Sumozumo

It's funny that kotoshogiku is so often last in the popularity banzuke, oh how'd that change...

Just to cut it off at the pass - I think it would be really difficult to bring that style to sekitori-hood since sekitori are so so so good at grabbing the belt right at the first contact at tachi-ai. But its still exciting especially since he is so young.

This is: The Wall How many kachikochi can a rikishi string together after they enter the sport, before they hit The Wall? It takes two KK to get on the wall - how far can your guy go? Hatsu Basho Mid Term Test 2016 Shikona Age Country Heya Debut KK Current Rank Yushos Record Win% Last Basho This Basho Shodai24TokitsukazeNatsu 201410 Makuuchi 12 West372-220.766 13-2 Y 4-4 Mitakeumi22DewanoumiHaru 20155 Makuuchi 10 West146-210.697 8-7 3-5 Iwasaki23OitekazeHaru 20155 Makushita 24 East032-70.821 5-2 3-1 Omoto22IrumagawaHaru 20156 Makushita 56 West030-90.769 4-3 4-0 Ura23KiseNatsu 20154 Makushita 8 Westt129-30.906 7-0 D 3-1 Daiki23HakkakuNatsu 20155 Makushita 16 East229-30.906 5-2 4-0 Hirotsukasa22IrumagawaNatsu 20154 Sandanme 30 East024-7-10.774 6-1 3-1 Inoue16KiseNatsu 20154 Sandanme 67 West022-100.688 5-2 3-1 Toshinofuji18IsegahamaNatsu 20154 Jonidan 4 East017-150.531 4-3 1-3 Chiyonoumi22KokonoeNagoya 20154 Sadanme 9 East222-30.880 4-3 4-0 Kiribayama19MichinokuNagoya 20153 Makushita 59 West120-50.800 7-0 Y 2-2 Homarenishiki20NishikidoNagoya 20153 Sandanme 46 West018-70.720 6-1 2-2 Tsukimoto23IsenoumiNagoya 20153 Sandanme 63 East018-70.720 6-1 2-2 Mitsuuchi19OnomatsuAki 20152 Sandanme 75 East015-30.833 6-1 3-1 Shodai had an excellent start for his first basho in Makuuchi but it seems like his slow motion tachi ai is getting taken advantage of now. Mitakeumi now has the flu that's been going around and the outlook is dim for another KK. Omoto has his first 4-0 start since he was at the bottom of Sandanme Ura lost to Tochimaru where he tried to pull and with his low stance it was quickly taken advantage of, and sees the slim chance of Juryo promotion evaporate for now. Daiki has started 4-0 but hasn't faced anyone above Ms15, and that Ms15 was first timer Sakamoto. He will face Tochihiryu tomorrow when all the 4-0 Makushita square off. Inoue is still doing well. His style is kind of crazy but not like Ura. He comes out like a brawler and grapples his opponents neck while threatening leg throws. For instance: in 22 wins, he has yet to do so by yorikiri. Yet he flies under the radar. Toshinofuji has only one win by fusen and looks to be at the end. Chiyonoumi seems to be over whatever was bothering him last basho and is back in form.

The dohryo is just getting nervous and is susceptible to mind games played by the citizens of Osaka and their ilk.

Hes popular with the ladies because hes good looking too. And M1 at that age is a big deal... Mm. Yeah, I looked into Endou's performance history and saw there was a time when he was doing much better than he has been lately. I was watching sumo back then, but more casually than now and I didn't know where to get full coverage. So, when I said that I never saw what he did to make himself so popular, it's because...I never did. And so the mystery is solved. :-P He torn an ALC and has just been 'ganbarizing' through it which I think doesn't work at this level of sport. Its kind of frustrating in a way.

I don't understand why Endo still has so much kensho but I guess the other rikishi won't complain!

He hasn't even gotten a win yet this basho...

Ikeru could go to the basho, but chooses not to.

Goeido should endorse some facial tissues, he's constantly weeping.

I figured tochinoshin was going to be there after aminishiki said it wasn't likely he was going to reach sanyaku at all in 2016...

Yeah, his blog is the best.

That makes more sense, but there's no way he isn't catching constant shit from his heya mates.

