Harimanada

If you are on Instagram, you can follow the big guy, he is there as oosunaarashi Posted some horrifying pics recently of the electro-stimulus of his knee! Seems to be progressing well though...

Yikes! Gagachan having major tachiai problems, then loses to his old nemesis Gravity-san. Poor guy is going backwards right now...

Ichinojo had plenty of fire in him this January - that's when he did the first of his two marathon boust with Teronofuji and won. He's only been in makuuchi just over a year. People keep saying he 'gives up', or 'gives up at the edge'.The same people might also trash him if he falls on someone and hurts him. Ichinojo doesn't get low enough. He doesn't squat down below the other guy's centre of gravity and sometimes he straightens up and gets pushed out. A commentator on day three said he has "terrible back-pain". I don't know why a commentator would lie. I have a student, a bit lighter than Amuuru, who has to keep standing up during his lessons (he's not up against Hakuho, just learning English), about every five minutes, to straighten his back because of the pain he's in. Myself I have to walk, and sit, ramrod straight as a brigadier or it will start, just mild back pain, and it's awful. Perhaps that explains why Ichinojo stands up too straight. Also, he wouldn't want to fall the way, say, Takekaze did today if his back's already dodgy. I can't know why he seemed so despondent in March, May and July, but I'm convinced he's coming out of it. He went 9 wins to 6 losses in September. That's respectable. They've put him up to maegashira 1 and thrown all three yokozuna and two ozeki at him in his first five days and he's given them all a fight, even if he lost. Winning isn't everything. I thought Aminishiki tugged a bit where he shouldn't too. Hats off to Terunofuji fighting on a bum knee and doing so well. Yeah, Ichi is an enigmatic dude. Wonder how long it takes before the light goes on? Maybe Hak needs to give him another love tap :-D

Have you watched how he avoided putting pressure on that banged up knee after the bout and when climbing down the dohyo? Maybe he can make it to Senshuraku, but then he cannot afford such long and intensive bouts like today's marathon match with Joe. IMO, the first goal might be to avoid kadoban. ^this. He is still favoring the knee, it is going to be tough for him. Wouldn't be surprised to see him drop out in a few days.