2019 Aki Basho Discussion (spoiler alert!)

[Benihana]

Very good first day 

Edited September 8, 2019 by Benihana

[robnplunder]

13 minutes ago, Benihana said:

Very good first day 

It sure was an interesting day 1 as day 1 goes.

Tochinoshin is looking like a Sekiwake in the next basho. 

[Kaninoyama]

A sixth kinboshi for Hokutofuji. He clearly has the game to hang with anyone. Would love to see him take the next step and establish himself as a legit Ozeki candidate.

[Jabbamaru]

35 minutes ago, rhyen said:

...

[Zannah]

Oh geez, what a day. Some very great bouts there; happy for Enho & Hokuto.  But still, all my online game picks... All wrong, so hard to be very happy. 

What was the final judgement in Kotoshogiku match? Videos showed his foot out, but...?

[Akumazeki]

14 minutes ago, Zannah said:

What was the final judgement in Kotoshogiku match? Videos showed his foot out, but...?

That was it, Kotoshogiku lost by yorikiri

[Jakusotsu]

47 minutes ago, Benihana said:

But Takakeisho showed excellent balance. Others would have kissed the floor.

And he didn't wear any bandages at all!

[Rainoyama]

Hakuho posted two short videos of his feet covered with dirt and him slowly moving his toes on his instagram story yesterday. No caption nothing but his big toe was heavily tapped, I wonder if it's just precaution because of all the problems and injuries he had or if he was hinting that the toe is bothering him again... I guess we'll have to wait and see.

[mikawa]

That was a superb move from Enho, expertly executed

[yohcun]

1 hour ago, Zannah said:

What was the final judgement in Kotoshogiku match? Videos showed his foot out, but...?

The English commentators incorrectly said a monoii was happening, but it was actually just the shimpan changing for the second half.

[Eikokurai]

Just now, yohcun said:

The English commentators incorrectly said a monoii was happening, but it was actually just the shimpan changing for the second half.

Easy mistake to make. They all stood up as if for a mono-ii right after a bout with an ambiguous outcome.

[Philioyamfugi]

Clasic Enho beating Onoshou...wow. A barn burner win for Takakeisho. Tomokaze handled Abi perfectly. Kaise and Ikio both won in Juryo. Fantastic first day ...great bouts !

[Akumazeki]

3 hours ago, robnplunder said:

 

Tochinoshin is looking like a Sekiwake in the next basho. 

I think it is the time for him to retire . He reached his carrier top and with that kind of sumo, no way he goes for  yokozuna. He is my countryman and I wish him all the wins, but one have to face the truth as well

Edited September 8, 2019 by Akumazeki

[Eikokurai]

16 minutes ago, Akumazeki said:

I think it is the time for him to retire . He reached his carrier top and with that kind of sumo, no way he goes for  yokozuna. He is my countryman and I wish him all the wins, but one have to face the truth as well

Depends. If his injury is so bad he just can’t do sumo at all, sure, he should retire; but if he can compete at a lower level, why not do as Kotoshogiku did and carry on getting paid for a bit longer?

[Otokonoyama]

Chiyonokuni's first match was on shonichi.

 

[Dwale]

Well, well, quite a first day, was it not? Enho gets props for having the coolest win, easily, but the fun doesn't stop there. Hakuho was not a happy man, Hokutofuji had better be prepared to get "the treatment" next basho. 

5 hours ago, Kaninoyama said:

A sixth kinboshi for Hokutofuji. He clearly has the game to hang with anyone. Would love to see him take the next step and establish himself as a legit Ozeki candidate.

I didn't realize he was already up to six, but so he is. Definitely has potential, so he may well cinch that ozeki rank someday.

Asanoyama has really grown on me. I have the feeling he's gonna KK this basho. What is his limit, I wonder? Meanwhile, Mitakeumi continues being himself, subjecting his fans to his trademark roller-coaster of triumph and disappointment, more the latter today. Well, it's only day one...

[Rainoyama]

Asanoyama had a great tachi ai, once he had that mae-mawashi grip it was all other for Mitakeumi who even tried to pull which only made things worse. For the first time it looks like Mita was training seriously during the tour so I was hoping he'd reach double digit this time especially with the top guys beeing shaky lately but right from the first day he disappoints again. There's still 14 days to go so let's hope he can bounce back... Even his diet was a failure he's listed at 177 kg now up a couple kilos...

[Shio-kago]

The thing that caught my attention watching Takakeisho's match was that he pulled himself out of his stumble with the right leg. 169 kilos, about to eat dirt like that, must have put a lot of pressure on that knee. It seems to me, if he managed it without a lot of pain, that it could be a big confidence builder.

The man needs to fight with total commitment almost as much as he needs his muscle tone back.

[Ichimawashi]

I make it nine straight losses now for Japanese Yokozuna :)

I proposed on the mbovo channel the term ‘mono-ii henka’ for the situation where nobody but the gyoji and judges know who won a bout and the judges get up as though they need a talk, but instead are leaving because their shift is over.  :)

[since_94]

Takakeisho’s win wasn’t pretty but it was scrappy and he did well to keep moving forward aggressively and to maintain his balance when his attacks were deflected. Tochinoshin’s leg clearly buckled and couldn’t take his weight. Doesn’t bode well at all. My thought watching Hokutofuji prep for the match was “the guy has clearly come to fight”. He’s always super intense, pre-bout, and he obviously does a kind of outcome visualization ritual every time. He has great potential. As does Asanoyama. 

[Rocks]

10 hours ago, Eikokurai said:

Tochinoshin and Ichinojo finished in less than a minute for the first time in as long as I can remember. Tochi not looking good.

Tochinoshin is in big trouble. Endo beating him easily twice with a deep inside grip has exposed him. Everyone is doing that now and he isn't stopping them. Before it didn't matter because he had the strength to stand them up straight and push, but not now. He's in a very bad situation here. 

[Rocks]

Great win for Hokutofuji but Hakuho blew that. Hakuho did great on the tachi-ai but missed getting his grip and failed to get his footing. 

 

Also, WTH was going o with Tamawashi-Shodai? It looked like they were watching to see if the other would fall or step out. 

Edited September 8, 2019 by Rocks

[Tiger Tanaka]

All the pre-banzuke talk about opening an extra sanyaku slot, which would have resulted in Hokutofuji being a Komusubi; meanwhile, Hokutofuji non-chalantly pockets some extra change for the rest of his career with kinboshi #6. Well done!!

[Akinomaki]

Due to typhoon 15 coming, the torikumi in the morning of day 2 start 30minutes later, at 9:10h - JR trains stop. The planned end at 18h is the same - shikiri and other slack time will be reduced. Before the 18:00h end became fix in 1961, they once had to finish the day at 16:30h due to a typhoon - to achieve this then the 4min shikiri time was cut to 2min. http://www.asahi.com/articles/ASM9863N2M98UTQP01Z.html

[Rocks]

9 minutes ago, Akinomaki said:

Due to typhoon 15 coming, the torikumi in the morning of day 2 start 30minutes later, at 9:10h - JR trains stop. The planned end at 18h is the same - shikiri and other slack time will be reduced. Before the 18:00h end became fix in 1961, they once had to finish the day at 16:30h due to a typhoon - to achieve this then the 4min shikiri time was cut to 2min. http://www.asahi.com/articles/ASM9863N2M98UTQP01Z.html

So they are starting the day a half hour later but intend to finish at the same time by cutting out some salt throws? Terutsuyoshi will be hardest hit.