Kyushuu 2015 It's all over! Shikona Age Country Heya Debut KK Current Rank Yushos Record Win% Last Basho This Basho Shodai24TokitsukazeNatsu 201410 Juryo 5 West368-180.791 11-4 13-2 Y Sato18TakanohanaKyushu 20146 Makushita 7 West238-110.776 6-1 D 3-4 Mitakeumi22DewanoumiHaru 20155 Makuuchi 11 West143-160.729 12-3 8-7 Iwasaki23OitekazeHaru 20155 Makushita 37 West029-60.829 6-1 5-2 Omoto22IrumagawaHaru 20155 Sandanme 7 West026-90.743 5-2 4-3 Kotonawa18SadogatakeHaru 20154 Sandanme 29 East024-110.686 5-2 3-4 Daiki23HakkakuNatsu 20154 Makushita 25 East225-30.893 7-0 Y 5-2 Ura23KiseNatsu 20154 Makushita 54 Westt126-20.929 5-2 7-0 D Asayamabana22TakasagoNatsu 20153 Sandanme 52 West020-80.714 6-1 3-4 Saionji21ShikihideNatsu 20153 Sandanme 65 Easst018-100.643 5-2 2-5 Hirotsukasa22IrumagawaNatsu 20154 Sandanme 90 West021-6-10.778 5-2 6-1 Inoue16KiseNatsu 20154 Jonidan 3 East019-90.679 4-3 5-2 Toshinofuji18IsegahamaNatsu 20154 Jonidan 23 East016-120.571 4-3 4-3 Chiyonoumi22KokonoeNagoya 20153 Sadanme 19 East218-30.857 7-0 Y 4-3 Kiribayama19MichinokuNagoya 20153 Sandanme 96 West118-30.857 6-1 7-0 Y Homarenishiki20NishikidoNagoya 20153 Jonidan 8 East016-50.762 6-1 6-1 Tsukimoto23IsenoumiNagoya 20153 Jonidan 27 East016-50.762 5-2 6-1 Mitsuuchi19OnomatsuAki 20152 Jonidan 42 East012-20.857 6-1 6-1 Nobody has hit the wall... yet. Shodai convincingly took the Juryo Yusho for his first sekitori yusho. We will be able to see him in makuuchi in January! Sato after his loss to Chiyoshoma dropped the next 3 to go MK. Kind of unexpected since he beat 3 guys around his rank, I guess. Hopefully, it isn't due to injury. He might float around makushita joi a bit like Abiko. Mitakeumi won out the last 3 days of the basho to save his kachikoshi. Daiki and Ura seem to be headed for the same area on the banzuke, hope they get another chance to go at it! More people got to see Ura's unorthodox resting style during the Makushita playoff that makes it very hard to push him out with the leverage from bales. He lost and it makes my back hurt. Iwasaki and Omoto became wall aces, but Kotonawa did not. Inoue, is still extremely young. Toshinofuji marks not only his 4th kachikoshi but also his 4th '4-3' record. This has happened 13 times since at least 1963. A couple guys had 5 '4-3' records to start, including Maenoshin who later became Yamahibki oyakata and then suddenly disappeared during a basho to escape debt collector. He was fired from NSK for that. Then, if the DB is correct, there is Nishito who had 5 '4-3' records and then retired! Kiribayama took the Sandanme yusho and keeps the wall's collective yusho count at 10, with Sato's departure. The only guy that could have been added, Mitsuuchi, took a 6-1 record. There is nobody who could be added after Hatsu basho. There is one guy Himekatsuyama (姫勝山? Really? Jeez...) who came in late, so for the purpose of this thing I'm just going to ignore this basho and put him in after March if he can manage it.

Really? You don't see that? All I can say then: ok.

I don't even particularly like Ura or anything, and I haven't seen much hype. People have been digging into him as a one trick wonder since his amasumo vids got posted.

Look at more than the ranks: At least one of those guys is an upper makushita regular who is coming back from injury.

All the rikishi in makuuchi have enormous amounts of pressure. The oyakata, peers, koenkai, advertisers, people who hooked them up to get into sumo. And all of them can handle it, otherwise they'd have never gotten that far. It's so integral to being a professional sportsman, but I don't really have the English chops to state it eloquently. To state that the difference between no yusho and more than 30 is simply pressure is an absurdity. Also "just" a yokozuna? The whole point of ring entrance is you're not "just" anything.

