Category: Sumo

Anything related to Sumo wrestling.

2019 hatsu basho – final four days

I had hoped to write about sumo after the middle day of the tournament, but life got in the way. Let’s look back at my predictions and comments a month before the tournament to see how I did.

My list of three disappointing wrestlers was Kisenosato, Ikioi, and Goeido. Hopefully I won’t have to add Kakuryu and Tochinoshin to this list in March. Kisenosato pulled out of several tournaments after injuries and bad starts. He continued that trend this months and even did one better by retiring. Honestly, this move comes half a year too late for the embattled yokozuna. Ikioi, way down at M11, should be cleaning up this tournament. At 6-5, his chances at a winning record are looking good. As an Ikioi fan, however, I’m still disappointed. Goeido has to win three of the next four days to get his winning record. I won’t be surprised if he resorts to the henka (sidestep) maneuver to beat better wrestlers than himself the next few days, though he usually starts doing that when he is katoban.

If you’re not up on sumo-speak, M11 means maegashira 11. Maegashira 1 is four ranks below yokozuna with higher numbers going down the ranks.

My “wrestlers with something to prove” were Takakeisho, Abi, Mitakeumi, and Asanoyama. Sekiwake-ranked Takakeisho and komusubi-ranked Mitakeumi absolutely proved their worth. With eight wins already, Takakeisho could finish the tournament in double digits, putting him in great position for an upgrade to ozeki. With so many wrestlers ageing and falling down the ranks, I have come to believe that young Takakeisho is the future of the sport.
Mitakeumi sat out for four days of the tournament with injury — certainly a cause for concern — but came back with a surprise win over Hakuho. In good health, that’s quite an accomplishment, but limping it become a miracle.

So did Abi prove anything? Not yet. At M10, he isn’t taking on the most dangerous opponents. At 7-4, he’s poised to move up the ranks again. If I can say he proved anything, it’s that he belongs in the M5-M7 area. Asanoyama, for his part, is proving that he also belongs in the M7 area. Not as good as I had hoped.

My final comment in my first sumo digression was about Onosho, and I see no reason to change that in this digression. Onosho is looking good this tournament. I hope he finally found the consistency he has been lacking.

2019 hatsu basho – 1 month out

For my first digression, a word on sumo. As luck would have it, the first sumo tournament of 2019 is exactly a month from the very day I started this blog.

Sumo has few fans in the west. Steeped in Japanese history and culture, much of what makes a sport popular in America — showmanship, quick pacing, long breaks to go to the bathroom or buy a beer — are severely toned down in sumo. How does one compare spiking a football or dunking a basketball to throwing salt and slapping a mawashi?

A mawashi, for the uninitiated, is the sumo wrestler’s diaper.

I am, nonetheless, excited for 2019 sumo. 2018 saw stubborn injuries among all the yokozuna as well as disappointing performances among many of the high-ranked wrestlers. We know, however, that Hakuho remains a force in the sport; in the one tournament he finished in 2018, he won every bout. Kakuryu, if he can return in good health, still has a few yuushou in him. New ozeki Tochinoshin of Georgia (the country) could look better, but he has yet to have a losing record in a completed tournament. Takayasu was also solid and consistent throughout 2018. 

The list disappointing wrestlers will depend, in part, on what kind of sumo fan you ask, but for me it’s these three: Kisenosato, Ikioi, and Goeido. Yokozuna Kisenosato lost more than he won for the year, winning only 11 bouts out of 26. Even if we remove the walk-over losses, that’s still a record of 11-13. It’s about time for him to retire. Ikioi, of whom I’m a fan for no reason in particular, finished the year with two terrible performances. The autumn basho was a train-wreck 3-12 performance, followed by a 6-9 at the Kyushu basho. Goeido… I never liked the guy. He likes to screw around with the tachiai (the initial charge) and loves a cheap win. Pulling out of Kyushu after a few such cheap wins (just enough to hold his rank) cemented to me that he doesn’t deserve to ever rise to yokozuna. 

The wrestlers with something to prove: Takakeisho, Abi, Asanoyama, and Mitakeumi. Takakeisho and Mitakeumi both have to prove that their yuushou weren’t just flukes. Mitakeumi has been a solid sekiwake-ranked wrestler, and Takakeisho should join him there. The question will be if they’re good enough to become ozeki. Abi and Asanoyama have a different question to answer, which is “Are they as good at their fans think they can be?” Abi has risen through the ranks quickly but has struggled with more experienced opponents. His tactics are lacking. Asanoyama, for his part, can’t beat the guys in the upper ranks. A mental block, perhaps?

A word on Oonosho, and then I’ll stop. His 2018 was a rollercoaster. In the lower ranks, he cleaned up. When he’s ranked higher, he was the one being mopped up off the floor. Hopefully he will be more consistent in 2019.