Taikoubana

Giku's hands were nowhere near the ground when Hakuho charged. The Geek got robbed.

"Come to Takanohana beya.... we have free scarves..."

I have to agree. Ishiura was an entertaining rikishi to watch a year or so ago, but his sumo has grown stale. I rarely pay attention during his bouts these days because the outcome is predictable.

I'm hoping he manages to get the makushita yusho he missed out on. The little experience he got in juryo may be just the push he needs.

I miss the Hokutofuji of 2017. He's quite the pushover now. Is his knee that bad?

Picks: Mitakeumi, Shodai, Takarafuji, Yoshikaze, Asanoyama, Homarefuji, Mitoryu, Akiseyama, Tsurogisho, Wakatakakage, Murata, Enho, Midorifuji, Nishikifuji, Tanabe Alternates: Hokutofuji and Tokushinho Tiebreakers: Takekaze and Jokoryu

You might wanna observe again, Taka.

Say cheese!

The history of the Emperor's Cup and/or other yusho prizes, perhaps?

I believe I've seen Hokutofuji do it in recent tournaments as well.

I'm aware, but I thought I recalled some footage from last year's knockout tournament popping up online after the event? Could be wrong. Thanks anyway. Also, it's nice to see Enho on baby-holding duty! He's looking sharp. Can't wait to see how he performs in May after having gone up against sekitori.

Is there no available footage of Kise's one-day knockout tournament win? Or any footage of that tournament in general?

What are some Ozekis of the past you believe should have been Yokozuna? Or Sekiwakes/Komusubis you believe should have been Ozeki? Your answer can be entirely subjective. This is mostly for fun, so no arguing over bad choices (i.e. Mainoumi should have been Ozeki.) Alternatively, you can also mention Yokozunae that you believe should have stayed Ozeki. I'll start. I think Kaio should have been Yokozuna. He had the power and hinkaku of a Yok, but suffered too many kyujo and was overshadowed by Takanohana and Asashoryu. Had neither of them been around at the time, Yokozuna Kaio could have been a strong possibility. (Mods, feel free to move this if it should be in a different forum)

Ah, I didn't know this, thank you! That's more along the lines of what I was thinking when I said mixed-race. 50/50 rather than a mish-mash.

I can't see Taka being promoted even with a yusho at Natsu, but seeing him and Tochinoshin racing for the yusho until the final days would make for an interesting basho nevertheless. And, correct me if I'm wrong, but should Takayasu become Yokozuna, won't he be the first mixed-race Yokozuna in history? Seems like it would make for a nice news-worthy headline. (And would it be the first time two stablemates who aren't related were promoted to Yokozuna one after the other? Not quite so news-worthy, but I'm interested to know.)

I believe that's Nishikigi, but I could be wrong.

Takayasu has looked rather consistent and strong this year after a rough start as Ozeki. He can go toe-to-toe with anyone else in the sanyaku ranks, although the early basho losses seem to be his achilles heal. So long as he continues to improve and train hard, the Natsu yusho could be his (barring serious injuries.) But of course, another hearty congrats to Kakuryu! The big guy looks happy to finally get his hands on the cup once more.

Kakuryu yusho!!! Well-earned and well-deserved. Such a comeback from the Kakuryu of 2017.

Let's not forget: this is Goeido's house! He'll charge when he pleases, hands on the ground or not!

Enho had a great win against Takagenji today. I'm loving every single one of his bouts in juryo, they've all been very exciting. And check out Chiyomaru! He's defeated both Ozeki this basho! Glad to see him improving and making progress. Ichinojo seemed to give up right after the tachiai. Is this the "other" Ichinojo? Has the powerful Ichinojo been replaced by his weaker twin once again? And the yusho race heats up again! There goes Kakuryu's zensho. Wonderful bout, though; it reminded me of the classic Hakuho vs Harumafuji bouts.

Oof, I had a dramatic fall from yesterday to today. The lead felt nice while it lasted! Fingers crossed that Panda-zeki can bring it back in the final days and manage to KK.

With Kakuryu now sole leader, I gotta say, I'm really rooting for him to get his first zensho yusho. His sumo might not have been ideal in every bout, but at the end of the day, he's still gotten the win. Seeing him go 15-0 would really revitalize the Yokozuna spirit that lingers in the air of sumo. With so many Yokozuna kyujos in the past year, a lot of that spirit has been missing, especially during bashos. Today is Ichinojo vs Kakuryu. Should be very interesting!

One would expect Goeido to have a more respectable demeanor and fighting style in his hometown. And one would be setting their expectations far too high.

You would think, after the Harumafuji scandal, the witnessing rikishi would learn that making an effort to stop it keeps them out of hot water much better than not stopping it. But this probably goes to show how much violence happens behind doors. They're so used to it that they just let it happen and don't realize how bad that makes them look when it's in public.