Kyushuu 2015 Half Time Update Saionji's record needs to behave better this time! I posted this at a weird time so if you're sensitive to spoilers please wait until you review all your necessary Day 9 videos!!! Shikona Age Country Heya Debut KK Current Rank Yushos Record Win% Last Basho This Basho Shodai23TokitsukazeNatsu 20149 Juryo 5 West262-170.795 11-4 7-1 Sato18TakanohanaKyushu 20146 Makushita 7 West238-80.826 6-1 D 3-1 Mitakeumi22DewanoumiHaru 20154 Makuuchi 11 West139-130.750 12-3 4-4 Iwasaki23OitekazeHaru 20154 Makushita 37 West027-50.844 6-1 3-1 Omoto22IrumagawaHaru 20154 Sandanme 7 West024-80.750 5-2 2-2 Kotonawa18SadogatakeHaru 20154 Sandanme 29 East022-100.688 5-2 1-3 Daiki23HakkakuNatsu 20153 Makushita 25 East223-20.920 7-0 Y 3-1 Ura23KiseNatsu 20154 Makushita 54 Westt123-20.920 5-2 4-0 Asayamabana22TakasagoNatsu 20153 Sandanme 52 West019-60.760 6-1 2-2 Saionji21ShikihideNatsu 20153 Sandanme 65 Easst017-80.680 5-2 1-3 Hirotsukasa22IrumagawaNatsu 20154 Sandanme 90 West019-5-10.792 5-2 4-0 Inoue16KiseNatsu 20154 Jonidan 3 East018-80.692 4-3 4-1 Toshinofuji18IsegahamaNatsu 20153 Jonidan 23 East015-100.600 4-3 3-1 Chiyonoumi22KokonoeNagoya 20152 Sadanme 19 East217-10.944 7-0 Y 3-1 Kiribayama19MichinokuNagoya 20153 Sandanme 96 West015-30.833 6-1 4-0 Homarenishiki20NishikidoNagoya 20153 Jonidan 8 East014-50.737 6-1 4-1 Tsukimoto23IsenoumiNagoya 20153 Jonidan 27 East014-40.778 5-2 4-0 Nobody has hit the wall... yet. Shodai continues to be impressive in Juryo and still leads the Arasoi from 4 rikishi. Sato probably lost an early yusho decider against Chiyoshoma... as long as Chiyoshoma doesn't get exchanged into dust and some lower level Makushita takes the yusho. Mitakeumi isn't having as much fun as Shodai this basho, he's right on the edge still. Daiki took a lost on Day 1 against a normal Makushita rikishi, while Ura is still perfect but is fighting at a lower rank. I hope they both get up to Makushita-joi at the same time. Inoue, at 16 years old, took his fourth consecutive kachikochi, amazing. All the guys at the bottom of the list have already booked their ticket to the next Wall.

That reminds me, it's been a year since I've added the ages and people are ageing.

Kyuushuu 2015 Starting Edition Shikona Age Country Heya Debut KK Current Rank Yushos Record Win% Last Basho This Basho Shodai23TokitsukazeNatsu 20149 Juryo 5 West255-160.775 11-4 0-0 Sato18TakanohanaKyushu 20146 Makushita 7 West235-70.833 6-1 D 0-0 Mitakeumi22DewanoumiHaru 20154 Makuuchi 11 West135-90.795 12-3 0-0 Iwasaki23OitekazeHaru 20154 Makushita 37 West024-40.857 6-1 0-0 Omoto22IrumagawaHaru 20154 Sandanme 7 West022-60.786 5-2 0-0 Kotonawa18SadogatakeHaru 20154 Sandanme 29 East021-70.750 5-2 0-0 Daiki23HakkakuNatsu 20153 Makushita 25 East220-10.952 7-0 Y 0-0 Ura23KiseNatsu 20153 Makushita 54 Westt119-20.905 5-2 0-0 Asayamabana22TakasagoNatsu 20153 Sandanme 52 West017-40.810 6-1 0-0 Saionji21ShikihideNatsu 20153 Sandanme 65 Easst016-50.762 5-2 [td0-0 [/td] Hirotsukasa22IrumagawaNatsu 20153 Sandanme 90 West015-5-10.750 5-2 0-0 Inoue16KiseNatsu 20153 Jonidan 3 East014-70.666 4-3 0-0 Toshinofuji18IsegahamaNatsu 20153 Jonidan 23 East012-90.571 4-3 0-0 Chiyonoumi22KokonoeNagoya 20152 Sadanme 19 East214-01.000 7-0 Y 0-0 Kiribayama19MichinokuNagoya 20152 Sandanme 96 West011-30.786 6-1 0-0 Homarenishiki20NishikidoNagoya 20152 Jonidan 8 East010-40.714 6-1 0-0 Tsukimoto23IsenoumiNagoya 20152 Jonidan 27 East010-40.714 5-2 0-0 I'm about to get on a plane, so no commentary. There are too damn many of them anyway!

I too filpped Osunaarashi and Ichinojo, and somehow also Kyukushuho and Kaisei (I know! I know!) before going off the rails at M9... Its by far my best result though so I'm not gonna complain.

Alright, I'm ready... I know its bad form to post your guesses before the due date, but I'm confident nobody has the guts...

It is just awful this time... Burn all the banzukes...

Yeah, that's why I said 'the possibility'. For that price though the typical expected exposure is only a few thousand in normal advertising...

I assume the price hasn't changed much (if at all?) and sumo is dominating the TV ratings through the week. Its very cheap now compared against the possible exposure level. Yes, I just looked and the cost increased from 60,000 yen to 62,000 yen in 2014. Which is just $515. That's about the same as a small market radio spot. Honestly its surprising that there aren't more purchased when you have the possibility of it shown to a large chunk of the country on TV.