Xris

This line is wrong: it's Yoshikaze

I wonder if this means Kotomitsuki is quite healthy nowadays starting hard keiko so long before the basho or maybe they just had unusually hard keiko sessions to show off sumo keiko at its best to Kotooshu's parents. Another possibility is that all what happened recently is a real moral boost to Komomitski. New oyakata, new ozeki, good feelings in the heya. And if Kotooshu is really in form and performing well, it will help Kotomitsuki chances to become an ozeki because he won't have to face Kotooshu, of course, whereas the others will have lesser records.

I don't know the average lung capacity of an adult male but I remember that during tests for military service when I was young, I was measured at 5000 cc and this was considered large by the young guy using the measuring equipment (and it was certainly more than most of the other guys in the same room).

Well I think of a more simple explanation to explain the difference between the two: lack of training (and getting fatter because of that).

Is this a GTB entry? Will you be entering? We need as many entries as we can to make the Guiness Book of Records. I've been discouraged by my previous GTB results because I got the same (average) results spending four minutes or four hours gessing the banzuke. But as I made the effort this time, I guess I will play. (Laughing...)

Daishodai promoted and Katayama demoted? I don't think so. Yes I think you're right. I missed that one clearly. However, I put Kokkai in front of Tokitenku because I choosed rank over results. I never really understood the logic of the banzuke people with these choices.

Results made for a very strange banzuke making this time. I draw a draft for fun, but just like that, without computing any numbers. So there is bound to be some (big) errors. Feel free to criticize, I don't mind at all. Yokozuna Asashoryu (14-1) Ozeki Chiyotaikai (11-4) Kaio (10-5) Ozeki 2 Tochiazuma (2-2-11) Kotooshu (11-4) Sekiwake Kotomitsuki (8-7) Kyokutenho (8-7) Komusubi Hakuho (9-6) Tamanoshima (8-7) Maegashira 1 Miyabiyama (10-5) Kokkai (9-6) Maegashira 2 Tokitenku (10-5) Roho (10-5) Maegashira 3 Takekaze (9-6) Asasekiryu (9-6) Maegashira 4 Hakurozan (10-5) Tochinohana (11-4) Maegashira 5 Kakizoe (4-11) Iwakiyama (7-8) Maegashira 6 Futeno (3-8-4) Ama (7-8) Maegashira 7 Aminishiki (7-8) Hokutoriki (2-13) Maegashira 8 Kasuganishiki (9-6) Dejima (5-10) Maegashira 9 Kisenosato (5-10) Toyonoshima (7-8) Maegashira 10 Kasugao (8-7) Toyozakura (10-5) Maegashira 11 Jumonji (9-6) Kotoshogiku (6-9) Maegashira 12 Tochisakae (9-6) Wakanosato (0-0-15) Maegashira 13 Takamisakari (7-8) Kyokushuzan (7-8) Maegashira 14 Kitazakura (8-7) Tokitsuumi (9-6) Maegashira 15 Tosanoumi (5-10) Wakatoba (5-10) Maegashira 16 Daishodai (8-7) Yoshikaze (10-5) Maegashira 17 Shunketsu (6-9)

Good point (Sign of approval)

Happens often and ... one miss. They just go on fighting. It just makes longer fights (Sign of approval)

Asa promotion to Ozeki was no easy breeze at all. Here are the records: Ozeki promotion Haru 2002 Y Musashimaru (13-2) Y Takanohana (0-0-15) O Tochiazuma (10-5) O Chiyotaikai (7-8) O Musoyama (10-5) O Kaio (12-3) S Asashoryu (11-4) Natsu 2002 Y Musashimaru (13-2) Y Takanohana (0-0-15) O Kaio (11-4) O Tochiazuma (10-5) O Musoyama (9-5-1) O Chiyotaikai (11-4) S Asashoryu (11-4) Nagoya 2002 Y Musashimaru (10-5) Y Takanohana (0-0-15) O Kaio (0-4-11) O Chiyotaikai (14-1) O Tochiazuma (3-2-10) O Musoyama (0-0-15) S Asashoryu (12-3) The first two bashos were really difficult. All ozekis and Maru were performing OK. The third basho was not so hard (only Maru and Taikai). Osh third one was more difficult, but the two first were clearly easier. Now Asa's yokozuna promotion was really "easy": Yokozuna promotion Kyushu 2002 Y Musashimaru (4-2-9) Y Takanohana (0-0-15) O Kaio (2-2-11) O Chiyotaikai (6-3-6) O Asashoryu (14-1) O Musoyama (10-5) O Tochiazuma (8-7) Hatsu 2003 Y Musashimaru (0-0-15) Y Takanohana (4-4-7) O Asashoryu (14-1) O Musoyama (8-7) O Tochiazuma (0-6-9) O Chiyotaikai (0-0-15) O Kaio (0-0-15) If Asa stays fit, it probably won't be the same for Osh!

