Shimoda Won!

[yamaneko]

Im sure theyll show the replay on TV japan. What do you guys think of his prospects? First time a ms15 college debut got zensho yusho, right?

In the 3 bouts ive seen from him he seems to be fairly strong. Hard to compare him after only watching him so little but id say that he most reminds me of homasho and tochiazuma. Head down, takes his time, but is a bulldozer.

I guess the real test for him will be in juryo...he didnt go up against many of the top ranked makushita..but did beat wakanoho, and the one top ranked guy if im not mistaken.

Anyone who has seen him or knows more about him think he can pull a miyabiyama, and make makuuchi with dominating performances the next couple basho?

[nabudetoulouse]

Im sure theyll show the replay on TV japan. What do you guys think of his prospects? First time a ms15 college debut got zensho yusho, right?

No,

Musoyama

Hatsu 1993 Makushita Tsukedashi 7-0 yusho

Haru 1993 Makushita 8 est 7-0 yusho

Natsu 1993 Juryo 9 ouest 9-6

[Asashosakari]

Umm...

Im sure theyll show the replay on TV japan. What do you guys think of his prospects? First time a ms15 college debut got zensho yusho, right?

No,

Musoyama

Musoyama started at Ms60.

[nabudetoulouse]

Umm...

Im sure theyll show the replay on TV japan. What do you guys think of his prospects? First time a ms15 college debut got zensho yusho, right?

No,

Musoyama

Musoyama started at Ms60.

sorry, I thought that it had started Ms15 (Neener, neener...)

[yamaneko]

What do you guys think about juryo next basho? Which guys are being demoted/promoted? Juryo seems to be weak lately, i wonder if the trend will continue, allowing guys like shimoda and kageyama good chances to progress.

If hes fully healed, im looking to tokitsumi perhaps taking juryo yusho.

[aderechelsea]

Hatsu 1996: Kaiho (back then Kumagai) won the makushita yusho with a 7-0 record by beating Kyokutenho in a play-off and while he was ranked as makushita tsukedashi.

[aderechelsea]

as for Shimoda .... he looked TOO small even for Makushita. If he gets promoted to Juryo next basho (don't have any idea what are his chances) he will have a lot of difficulties facing bigger opponents.

i am very glad though that i watched him from up close in his first basho.

Edited May 23, 2006 by aderechelsea

[Asysanyama]

as for Shimoda .... he looked TOO small even for Makushita. If he gets promoted to Juryo next basho (don't have any idea what are his chances) he will have a lot of difficulties facing bigger opponents.

i am very glad though that i watched him from up close in his first basho.

Mmm Adere, it seems to me you're giving the stature more importance than it has,

Edited May 23, 2006 by Asysanyama

[Azumashida]

For what I could see he's quite good to play with forward sumo instead of his size and I really believe that actual sumo needs more small rikishis that not only know "tricks" but being able to match the "heavy's" guys.

Most of the guys who have been quite successful recently after university or amateur yokozuna titles are of relatively small size with explosive forward-going sumo: Kakizoe, Takekaze, Yoshikaze... Futeno being a notable exception.

Now the question is: is Shimoda even better than Kakizoe and Takekaze, who are hiramaku joijin at best (I know, Kakizoe has been komusubi, but he's by no means a sanyaku regular, nor will he ever be IMHO)?

Edited May 23, 2006 by Azumaryu

[Asashosakari]

Now the question is: is Shimoda even better than Kakizoe and Takekaze, who are hiramaku joijin at best (I know, Kakizoe has been komusubi, but he's by no means a sanyaku regular, nor will he ever be IMHO)?

Hard to say...I don't think the amount of amateur success is really a good predictor for Ozumo success, at least not at the highest level, i.e. upper Makuuchi. IIRC while all of Kakizoe, Takekaze and Uchida obviously won an amateur title (or they wouldn't have been MsTd), Kakizoe wasn't considered nearly as much of a can't-miss prospect as the other two - and look how things turned out in Makuuchi, where Kakizoe found it much easier to become a joi rikishi than the other two did, though admittedly he also arrived at the top at a later age due to his injury-extended Makushita stay.

At any rate, Shimoda seems to be touted at least as highly as Futeno was, but I have my doubts about his medium-term future...getting through Juryo with at most one make-koshi shouldn't be difficult (there's still too much deadwood hanging around that division), but I think he'll hit the wall pretty violently in lower Makuuchi, just like Futeno did and Yoshikaze is doing right now.

[Sasanishiki]

Let us not forget that he will have to go to competing everyday rather than just the 7 out of 15 (or eight if you count the kettei-sen). He will have been prepared for all the keiko by coming out of Nichidai but I think he'll find having to go against juryo rikishi everday in competition a little daunting, particularly if he has a lot of media attention. He hasn't really hada chance to catch his breath and adjust to ozumo yet, so the whole flurry of everything going on around him might be detrimental to his initial success. I hope I'm wrong. I can see him taking a few basho in juryo before breaking through into lower makuuchi. However, I'm not confident that he will stay there for long.