Day 14 Comments (Mike Wesemann reporting)
My intention wasn't even to comment on the day 14 bouts because after four games of baseball and travel in between on Saturday, I finally sat down in front of my typewriter about 9:30 PM and thought...I have nothing to say. I left the house at 7:45 AM but I did skim through the bouts as quickly as possible, and by that I mean my finger was working so quickly on the fast forward button, I didn't even realize the Hakuho - Kisenosato bout contained a mono-ii. I realized this fact Sunday morning as I watched NHK's Saturday Sports News show from last night, and so I thought the bout was worth commenting on, and then the focus of the NHK Saturday Sports News show was interesting as well and something that should give insight to the future of sumo.

As I read the comments from the other contributors and even hear comments and responses from our readers, I can tell who has access to the entire NHK broadcast (Japanese included) and who only has access to the bouts via the innernet. It's one thing to see the action in regular speed on YouTube, but it's quite another thing to capture the entire sumo experience by watching the 2-hour broadcast start to finish (complete with slow motion replays), listening to the NHK announcers and oyakata break the bouts down, and then reading the media reaction in the funny papers afterwards. In my case, for example, I base a lot of my comments and insights on what I'm reading in the media and watching on Japanese television because I'm able to see the spin and the story that's being fed to the Japanese public. I think that providing the whole picture is what makes Sumotalk work, and so after finally sitting down with some spare time to watch/listen to the day 14 broadcast and then watch Saturday Sports News afterwards, there actually is content worth addressing, so here goes.

As I am usually wont to do late in week two, I will preface my daily comments by starting with the leaderboard heading into the day. As you can see from the cheesy graphic NHK produced with our two leaders displayed over the top of the Emperor's Cup itself, the basho was whittled down to two combatants by day 14, and for better or worse, those two combatants would meet atop the dohyo. It's one thing to have the two leaders tied or one loss apart, but when the guy on top is Yokozuna Hakuho and his lead is two bouts over Kisenosato, the leaderboard is just a formality that allows NHK and the Sumo Association to remind the public at large, "Hey, at least there's a Japanese guy on the leader board!" Without some serious funny bidness, there was no way the token Japanese guy was going to hang around after day 14, but let's get to the bout that would all but decide the yusho.

Kisenosato kept his left arm in tight knowing that Hakuho would be fishing for that right inside position, and while the Ozeki denied the Yokozuna his coveted right, Hakuho compensated by getting the left inside and right outer grip to boot. Hakuho looked a bit uncomfortable to me leading with the left, and as soon as Kisenosato countered with a right outer grip of his own, Hakuho abandoned his own right outer grip, pivoted to the side, and attempted a scoop throw that only created separation instead of putting the Ozeki on his heels. With the two now standing there facing each other, Hakuho connected on a right face-slap as Kisenosato ducked back in looking for some sort of position that would never come as the Yokozuna kept his foe at bay long enough until he was able to slap him down by the back of the head for the win.

To the surprise of everyone in the arena, a mono-ii was called where it was revealed that one of the judges suspected Hakuho of pulling Kisenosato down by the top-knot. Replays confirmed that Hakuho's hand did not grip the top-knot at any point during the winning technique, and the original decision of victory to Hakuho was upheld. I realize that a lot of potential politics was in play with this mono-ii, and so it's worth commenting on. First, disqualifying a Yokozuna is a major deal regardless of what his race is. By calling a mono-ii on a dai-Yokozuna and one that would have overturned the yusho, the judges would have had to have been 100% certain that the dubious violation actually occurred. Then there's the issue of "do we keep the Japanese rikishi alive and carry this yusho race into the final day?"

I've been stressing the fact that I don't believe that the Sumo Association scripts basho, and while yaocho (or call it mukiryoku sumo if you want to) does occur, I think the decision when rikishi throw bouts is made by the oyakata or the rikishi themselves after reading the situation at hand. For example, I stated after day 12 that I thought Harumafuji dropped his bout to Kisenosato on purpose in order to prop a Japanese rikishi up on the leaderboard instead of having the top two guys be Mongolian. I think it's important to at least give the Japanese fans the indication that their rikishi are doing well, and they were able to milk the leaderboard all the way through day 14 even when everyone has known the last three days that Hakuho would take the yusho.

If the Sumo Association was actually calling the shots and sumo was scripted, the bout today would have been overturned, and then a path would have been created for Kisenosato to form a miraculous comeback on his way to his first ever career yusho. The problem with that scenario is while the Japanese fans are largely sheep, they're not that obtuse to actually believe that Kisenosato would have earned it all on his own. The one thing that Sumo cannot cannot afford to be publicly accused of is bout fixing, and so if mukiryoku sumo is to occur, things need to be carefully orchestrated in order to make it appear that everything is legitimate. Now, it's one thing for Takekaze to obviously throw his senshuraku bout against the 7-7 Sadanofuji because no one is paying attention at that point anyway, but when you get to the final 30 minutes of the broadcast, you have to be extremely careful if you choose to throw a bout. The point to this entire discussion is that if the Sumo Association was scripting the yusho race, they would have overturned today's bout even though it was clear that Hakuho did not pull the mage.

