How about a sumo thread?

[Anton Gramscescu]

Man, that's probably the only chance Tobizaru's going to get to fight the GOAT, and that's how he chooses to use it? Smh.

I seem to recall Enho trying something like that a few bashos ago and there was no sanction.

[ursus arctos]

Look for NattoSumo on YouTube

This is completely bizarre and quite disrespectful. I wouldn't be surprised if Tobizaru gets a sanction of some kind.

https://twitter.com/thesumosoul/status/1413788625720930307

Teru and Hak both 7-0

[scratchmonkey]

Catching these live has been a little too late for me, especially with the top cats. There is a Twitch stream that has them, I should check and see if they keep the recordings around for watching the next morning.

[Anton Gramscescu]

Hakuho 6-0
Terunofuji 6-0

and it's very possible I may explode before we get to a last-day showdown between these two on day 15.

[Anton Gramscescu]

Top two now alone at 5-0. Destiny is at work.

[ursus arctos]

The Teru and Hakuho wins are both featured in this shortish video and are definitely worth watching more than once.

[Anton Gramscescu]

Day 4 notes:

1) Tochinoshin 0-4. I think this might be his last basho in the top division.
2) Hoshoryuu - Former Yokozuna Asashoryu's nephew - fighting at his highest-ever rank of M5 - is looking increasingly effective.
3) Ichinojo is also looking remarkably good, for the moment at least (his performance often tails off in week 2). Basically, all the Mongolians are on fire right now.
4) Takayasu sat out the first two days with a bad back and now has stormed back with two wins and looked good. Takakeisho is kyujo with back problems.
5) Terunofuji is 4-0. So is Hakuho. Both of them pulled off amazing wins today, and the look on H's face after the win was priceless. Watch those two matches if you watch nothing else.

This is the good stuff. Makes such a difference when H is there.

[Anton Gramscescu]

Cracking first three days. Hakuho is back and maybe not quite as imperious as he used to be, but good enough for 3-0. So is Terunofuji, who is still looking mostly unbeatable. The final-day H/T showdown is still, for the moment, on.

[Anton Gramscescu]

Banzuke is out. Two new komusubis (Wakatakakage and Meisei). Some weirdness in the upper Maegashira ranks, with Tobizaru and Takanosho only dropping a single rank (to M2 and M3, respectively) despite 5-10 records. Ura up to the top division after a four year absence, Abi back to Juryo.

Asanoyama has been given a six-basho ban for his COVID adventures, which will leave him a bit lower than where Abi was after his suspension. He'll be gone from the top division for at least two years.

No word on Hakuho's participation. That's probably not a good sign.

[Anton Gramscescu]

And Ura wins the juryo yusho, which means he will be back for the first time in over 4 years (having gone through not one but two blown ACLs). Weird how neither of the most in-form rikishi has any knees to speak of. Wonder if the constant threat of retirement-by-even-the-slightest-knee-knack makes them more agile and better wrestlers.

Dream ending for Nagoya basho: Day 15: Hakuho v. Terunofuji for the yusho. Downside: I would not have a clue who to cheer for. Hakuho because you want him to go out on a win? Or Terunofuji because what a way to ascend to Yokzuna status?

[ursus arctos]

Closer than it should have been, as Takakeisho takes it to a playoff, but the best man wins.

[ursus arctos]

Certainly doesn't look likely

I do wonder about how many things in Japan (broadly, not just in sports/sumo) are going to change once the Olympics are over.

[Anton Gramscescu]

I don't think anyone has ever gone from Ozeki to Yokozuna in one tournament. i think you need both consecutive wins to be *as* an Ozeki.

But seriously, who;s going to beat him in July? Nobody else looks anywhere near enough in form

[ursus arctos]

His repeated visits to hostess bars was rather mindless (as well as defiant) and I can definitely see them throwing the book at him

They are going to make TNF wait for the rope, too

[Anton Gramscescu]

TNF 12-1, Endo and Takakeisho at 10-3 and there is no goddamn way this one isn't over tomorrow.

Asaonyama broke COVID protocols, and lied about it. not only is he out of the tournament, the sumo federation seems to be seriously considering some Abi-like penalties, which means we're going to be down an Ozeki. (Abi, meanwhile, went 7-0 in his first basho since suspension and clinched the Makushita yusho today).

(technically, a three-basho suspension wouldn't be that bad for Asanoyama. he'd still be Ozeki going into next baso. He'd fall to Sekiwake in the second basho. Then down to about megashira 13 or so in the third. That means in the following basho, on his return, he would still be in juryo and therefore in the ranks of the paid sekitori. That might not be seen as punishment enough: one could imagine therefore a 5- or 6-basho suspension. Or they could retire him, which seems extreme, but this is sumo.)

[Anton Gramscescu]

He's not going to lose this. The shimpan just wanted to keep it close for a couple more days.

[ursus arctos]

Please don't post your jinxes again until the yusho is over.

Jeez.

[Anton Gramscescu]

Terunofuji 10-0 they should just give him the Yokozuna rope already. Shodai and Asanaoyama being their usual inconsistent selves; the former, being kadoban, is flirting with demotion. Takakeisho in good form at 8-2, but absent an injury hard to see how Terunofuji loses this.

Chiyonokuni out injured on day 3 - have not heard about how serious it is, v. disappointing after he was finally back up in the upper maegashira.

[ursus arctos]

Fans indeed back on Day Four notwithstanding rising COVID numbers

Terunofji continues to dominate with a simple win over the previously unbeaten Mitakeumi

[Anton Gramscescu]

Terunofuji starting this basho where he left off - no knees but absolutely devastating anyway. barring injury, he has to be the favourite.

No fans for the first three days due to Tokyo emergency protocols, and as a result the sumo broadcasts are trying something different: moving crane shots! Not sure they will continue once the fans come back on Thursday, but it's fun to watch right now.

[ursus arctos]

I'm afraid that it doesn't look terribly promising

Perhaps if you could get a governmental invitation of some kind for work

[Anton Gramscescu]

You have to figure more opponents are going to start moving sideways and in circles against him to take advantage of the weak knees eventually, kind of the way Tobizaru did to Kaisei today.

You may see Teru go easy in his first basho as Ozeki - just go for the 8 wins in order not to put too much strain on the knees rather than immediately try to go on a yokozuna run (cool though that would be). I am desperate to get to the November basho but I am getting worried that Japan's slow vaxx roll-out means they might not be open for tourism by then.

[ursus arctos]

He certainly is

Tremendously happy for him

And with Kakyru's retirement, Teru now is second only to Hakuho in number of yusho (though 40+ behind)

Worried about his knee(s), though

[Anton Gramscescu]

Terunofuji yusho. The man is a beast.

[Anton Gramscescu]

Day 14 is over. Takayasu has dropped his last two and now trails Terunofuji by one. The latter beat Asanoyama today, in one of the most titanic, heart-stopping yotsu battles you'll ever see. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKwB...vnNyU&index=64. Ozeki rank now in the bag, yusho now depends, as it did in November, on the result of a last day match-up with Takakeisho and a possible 3-way playoff thereafter. (If Takakeisho beats Teru, they will both be 11-4; meanwhile the other two guys at 10-4, Takayasu and Aoiyama, are facing off against each other, meaning there will necessarily be three with eleven wins).