Haru 2024 discussion (results)

[Leoben 121]

I'm glad Takerufuji was able to compete and win it himself. What a wild ending.

[Akinomaki 39,798]

Takeru can use the new car for the parade now - who will hold the flag?

- and will the supporter in the middle be named this time?

Edited March 24 by Akinomaki

[Godango 956]

1 minute ago, Akinomaki said:

Takeru can use the new car for the parade now - who will hold the flag?

Taking bets....

My immediate thought was Atamifuji, but Nishikifuji and Takarafuji have the Aomori connection. 

[Jakusotsu 5,815]

100% yusho rate in Makuuchi - a record not even the GOAT shared.

How long will he keep it up?

[mikawa 1,794]

Wow, a Yusho 110 years in the making. When he was limping slightly yesterday I was worried this might not happen, but very happy  for him that it did. Congratulations Takerufuji!

[rhyen 1,809]

1 hour ago, Akinomaki said:

Takeru can use the new car for the parade now - who will hold the flag?

- and will the supporter in the middle be named this time?

 

1 hour ago, Godango said:

Taking bets....

My immediate thought was Atamifuji, but Nishikifuji and Takarafuji have the Aomori connection. 

Well, they were lobbying him in the shitakubeya. 

[rhyen 1,809]

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20240324/k10014400681000.html?fbclid=IwAR1ItFa5JZ7RdIq8I0Ws0tNUDnAc3UkrAC1KCFTwPNrvYn755XxuoVRUDRE_aem_ARaW1ju7OQQhmrekMojW-gtdmDnKbnTzTsWVaFDzTpdCRM2Y-0Ry0_NkuZgi-sUQhtI

[Tsubame 356]

2 hours ago, Akinomaki said:

Plenty of JY, at least one ozeki among them - if Kotonowaka joins, he'll start a yokozuna run, so Hoshoryu would as well

A 11-4 JY (with 2 wins behind the winner) will never ever be considered as a "yusho equivalent" for a yokozuna run.

Never.

Ever.

Edited March 24 by Tsubame

[RabidJohn 1,665]

Well that was truly amazing. Talk about against the odds. The record books said it wasn't going to happen, the day 14 ankle injury put a total kybosh on it happening, and most of all there was the jinxing presence of Isegahama-oyakata in the commentary booth. Gonoyama was an almost incidental obstacle to overcome. 

Congratulations to Takerufuji - that was legendary. 

I'm kicking myself a bit for not predicting the kanto-sho, gino-sho and yusho-conditional shukun-sho, because that's exactly what I had in mind before yesterday's injury drama...

I thought the remaining bouts were going to be anti-climatic, but they weren't, and Kotonowaka and Kirishima gave us a great musubi-no-ichiban. Pity Kirishima couldn't have performed like that the whole basho, and a pity Shonosuke pointed his gunbai the wrong way. (I'm pretty certain that's what happened: he knew Kirishima had won, but pointed to the wrong side.)

[Sakura 1,472]

23 minutes ago, Tsubame said:

A 11-4 JY (with 2 wins behind the winner) will never ever be considered as a "yusho equivalent" for a yokozuna run.

Never.

Ever.

Especially when then yusho winner was a rookie. They're not doing their job in helping prevent that.

[Akinomaki 39,798]

34 minutes ago, Tsubame said:

A 11-4 JY (with 2 wins behind the winner) will never ever be considered as a "yusho equivalent" for a yokozuna run.

Never.

Ever.

Yusho equivalent is not required, that is an old myth due to a wrong translation. The YDC rules make it a yokozuna run with the result following the yusho (runner-up). That it wouldn't get a positive vote even after a 15-0 is another thing, but a yusho next basho would put it up for a vote.

That nobody would even mention it for Hoshoryu is self-evident, but if it were Kotonowaka, who has a yokozuna seat reserved, it would be talked about.

Edited March 24 by Akinomaki

[RabidJohn 1,665]

8 minutes ago, Sakura said:

Especially when then yusho winner was a rookie. They're not doing their job in helping prevent that.

Hoshoryu did actually do his job in that regard. 

But I agree that none of the ozeki is on a tsuna run. An 11-4Y would start one, and possibly an 11-4D, but not a shared 11-4J. 

That said, we shouldn't forget the Kisenosato precedent: a consistent string of JY followed by a yusho can be good enough.
Feels like that could be Kotonowaka/Kotozakura's route if we see a continuation of the steady but consistent progress he's made over the last couple of years.

