Ama's Ozeki run

[Takamizakura]

I just watched Ama's fight against Wakanosato, and it's left me really impressed & happy but confused. Can someone explain to me how Ama changed his momentum so quickly before he pushed out Wakanosato?

It looked to me like Wakanosato's weight was preventing Ama from moving forward, but Ama's grip changed a couple of times and out went Wakanosato. Apart from the that and a mini-twist I couldn't get how Ama managed to change direction so quickly.

[HenryK]

Splendid how Ama disposed of Chiyotaikai today. So he needs 3-1 against

Hakuho

Kotomitsuki

Baruto

and on rank-and-filer (possibly Dejima)

..... to be safe, 2-2 to have a good shot.

Hakuho overpowered Baruto with pure speed, should be a recipe for Ama too.

[Sokkenaiyama]

The rank&filer will most likely be the Fatman, Miyabiyama. He has a much better record than Dejima.

[sekihiryu]

Can someone explain to me how Ama changed his momentum so quickly before he pushed out Wakanosato?

It looked to me like Wakanosato's weight was preventing Ama from moving forward, but Ama's grip changed a couple of times and out went Wakanosato. Apart from the that and a mini-twist I couldn't get how Ama managed to change direction so quickly.

Wakanosato is a tired aging man with a pretty dodgy knee, Ama raised Satos arms up, raising Satos centre of gravity and thus affecting his balance and with a man with only " one wheel" he was a sitting duck, ripe to get quickly guided out, which was exactly what happened

[mokele]

I've been following Ama's progress lately, and it finally dawned on me that he's gained a bunch of weight in the last couple of years. He's at 129 kgs. now, and that's why he's much harder to push around than he was a couple years ago when he was below 250 lbs. Ama used to look skinny for a rikishi and was no match at all for Asashoryu or Hakuho. He's not only quick and versatile now, using oshi, nage and yori with equal skill, he's also strong enough to handle many of the heavier rikishi in pure yotsu-zumo battles. He seems very intelligent and should continue to improve, and if he should become an ozeki soon, should start becoming a serious threat to win the yusho every basho.

[Skotkotaikai]

Congratulations to Ama for his good performance. Ozeki promotion in the bag, ain't it?

Edited November 21, 2008 by Skotkotaikai

[Harry]

Aminishiki and Ama both beat Hakuho with identical shitatenage in the same spot on the dohyo...

I still can't get over the thought of Hakuho's usual tachi bearer, Aminishiki, stabbing him in the back, again! Didn't he do that last basho as well? Was a blatant henka last time.

Still haven't watched today's bouts (on the PVR safely I think) but again I'd find it hard to think of people in the yusho race diving for Ama or to prevent ozeki from going kadoban. Low rankers with nothing to lose, sure but people who could win a yusho? I'm just not buying it.

[Peterao]

If Ama wins the yusho and then goes on to change his shikona, will his yusho portrait have the name Ama or his new name?

[ilovesumo]

I'd say he got it.

[Dagvaa]

Ama for yusho (Sign of disapproval...)

[Hananotaka]

If Ama wins the yusho and then goes on to change his shikona, will his yusho portrait have the name Ama or his new name?

Ama. As far as records go, the name on the banzuke is the one that counts. In the official results, Takanohana's yusho as Takahanada are still listed under Takahanada.

Wakanosato is a tired aging man

We're only 32!!!

Edited November 22, 2008 by Hananotaka

[_the_mind_]

i might have missed something somewhere but why would Ama change his name? or was the question purely hypothetical?

[mokele]

Now that Ama is 12-2 and assured of ozeki promotion, I wonder if Kaio will feel more comfortable retiring, something that I thought would happen around 2 years ago. I've heard it mentioned that Kaio is in pain nearly every bout these days. He obviously loves sumo or he would have been long gone by now.

[Hananotaka]

i might have missed something somewhere but why would Ama change his name? or was the question purely hypothetical?

It's been mentioned in the papers. Isegahama Oyakata seems very keen, thinking about choosing one that includes "Asashi".

[sekihiryu]

i might have missed something somewhere but why would Ama change his name? or was the question purely hypothetical?

this is where you missed it :-S

[Kintamayama]

Ooshima Oyakata, the shisho of Ama's shisho, will head the delegates of the Kyokai who will come to Isegahama beya to deliver the promotion message. As for the new shikona, it should be announced as early as Tuesday (today/tomorrow YMMV) In the meantime, the "morning sun" kanji possibility has been abandoned. Ama is said to have asked to leave the "horse" kanji in, and seems to be a bit flustered about the impending change.

Edited November 24, 2008 by Kintamayama

[aderechelsea]

and all of a sudden those new Ama t-shirts that were sold in the Kokugikan seem redundant. Time to print some new ones i guess.

[Asashosakari]

and all of a sudden those new Ama t-shirts that were sold in the Kokugikan seem redundant. Time to print some new ones i guess.

C'mon, you're reading graphic novels - surely you're familiar with the term "collector's item". :-)

[mokele]

On the subject of Ama changing his name, I don't have strong feelings on the subject, but a name of 3 letters seems too short for an ozeki or a yokozuna. If Ama becomes a yokozuna, I wholeheartedly support a name change to "Asahifuji" , since that shikona has not been used since the retirement of the former yokozuna by that name. Not many sumo fans have been around long enough to remember former Asahifuji when he was an active rikishi, but I have looked carefully at his record and seen him on film, and if it wasn't for his great difficulty against Chiyonofuji, he would have been a yokozuna a couple years earlier, and probably would have won several more yusho than he ended up winning. He did well against Konishiki. Here are his records when he was on his earlier unsuccessful drive for yokozuna promotion in 1988 and 1989:

1/1988

Ozeki Ost

14-1

Yusho (1)

3/1988

Ozeki Ost

12-3

5/1988

Ozeki Ost

12-3

7/1988

Ozeki Ost

11-4

9/1988

Ozeki Ost

12-3

11/1988

Ozeki Ost

12-3

1/1989

Ozeki Ost

14-1

3/1989

Ozeki Ost

13-2

5/1989

Ozeki Ost

13-2

Can you believe these records for an ozeki? Most yokozuna do not put up such lofty scores!

Edited November 24, 2008 by mokele