Hatsu 2024 discussion (results)

[Kaninoyama 1,694]

7 hours ago, Tsuchinoninjin said:

Well let’s just get this over with now… Takayasu yusho?

Right on cue...

[Leoben 121]

Teru losing early in the basho is expected at this point, but getting beat in a straight frontal power battle by an opponent that's significantly smaller... 

[dingo 1,160]

Maybe a bit early to say this, but is this the last time we see Aoiyama in makuuchi? Seeing his sumo I don't think he'll be able to pick up more than a few wins. That would send him further down to Juryo where a simple kachikoshi might not take him right back as last time.

Tamawashi on the other hand seems fine for at least a few kachikoshi this year. He's looking like he still has enough power to beat lower makuuchi if not more. 

Very solid sumo against rising star Gounoyama from Kotonowaka. Good defence served with a topping of hearty uwatenage at the end. What's not to like here? 

Daieisho shows that he's not intending to be left behind by Kotonowaka, beating Abi who's always a dangerous opponent. Very encouraging first two days for him as well. 

After all of Takayasu's excellent pre basho preparation results, Kirishima took care of him unexpectedly easily. Promising for Kirishima, not so much for Takayasu. 

Atamifuji seemed to run out of ideas in the end. Pulling Takakeisho when he has momentum was not the best tactic and it ended as expected. Atamifuji is facing serious competition at this rank and isn't finding things as easy as at lower Maegashira ranks. 

Hoshoryuu took care of Midorifuji easily. Nothing to see here today. All ozeki perfect by the second day. Let's see how long that lasts. 

Wow, first kinboshi for Wakamotoharu! Terunofuji was on defence most of the bout and at the middle visibly deflated. We'll see if it's just a stamina issue or is it something more serious. 

[RabidJohn 1,663]

I suppose the one upside of Wakamotoharu losing his sanyaku berth is that he becomes eligible for kinboshi, and that was a hatsu kinboshi very well earned.

Concerning to see Terunofuji lose a straight-up, no-tricks yotsu battle like that, though. If he can no longer win those maybe it's time to step aside.
A couple more of them in the first week and I wouldn't be surprised if he announces intai.

[Old Shatterhand is dead 29]

16 hours ago, Reonito said:

The fact that he keeps trying it is the most hilarious thing in sumo.

Akua is the rikishi who can lose in the most spectacular way.

[Akinomaki 39,776]

Shonosuke before the basho said he has to give his 120% for the new rank and yesterday that he actually has to give 130% - but that is not much apparently:  today like often before, he didn't do the job of reading out the torikumi of the next day (kaobure gonjo) - the yokozuna dohyo-iri already uses up his 130% and he has to recover till the main task. At least he has only half the opportunities now to get in the way of a rikishi or point in the wrong direction.

And he's showing 100% of his wardrobe: 2 different outfits a day, so far 4 different ones

Edited January 15 by Akinomaki

[Jakusotsu 5,813]

50 minutes ago, Old Shatterhand is dead said:

Akua is the rikishi who can lose in the most spectacular way.

Him and Ura.

[Akinomaki 39,776]

The YDC is pleased that Terunofuji is at the basho and that they didn't have to issue an "encouragement" - consequently there is no talk of his career being on the line this basho o

[dingo 1,160]

35 minutes ago, Akinomaki said:

Shonosuke before the basho said he has to give his 120% for the new rank and yesterday that he actually has to give 130% - but that is not much apparently:  today like often before, he didn't do the job of reading out the torikumi of the next day (kaobure gonjo) - the yokozuna dohyo-iri already uses up his 130% and he has to recover till the main task. At least he has only half the opportunities now to get in the way of a rikishi or point in the wrong direction.

And he's showing 100% of his wardrobe: 2 different outfits a day, so far 4 different ones

If he can give 10% more each day he will reach 270% by senshuraku. 

[Kotogouryuu 126]

2 hours ago, dingo said:

Maybe a bit early to say this, but is this the last time we see Aoiyama in makuuchi? Seeing his sumo I don't think he'll be able to pick up more than a few wins. That would send him further down to Juryo where a simple kachikoshi might not take him right back as last time. 

 

I wouldn't be surprised. He's managed to hang in there for a long time for his size and style. He's clearly slowing down, which has made his weapons dull. Time catches us all.

[Athenayama 953]

4 hours ago, Old Shatterhand is dead said:

Akua is the rikishi who can lose in the most spectacular way.

 

3 hours ago, Jakusotsu said:

Him and Ura.

And Tobizaru.

[junsan 170]

6 hours ago, Old Shatterhand is dead said:

Akua is the rikishi who can lose in the most spectacular way.

His falls are overly theatrical. An entertainer for sure, but those kakenage need to stop.

[Benihana 1,901]

6 hours ago, Akinomaki said:

The YDC is pleased that Terunofuji is at the basho and that they didn't have to issue an "encouragement" - consequently there is no talk of his career being on the line this basho o

Yes, but i'm under the impression that Terunofuji can't wait for Kirishima to become Yokozuna. He knows his body is toast and only does this to have a Y on the banzuke.