[Godango 956]

I'm more interested in whether Onosato will make Yokozuna before any of the existing Ozeki. 

[Akinomaki 39,798]

The first sashi-chigae as Shonosuke for the present one, after 11 as Inosuke - he made the customary request to retire and as always was talked out of it by Hakkaku https://www.sanspo.com/article/20240324-63YSF6EGV5LYNLOCOWS2AFRAHE/

[Akinomaki 39,798]

3 hours ago, Godango said:

Taking bets....

My immediate thought was Atamifuji, but Nishikifuji and Takarafuji have the Aomori connection. 

Nishikifuji it was - but it looks like a smaller car again now, without the Hakuho connection o

last basho

o

Edited March 24 by Akinomaki

[Akinomaki 39,798]

 at the party

  o o

Edited March 24 by Akinomaki

[rokudenashi 291]

 

The duality of man (‘s nipples)

[Barutokai 62]

On comparing the pics I think it's the same (new) car as in January. When the two yokozuna are sitting in the back it looks like there is no more space too. The side mirrors also have that silver part (maybe a blinker).

I mean Hakuho still presented the sansho... he is still in the NSK...

[dingo 1,160]

Congratulations to Takerufuji on a heroic achievement! Time will tell whether showing up was bravery or stupidity. Still, I hope his career won't suffer because of the decision today. 

Kotonowaka vs Kirishima was exciting, but I had a distinct impression that the regular Kirishima would've finished the bout three times over during the time it actually took him. The positional advantage was so much in his favour during the bout that a couple of times the win was just a push away yet Kirishima wasn't able to move another inch forward. He won eventually, but the struggle seems to continue. 

Onosato is good, but not quite at the top level yet. But his physical gifts make him very promising, provided he's able to learn from the experience and put it to practice. 

It was a basho to forget for most of the veterans, only Sadanoumi managed a last day kachikoshi in the end. The slow but steady departure of the old guard continues. 

Finally, I tried jinxing and reverse jinxing Shodai and nothing seemed to work. But he slowly built up enough wins and summoned a final spark to end up with a minimal kachikoshi. The sumo gods smiled on him this time, but they may not be as kind next basho unless Shodai gets his act together even a bit more. 

In the end, a great basho with plenty of unexpected drama -- not just Takerufuji, but also Kirishima's unexplained slump as well as Endo's makuuchi farewell. There's plenty of young talent in makuuchi, but who will actually manage to make use of it is time still quite unclear. 

[Yubinhaad 11,546]

13 hours ago, Asashosakari said:

@Yubinhaad Do you still track eighth bout appearances? I've been wondering if Moriurara is the rikishi who had to "wait" the longest for his first such appearance (either by age or basho count)...

For those who did it in Jonokuchi, yes to both - 123rd basho on the banzuke, aged roughly 36 years, 9 months. The previous longest was Daishiryu in his 99th basho, aged 32.

Kotokanyu had to wait until his 134th basho at the age of 37 years, 5 months, but that was up in Makushita.

And for completeness, Itakozakura has the longest gap between fighting eight bouts, at 168 basho.

[Koorifuu 886]

At first I was shocked Akua's bullying didn't faze Tsukahara, but since I'd never seen the latter that aggressive, maybe that kind of attitude is precisely what he needs.

Edited March 25 by Koorifuu

[Reonito 1,335]

16 hours ago, WAKATAKE said:

Fastest Makuuchi Yusho from Pro Debut (Excludes Makushita & Sandanme Tsukedashi, since 1958)

1. 24 - Takahanada (3/1988~1/1992) *1
1. 24 - Asashoryu (1/1998~11/2002)

Talk about shattering a record!!

[Akinomaki 39,798]

I guess one reason for Kirishima's slump was the depressive mood because all others in the heya, including his tsukebito, despise the oyakata so much that nobody goes with him to Kakuryu's heya.

I'm sure Kakuryu will pep Kirishima up soon and guide him to yokozuna, but his 3 new recruits definitely haven't signed up to now become the tsukebito of Kirishima I and II, especially not of the old one - unlikely that a re-employed oyakata gets no tsukebito.

[Yamanashi 3,726]

1 hour ago, Reonito said:

Talk about shattering a record!!

 ... and 4 Yusho in 9 career basho.

[Reonito 1,335]

3 minutes ago, Yamanashi said:

 ... and 4 Yusho in 9 career basho.

...with only 10 total losses!