discussion (results)

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In Juryo, Kagayaki vs Kotoshouhou was very entertaining today. Lots of changing initiative and direction, pushing-pulling action. One of the more entertaining bouts this basho so far.

Oshoma offered surprisingly little resistance to Aoiyama. After seeing the growing ineffectiveness of Aoiyama's tsuppari in makuuchi for a while, I have a hard time believing that he suddenly found his strength again. So Oshoma's loss is even more puzzling, unless he really is a pushover.

Atamifuji did a couple of miracle escapes and somehow managed to outlast Ryuden. I wouldn't have expected him to win a stamina battle but youth is a strong weapon.

Kotonowaka looking very confident today against Abi. Good stability and reaction. Hope he will carry that on to double digit wins this basho.

Wakamotoharu on the other hand doesn't look likely to reach double digit kachikoshi. Over the last few basho he looks looks like a good sekiwake, but not more. 

Kirishima lost, but there's no shame in losing to this Takayasu who turned up today. Ozeki level sumo, even if it didn't come from the ozeki. 

Takakeisho however should feel bad to lose against winless Meisei. With the other ozeki quite solid and Daieisho running full steam as well, Takakeisho's path to yusho just got narrower. Not that it was much wider than a sagari string anyway. 

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1 minute ago, dingo said:

Oshoma offered surprisingly little resistance to Aoiyama. After seeing the growing ineffectiveness of Aoiyama's tsuppari in makuuchi for a while, I have a hard time believing that he suddenly found his strength again. So Oshoma's loss is even more puzzling, unless he really is a pushover.

Quirky matchup. Oshoma thrives on staying on the defensive and exploiting people who overextend themselves. Aoiyama was never going to give him that opportunity.

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43 minutes ago, Koorifuu said:

What's it with young, unexperienced guys adopting the "let's give him exactly what he needs" approach while facing Daishoho?

There's two possible outcomes in battles against Daishoho. You give him frontal yotsu and lose (unless you're amongst the absolute best at it) or make him work for it and win (unless you're sandanme level or worse).

To me it looked more like Takahashi failed to execute a HNH.

Edited by Jakusotsu

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28 minutes ago, Koorifuu said:

Quirky matchup. Oshoma thrives on staying on the defensive and exploiting people who overextend themselves. Aoiyama was never going to give him that opportunity.

Makes sense. Aoiyama has plenty of experience exploiting overextending people himself so he knew how to manage Oshoma. 

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36 minutes ago, Jakusotsu said:

To me it looked more like Takahashi failed to execute a HNH.

You are correct and I could've mentioned it. He still followed it up by embracing Daishoho of his own volition, however.

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Takakeisho keeping his neck safe is starting to cost his matches, now that everyone has seen his new tachiai , he will have a harder time winning let alone take the rope.

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Kotoeko muscled Oho off his feet with what looked at first to me to be a slap, but when seen from another angle was actually a two handed push. Impressive display of strength all the same.

Ryuden Atamifuji was a barn burner. Crowd loved it. Didn’t we all? 

Nishikigi with such a sweet shitatenage against Shonanomi. He looked brilliant on defense throughout that bout.

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In preparation for watching Grand Sumo Highlights on NHK World, to celebrate Meisei's first win of the basho, I prepared some (very lightly) seared tuna, accompanied with Kubota sake.  Go Meisei!

DSC04559%20-%20Copy.JPG

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First wins today - first win as new makuuchi: Roga

first win as a pro: last ms15TD Onokatsu

first fusensho as a pro: Onosato

first win after 236 days: Wakatakakage

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10 hours ago, Koorifuu said:

Quirky matchup. Oshoma thrives on staying on the defensive and exploiting people who overextend themselves. Aoiyama was never going to give him that opportunity.

Even now, Aoiyama is basically a much better version of Oshoma

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Does anybody have spare tickets for the Atamifuji bandwagon? I would like to jump in if there's place left!

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Surprising resilience by Onokatsu. Looks like he found his groove.

Edited by Jakusotsu

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5 hours ago, Kotomiyama said:

Does anybody have spare tickets for the Atamifuji bandwagon? I would like to jump in if there's place left!

All aboard. The young stud is out to prove that last basho was no fluke--and so far he's succeeding. 

Edited by Kaninoyama

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Indeed. I was impressed yesterday with his sheer patience when cornered against the tawara, a quality that only the chosen have.

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9 hours ago, Kotomiyama said:

Does anybody have spare tickets for the Atamifuji bandwagon? I would like to jump in if there's place left!

Careful, it's going at quite a pace.

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28 minutes ago, Kaninoyama said:

What the heck just happened with Hoshoryu and Gonoyama? 

Tedium for television viewers? The prolonged stare down thing rarely impresses the truly jaded sumo fans among us and that one was just beyond the beyond. FFS, the news needs to start at 6pm! I’m not even Japanese but I get antsy when rikishi mess with the order of the time/space continuum 

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29 minutes ago, lackmaker said:

Careful, it's going at quite a pace.

I’m on board!

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2 hours ago, Kaninoyama said:

What the heck just happened with Hoshoryu and Gonoyama? 

I thought there must have been an incident during the jungyo or during training or something, as I recall things like this happening as a result of such incidents. But I also don't remember seeing anything of the sort reported here, so...who knows. Otherwise Gonoyama seems like a very random target for such a staredown.

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It's good to see that Atamifuji's inexperience and for better words "wake up call" in the last basho doesn't seem to have affected him. I kind of looked at him like Tokushoryu's run to his basho, kind of a once in a lifetime thing. Looks like Atamifuji may have some skills after all :-} 

2 hours ago, Kaninoyama said:

What the heck just happened with Hoshoryu and Gonoyama? 

I was hoping Gonoyama would knock the smug look off Hoshoryu's face. 

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Not only the staredown, after Hoshoryu won he gave Gonoyama an extremely nasty look. Something must have happened between them because he occasionally does the staredown thing but he's never as venomous as he appeared today.

Aside from that, the win itself was very solid. This was the kind of fight he would have almost certainly lost a year ago, either from the nodowa or the pull down, but this time he countered both very well.

Edited by Leoben
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