[Sumo Spiffy 535]

If you have a way to do so (I realize most won't), it's worth re-watching Teru against Wakamotoharu back in July 2022 and May 2023. Waka put up a hell of a fight in those matches as well. Teru didn't suddenly fall apart against someone he should normally dominate. Once Waka broke Teru's right hand belt grip, and had both of his hands on Teru's belt, Teru was at a genuine disadvantage. 

[Godango 956]

I'm also not too concerned about Teru's loss. Losing to joi/lower sanyaku early on is very much in line with past performances where he's gone on to double digit/jun-yusho/yusho. 

Wakamotoharu is coming off a multi-basho sanyaku run where he had a shot at ozeki. It's not as though he's losing to a slouch/also-ran

Lots of days left.

[Koorifuu 886]

Wasn't now-Shonosuke's infamous 'Stop! Oh you're going, OK then... but wait, what do I do, Sadogatake-san please help me' bout a Terunofuji v Wakamotoharu matchup, too?

[Seiyashi 4,071]

6 minutes ago, Koorifuu said:

Wasn't now-Shonosuke's infamous 'Stop! Oh you're going, OK then... but wait, what do I do, Sadogatake-san please help me' bout a Terunofuji v Wakamotoharu matchup, too?

Yep, it was. Arguably Wakamotoharu was hard done by that one. 

[Kaninoyama 1,694]

As reported in the Kyujo thread, Takayasu is out with back issues (he was noticeably limping gingerly back to the dressing room after yesterday's loss).

The jinx hit hard and fast this time. 

Edited January 16 by Kaninoyama

[Godango 956]

1 minute ago, Kaninoyama said:

As reported in the Kyujo thread, Takayasu is out (he was noticeably limping back to the dressing room after yesterday's loss).

The jinx hit hard and fast this time. 

*Godango has left the chat*

[Seiyashi 4,071]

The first rule of the Takayasu yūshō club: you do not talk about the Takayasu yūshō. 

The second rule of the Takayasu yūshō club: you DO NOT talk about the Takayasu yūshō. 

[dingo 1,160]

2 hours ago, Seiyashi said:

The first rule of the Takayasu yūshō club: you do not talk about the Takayasu yūshō. 

The second rule of the Takayasu yūshō club: you DO NOT talk about the Takayasu yūshō. 

At this point the rule should be upgraded to: you do not even think about Takayasu yusho. Maybe it'd be better to not think about Takayasu at all. Just forget that such a rikishi has ever existed. Maybe then one day we'll be pleasantly surprised. (who am I kidding though...) 

[Leoben 121]

The face of someone who can't believe he lost.

Edited January 16 by Leoben

[RabidJohn 1,663]

42 minutes ago, Leoben said:

The face of someone who can't believe he lost.

I've said it before: win or lose, Ura always looks like he's just had the best time ever on the dohyo. He loves sumo. 
Yeah, there may be a bit of disbelief, but I believe there's more admiration for the way Hoshoryu just got out of a very disadvantageous position.
That's a "Woah, that was awesome!" face, IMO.

Looks like Wakamotoharu's got over whatever was ailing him last time. Out yotsu-ing Terunofuji then out-oshi-ing Takakeisho on consecutive days is very impressive. If he keeps this up he'll be ruling himself out of kinboshi eligibility in no time.

I've seen rikishi go airborne before, but never quite in the same way Daieisho did today. I'm sure he did not expect the resultant force of his thrusting and Hokutofuji's resistance to have a vertical vector. Lost him a match he was winning.

[dingo 1,160]

Onosato was too slow for Onosho, and once he gave up a favourable position there was not much else to do. Time to time Onosato seems too deliberate or complacent, or perhaps overconfident? But on the other hand, there's nothing wrong with taking time to adjust to makuuchi level sumo. Onosato has plenty of time to make his mark.

Tamawashi with a yorikiri win? I had to double check to believe it. Great sumo by the veteran.

Atamifuji missed his initial chance to beat Kirishima after moving him all the way to the dohyo edge, and didn't get a second chance after giving up morozashi. I feel like a bit more experience at this level could've tipped the bout to Atamifuji though.

Over the two previous days it really felt like Takakeisho is gonna be the first ozeki to give up a win and that's what happened. Takakeisho managed to generate about two seconds of forward moving power and put up only feeble resistance after that. We all know what is Takakeisho's health condition, but it's still remarkable that he got beat at his own oshi game by Wakamotoharu who is not an oshi specialist. Two years ago Wakamotoharu would've been blasted out before you could say his shikona. 

Hoshoryuu did almost beat Takakeisho to the first loss. What a weird bout, Ura definitely felt he got him. 

Terunofuji is done. That was more of a loss by Abi than a win by the yokozuna. It feels like Terunofuji only wants to stay in the basho until the end so he can personally hand over the torch to Kirishima and call it a career after that. 

[Koorifuu 886]

Today validated two points that've been regularly mooted here;

Based on Onosato's juryo H2H performances, it always looked like Onosho was his foil. But he doesn't look physically unable to deal with it; it's likely a mental adjustment situation, after all the time he spent stalling being so dominating at college level. Time will tell.

Ura does lose spectacularly.