Basho Talk - Hatsu Basho 2016 +++ Spoiler Alert! +++

[808morgan]

Oh I see him outside too, he's still alive! He was so nice to me, his friends were funny too.

It's great to see such spirit and spunk in this gentleman. He's found something that keeps him happy and not necessarily allow a longer life, but a more satisfying and increased quality of life. Gives me some hope for the future and getting old.

He gave me some stickers that had a picture of him on them, I keep them with my stuff I get when I go to basho. He was with some men that could have been his sons or men of that age, they were helping him up the stairs at the Kokugikan. He was pretty happy I knew who he was.

[d_golem]

Regards Hakuho, it may be a henka, but it was a masterful one. He didn't move until Tochiozan shut his eyes in reaction to the hand in his face.

Regarding pure sumo skills he's just totally heads and shoulders above most everyone else at this point in time, isn't he? Aminishiki's henkas looked like wild lunges to the side compared to how controlled Hakuho's looked.

[WAKATAKE]

Kotokamatani at 5-0 now.

[Fukurou]

Kotokamatani at 5-0 now.

So is Kototakahashi

[wuli]

well, surprise, surprise

bumpety bumps to another win!

if he bumps out the champion, tomorrow,

the fix is surely in

[hamcornheinz]

well, surprise, surprise

bumpety bumps to another win!

if he bumps out the champion, tomorrow,

the fix is surely in

please tell us more about how all sumo is fixed.

[ALAKTORN]

Harumafuji’s tachiai is insane. If Tochiōzan did a henka he would’ve flown directly into South Korea… lol

[Morty]

Kotoshogiku!!! He has normally started losing by now - I'm starting to believe

[Pandaazuma]

well, surprise, surprise

bumpety bumps to another win!

if he bumps out the champion, tomorrow,

the fix is surely in

Kotoshogiku has been doing the best sumo this basho by a mile. And I'm including Hakuho here. He deserves to be zensho and I greatly hope he goes on to win it. It doesn't mean it's fixed if a Japanese guy has a decent run, especially when he kicks every opponents' arse handily. The stats (and overall career talent/ability) are against him winning tomorrow, but I wouldn't be in the slightest bit surprised if Kotoshogiku won. His head is in the game. Good luck to the lad...I'll be cheering him all the way!

Edited January 19, 2016 by Pandaazuma

[Akinomaki]

For a 54 year old man, Izutsu looks very frail and more like 94. Is he ill?

Izutsu's health seems to have deteriorated in the last year.

That explains his misjudgments but doesn't excuse them: he should and the other shimpan must have seen that he isn't fit for shimpan duty anymore, let alone head shimpan.

The last error showed it to all the world.

Kakuryu with his very genki (here rather "full of energy" than "healthy") fiancée and a very non-genki Izutsu-oyakata

He is really not genki (healthy as well): deputy head of the shimpan-department Izutsu-oyakata is kyujo for the (most likely whole) basho, the new Nishonoseki-oyakata (ex-Wakashimazu) replaces him as chief shimpan at the dohyo - the deputy head is one of 3 chief shimpan for the juryo and above bouts of the day.

The stress from the preparations for Kakuryu's announcement conference are seen as a reason for the kyujo.

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2015/01/11/kiji/K20150111009609750.html

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2015/01/11/kiji/K20150111009611630.html

He may need surgery for a cataract. As shimpan he needs good eyes.

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2015/01/12/kiji/K20150112009614220.html

Can anyone tell me what the shimpan said about the decision to reverse Satoyama-Seiro?

Hair pull (Magenage) disqualification early in the match.

In a case like Satoyama-Seiro, where the gyoji gives the win to Seiro but then the win is awarded to Satoyama because Seiro committed a fault, is this still considered a sashichigae (wrong decision) by the gyoji? Also, if the gyoji clearly saw a hair pull during the match (or some other rule violation) could he have awarded the bout to Satoyama on his own?

I actually addressed this in the below thread:

http://www.sumoforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=34923

Izutsu was very inventive in this hansoku explanation, he avoided all the standard phrases.

A sashi-chigae is an explicit verdict of the judges, declaring the gyoji guilty of an error.

If it is not mentioned in the explanation to the mono-ii conference, it is not on the record for the gyoji,

regardless of what the papers write: they sometimes call it sashi-chigae in that case.

[hamcornheinz]

a day late but I've heard the Ichinojo- Sokokurai match mattas yesterday being called gyoji- mattas. Is that just refering to the fact that the gyoji made mistakes and should have called any of them as good tachiai, or is that an actual thing? Penny for thoughts, although you will have to give me two cents.

[Akinomaki]

Gyoji matta are a stop called by the gyoji during the bout, in this case right at the start, for no hands down or not in sync. Mizu-iri or loose mawashi are other reasons to stop later, then it goes on though after a break.

Matta by a rikishi is when one (or both) doesn't start.

Edited January 19, 2016 by Akinomaki

[Dapeng]

well, surprise, surprise

bumpety bumps to another win!

if he bumps out the champion, tomorrow,

the fix is surely in

Hakuho will not yield to Giku tomorrow. If Giku beats everyone else after tomorrow and ensures a 14-1 on the last day, Hakuho may let him take the yusho at the playoff.

