since_94

Your fault, for the jinx.

Indeed. Feels like the nadir. Yet I am still entertained by today's bouts, and there are a lot of rikishi to support/follow, nothwithstanding.

I hear ya, but I thought he took it in stride today. Haven't re-watched, but I seem to recall he even proffered a semblance of a bow in despite the ignominy of defeat, hoisted with his own petard, as it were. He's growing. As a person.

TOCHINOSHIN! Stayin' alive, baby!

Anybody else LOL and shout out loud, "What a BURN!" when seeing Chiyoshoma henka'd by, of all people, the ungainly Tsurugisho. I'll say it again: "What a BURN!" HA! Edit: I see already others did. Knew I wasn't alone.

Ball-room dancing

Quick google search suggests you are correct. It’s a conundrum, for sure, if the dual kadoban—> demotion scenario were to transpire before a Mitakeumi promotion.

If there were no Ozeki, Terunofuji would just be listed as Y/O on the banzuke, as I understand it, though I stand to be corrected. Meanwhile, the NSK would be left ******** bricks and making sacrifices to the gods to protect the grand champion’s knees until the precarious potential power vacuum could be resolved without compromising the established promotion criteria.

Turning back to our Oho watching, my involuntary exclamation watching his dispatch Chiyotairu with a hitakikomi was an appreciative “Smooth!” So well executed. Again, he just looked so poised throughout the bout, and there’s no denying his physique looks like he’s built for at least Ozeki, IMO, barring injuries. Ura brought the excitement with the Superman-esque fully launched oshitaoshi push out of Daiesho. Fans liked it more than the recently discussed leg-pick. Abi showed impressive ring awareness in a recovery against the (sometimes) wily Okinoumi, circling and getting behind him after nearly being pushed out himself.

Anybody remember Ichinojo’s dramatic throat slam of Yoshikaze on Day 12 of Hatsu 2018? Maybe a bit of karma coming back on him

There was the feeling they fed a depleted Shohozan to the ex-Ozeki. I can’t be the only one.

Touché. I have nothing...

Didn't like the outcome but appreciated the skill on display 100%. Brilliance.

D'OH!

Thought about your comments as I watched him fight today and wondered if he might seize the belt. Even though he didn’t, he looked so poised and measured throughout his match, even when on the defensive. He seems to always be planning his next steps, as suggested by his pantomiming of the next movement after completing his winning kimarite, as if he was reading his opponent and the flow of the match and preparing to employ another technique, just in case his plan didn’t work out. Kind of like speed chess, with violence. I think this mentality is what separates the greats from the also-rans.

Fans sitting ringside seemed similarly nonplussed, by and large, as judged by their reactions. What gives? Too much reliance on gimmicks (by which I mean waza), for want of a better word?

Impressions of Day 8: Oho looked so fundamentally solid against Ichiyamamoto that when combined with his size and strength, I can’t help but see anything but greatness in his future. Of course much remains to be seen, but I had a moment, a vision, you might say, of him wearing a rope like his grandfather. Very happy to see Takarafuji quietly putting together a good record in workmanlike fashion. The spin move was unusually flashy for him. Chiyomaru vs Akua was a battle of the iridescent beetle shell green and highly entertaining all around. Loved how Chiyonokuni continued to fight even when his back was turned to Onosho at the bales and he was clearly going to lose. Shows his fighting spirit. Tamawashi / Hokutofuji was a particularly brutal affair, and not the kind of bout any rikishi likely wants to have every day. Very intense sumo, highly entertaining. Mitakeumi clearly wants this. Haven’t seen his facial expression showing such determination in forever. Overall, safe to say the fans were entertained.

Sadanoumi and Tobizaru also VERY close, but maybe I’m still just groggy after a very late night out.

Tochinoshin’s win over Miyogiryu looked very close from the sole angle Abema TV showed. Without the benefit of others, I’m surprised no monoii was called

Rolls off the tongue, it does. Less objectionable than ass-a-ashi, perhaps. What do you think about glutenage?

Kaisei sits on Bushozan, crushing his foe into the clay with his ample buttocks. They called it tsukite. I’m not a kimarite aficionado. I defer to the experts. Does that mean force down with butt, or what? @Seiyashi types slightly faster than me. I think we may have just witnessed the genesis of a new kimarite.

Such a great fight, but the ending felt almost anticlimactic after the effort Ura put in. He really threw everything he had at the Yokozuna.

Hoshoryu did NOT like that harite from Tobizaru. Suspect he’ll try to knock the flying monkey’s block off next time they meet. In fairness, it looked like Tobizaru accidentally caught the nephew’s eye with a finger, thus the disgruntlement, not necessarily indignation with the slap per se.

Match of the day in Juryo had to be Shohozan’s seemingly out-of-nowhere sukuinage that beat Kagayaki’s kimedashi double arm lock. Even though Kagayaki didn’t really look like a man who had a plan, the win was still a brilliant display of sheer determination and brute strength from the 37-year-old veteran. Respect.

Unbelievable, but not at all surprising to see how completely and utterly gassed Takakeisho was after his first bout with Ura. Even after the monoii and the reset, he was still gasping after a bout that lasted less than 10 seconds. Ura could have relied on virtually any technique in the torinaoshii and won. The half henka wasn’t even necessary against a guy that out of wind. Conditioning is a major problem for the Ozeki. Anyone who stands up directly in front of him and let’s him get “the wave” going will lose. Anyone smart enough to duck under it , dodge it, or otherwise stay out of range will likely prevail. Takakeisho’s conditioning is appalling. Great win for a shell shocked Ura. Terunofuji just takin care of business as de rigeur.