Interestingly, in my opinion, the same thing happened to Asa. When he was asked to tone down his furious tsupparis, he began to try to grab the mawashi at all times and actually went much stronger and better (in a sumo sense).

The unwritten rule is two yushos "equivalent". Nobody defined exactly equivalent... Jun-yusho is close. Now about predictions... Asa is human after all. Getting two yushos against a top form Asa is near impossible, but he is bound to have some dip in form some time. If it happens, will the same guy win two in a row ? And when ? In my opinion, there is no way to predict this kind of things. Not even Asa doesn't know.

I'm probably dumb, but I don't understand why??? (You are going off-topic...)

I think his passport may be held by the oyakata until the time Baruto is high enough in the hierarchy and old enough to live by himself. I'm not sure but I think I remember similar cases ? (You are going off-topic...)

Or Raiko and Yotsukasa?

Well Osh has a pride and an ego big time but so has Asashoryu (even though they show it much different ways) and I think this helps them more than the opposite.

Well he is all that one can dream of. Going forward, powerful sumo, young and willing (Baruto and Kotoshogiku are not bad, too). I really hope and think he will do well in the future, I'm pleased to see him on a roll and I will root for him (and I won't mind the hype), but I still expect him to need one or two years before arriving to ozeki level (or even better ... :-) ).

I was nearly anticipating a double henka, followed by 3 minutes of brushing hands and slapping to the side while running after each other around the edge. Seriously, though (Applauding...) this is all going to catch up to Kotooshu. He's pretty slippery for a tall guy, and he has some decent skills. But sooner or later, all the others are going to catch on, and he's going to get a big eye opener. For some reason, I am thinking of that time when Takekaze caught Hayateumi in midair, and embarassed him a little. By the end of this basho, and certainly into the next, Kotooshu's little backpedalling and slappy handbags game is going to get him in a lot of trouble, and maybe hurt. If he does that to Asashoryu, the yokozuna will beating him like he's Takamisakari in between basho's. Just my two cents <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yes and no. See what happened to Kotooshu against Kyokutenho. Kyokutenho's tachiai is very high, so it was not possible to play the splippery thing. Fight was nearly lost for Kotooshu, but it was not lost. So I just would say that things will get much more difficult for Kotooshu when the others will catch up with his style, but not necessarily impossible.

Sometimes, I record the stream using a videorecorder (it was the case today) and for some reason the result is (slightly) better than the banzuke.com recordings and it is easier to find still images. So I found out that Kotokasuga LEFT foot did indeed touch outside the doyo just at the moment he pulls Senshuyama with his left arm. This was impossible to be seen by the gyoji because the body of Senshuyama was just hiding this. My explanation would be that Kokonoe did not want the gyoji to make a wrong decision. As far as I know, gyojis go up the rank more quickly if their decisions are not reversed. So this could explain this. Now why this does not happen often. Probably because the situation is unusual and this is Kokonoe.

works for me

Just as I suspected...long ago and far beyond recollection. (Nodding yes...) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I found one henka towards Asashoryu performed by Kotonowaka in 2001. Interestingly, Asashoryu did NOT scowl, nor make a face, or display any emotion. However, the next times he met Kotonowaka this same year, his tachiai was not so low as it was when henkaed. So it seems there are ways to avoid henkas, not just by having a towering reputation.

Personnally I was impressed by the way Kotoosho reacted in the four days following his first hand (or was it head ;-) ) encounter with Asashoryu. He managed to win 3 matches out of 4 (and a close fight with Futeno), including an experienced ozeki, a sekiwake, and an eternal-sekiwake. That's not in keeping with his reaction just after the match, which was of injured pride and disappointement, I think. So if he learns to just keep his thinking to himself (as many other sekitori learned to do I am sure) he will be ok in my book. After all, I remember Kotonowaka saying that he did want to loose to Takamisakari (with not really nice language to go with). And I dont disregard Kotonowaka just because of that.

This is really impressive work. I can think of anything strong enough to express my :-P and (Sign of approval) !

There is one reason for staying in if he does not agravate his injury, it's that in the second week he will face oponents with the worse records (it's the habits of the match makers) and so he may manage a few wins, which is always better than 0-15.

I think that sumo is "technically" a koryu budo. This is clear for me. The art itself has not changed in a significant way since a long time, so it is still an old martial art. Whether it becomes more commercial and sport-bizness or not, does not change the fact that it is an old martial art. If it becomes even more a sport and a bizness than it is right now, then maybe it will be no more a martial art. (but see judo and karate). But, if it is the case, it will not be a modern martial art either.