Ten years is a very long time.......

[Atenzan]

Who says Kotoshougiku can't beat Hakuho without yaocho? He has shown arguably better sumo than him throughout the basho and stranger things have happened.

[wuli]

well, surprise, surprise

bumpety bumps to another win!

if he bumps out the champion, tomorrow,

the fix is surely in

please tell us more about how all sumo is fixed.

friend hamcornheinz!

back for more

let's strive for clarity, then

for starters, all sumo is fixed is your topic

you'll just have to do your own homework on that

it is a little puzzling, though; are you actually asserting there is no fixing is sumo?

my topic is the kotoshogiku 'run'

he's had an awful lot of help, lately; have you seen his bouts this basho?

we all hope he gets dropped before the end of it

just imagine, isn't gifting a yusho to a phony far more disgraceful than the loss of face from having no champion for ten years?

the questions here are not rhetorical

if you have responses, great; let's stay on topic enough to see if we can have a conversation (rather than a shout down)

you're still invited to private message me

here is as good, if you prefer

[Naganoyama]

If you really want to start up something like this AGAIN, why not do it in PMs? There's only so much

- all Sumo is fixed

- no Sumo is fixed

- some Sumo is fixed

- that bout was fixed

- that bout wasn't fixed

- rikishi x can't beat rikishi y unless the bout is fixed

- such and such is definitely a fact, even a child could see it ;-)

that anyone can stand, surely?

[Atenzan]

If you really want to start up something like this AGAIN, why not do it in PMs? There's only so much

- all Sumo is fixed

- no Sumo is fixed

- some Sumo is fixed

- that bout was fixed

- that bout wasn't fixed

- rikishi x can't beat rikishi y unless the bout is fixed

- such and such is definitely a fact, even a child could see it ;-)

that anyone can stand, surely?

You'd do best to avoid a certain 'expert sumo analysis' site, mate. It will drive you right off the walls.

[Dwale]

Liked Shoudai's win, really interested to see if Kotoshogiku can defeat Hakuho tomorrow.

Okinoumi still looking strong, is it too early to say he seems fit for another shot at sanyaku? Well, there are still five days to go, so I'll try not to get carried away.

Another odd thought: while I haven't enjoyed Goeido's time as an ozeki, I think as a maegashira wrestler I would adore him. Well, he'd be an underdog then, trying to fight his way back up the ranks. The drama!

[Katooshu]

Let's go Kotoshigiku!

Obviously a win against Hakuho will be tough to come by, but his other opposition should be much more beatable. If he keeps it together and Hak has a slip or two.........

[Benevolance]

If Goeidou ever gets his act together, I'll have to retire from Sumoforum. 90% of my content is sly remarks about his performance, and the other 10% is lame dad jokes and puns. And it's not like under-performing great Japanese hopes are easy to find; I'll just be out of a job.

[dingo]

As much as I'd like Kotoshougiku to win tomorrow (today?), I'm afraid that Hakuho will be too tough of a nut to crack for him. The technical versatility definitely doesn't bode well for mostly-bumpety Kotoshogiku. But I really hope I'm wrong, cause that would make things oh-so-exciting!

I think Harumafuji sort of half-knocked out Tochiozan today, cause he definitely was sort of swaying after being escorted out of the dohyo. Harumafuji seemed to try to steady him up more than anything.

[Tenshinhan]

Just another day down in Jonidania today: a rare and hefty nichonage - shortly after a also rare tsutaezori.

Nichonage can be seen via the link to the SumoDB. Can anyone provide footage of the tsutaezori?

Only for you :-)

[kuroimori]

Just another day down in Jonidania today: a rare and hefty nichonage - shortly after a also rare tsutaezori.

Nichonage can be seen via the link to the SumoDB. Can anyone provide footage of the tsutaezori?

Only for you :-)

Wow, thanks so much indeed! Now this is what I call video on demand ;-)

Maybe you uploaded this beautiful and rare kimarite because of me (asking), but I am sure not only for me (to watch)...

[kuroimori]

Kotoshogiku!!! He has normally started losing by now - I'm starting to believe

and.... JINX!!!

[Benevolance]

At first I assumed it was completely implausible for Kotoshogiku to win the yusho because, well, he can't beat Hak, and generally if *you* aren't 15-0, *you* aren't taking Hak's yusho. And it's very improbable that the Geek beats Hak tonight.

But that might not matter. Hakuho still has yet to face Kakuryu, Harumafuji, Goeidou, and Kise, all of whom have beat him in the last year. Kotoshogiku will face...Kise, Goeidou, Harumafuji and...Tochiozan? Okinoumi maybe? Rikishi that Kotoshogiku has acceptable odds against.

I'm not saying Kotoshogiku has a great chance at the yusho, because Hak is still Hak, but this might be the closest that the Geek is going to get. This is certainly the most focused I've ever seen him wrestle. And if he's in the yusho race, he doesn't have to save Goeidou on Day 15, right?