The end result is Hakuho's 27th career yusho which brings him ever closer to hallowed territory, so it will be very interesting to see how things progress over the next few basho. But more on that in my post-basho report. Hakuho expectedly hoists the cup yet again while Kisenosato goes home with token pat on the fanny for extending the yusho race to day 14.

I'll skip the rest of the bouts (since I already know the results of the senshuraku bouts ) and fast forward to NHK's Saturday Night Sports program. The show led with Hakuho's victory over Kisenosato, mention of his 27th yusho, and then a quick run through the results of the day 14 bouts in general showing no other highlights. Once they had taken care of the obligatory coverage, they spent the majority of their time devoted to sumo talking about Endoh. They first reviewed the bout where Endoh allegedly sprained his left ankle against Tokushoryu on day 12, and then they actually sent a camera crew out to Ishikawa Prefecture (Endoh's hometown) to get reaction from the fans on Endoh's withdrawal. The comments from the fans were the expected gibberish hoping that Endoh recovers quickly and lamenting the fact that he wouldn't be able to pick up a special prize.

In all my years of watching sumo and the peripheral shows, I have never seen such extensive coverage given to an M13 rikishi who withdrew after day 13 with a 9-5 record. Endoh received as much time in this segment as the rest of the sumos put together, which is incredible when you note that the yusho was actually decided on this day. It's just a harbinger of things to come, and the future of sumo in Japan is Endoh. It will be interesting to see how long Hakuho decides to fight before retiring, but just be prepared for the onslaught of Endoh coverage. As for me, I'm excited about the emergence of Endoh because he has tools and the maturity that we have yet to see from any other Japanese rikishi in the last decade.

Okay, I'll end here so as to not type my entire post-basho report in my day 14 comments. Besides, Clancy is scheduled to wrap'er all up on senshuraku.

Day 13 Comments (Mike Wesemann reporting)
That big whooshing sound you hear is the air being let out of this basho's bubble. Normally day 13 is the most pivotal day in the basho because by the day's end, the leaderboard is whittled down to just the legitimate contenders, and that list rarely contains more than three rikishi, and while we do still technically have one rikishi left besides Hakuho, we don't have any rikishi left besides Hakuho. Adding insult to injury, Endoh's debut was put into a little bit better perspective as he experienced his first bout against a sanyaku rikishi. There wasn't much by the day's end to keep the domestic fans excited, but the weekend is already a sell-out so who really cares? Enough was established over the first 13 days to give the Sumo Association plenty of storylines to market the Kyushu basho in six weeks or so.

Turning our attention to the day 13 bouts, let's focus first on the rikishi occupying the leaderboard, which looked like this:

1 loss: Hakuho
2 losses: Kisenosato
3 losses: Harumafuji, Kakuryu, Endoh

Of the three-loss rikishi, M13 Endoh is the most compelling, so let's start there as he would receive his first sanyaku test by battling Komusubi Tochiohzan. As he has done throughout the basho, Endoh fished for the left inside position at tachi-ai, and Tochiohzan complied agreeing to the hidari-yotsu stance but not before ensuring his left would be deeper and coupled with the right outer grip. Before the two rikishi could really settle in, Endoh had no room to move as Oh just pulled him in tight threatening the outer belt throw and finishing with a left scoop throw instead. This was way too easy for the Komusubi, and Endoh should quickly learn that at this level on the banzuke, you don't just fish for your position at the tachi-ai; you demand it. The media is reporting that Endoh injured his left ankle in his day 12 affair with Tokushoryu, and this could have contributed to the lopsided nature of this match, but we'll never know as Endoh's ankle was further aggravated in today's bout causing him to withdraw from the basho. As for Tochiohzan Sensei, he improves to 7-6 and should score kachi-koshi in the end. Before we move on, I just loved the dynamics of this bout where you had a kid whose only been in the sport for three basho being schooled by a sanyaku rikishi. It's almost best that Tochiohzan won this go-around because you don't want Endoh to get over confident.

With Endoh off the board, let's next turn to Yokozuna Harumafuji who faced Ozeki Kotoshogiku in the day's penultimate bout. Harumafuji left himself wide open at the tachi-ai allowing the Ozeki to just crash in tight gaining the left inside position. The Yokozuna had his own left arm inside and a brief right outer grip to boot, but he was too upright as Kotoshogiku easily walked him straight back and across the straw. Harumafuji lost this one at the tachi-ai, and if the bout was thrown, the acting was good enough. If he actually intended on winning this one, shame shame everyone knows his name because a Yokozuna should never lose in a linear fashion after a head on collision at the starting lines. I suspect Harumafuji left himself open at the tachi-ai on purpose, and the pic at right shows him in awful position to counter at the edge further leading me to believe he gave this one away.  I mean, look at his left hand in no man's land giving the Geeku a sweet bear hug and little else.  Regardless he falls to 9-4 and off the leaderboard. As for Kotoshogiku, he picks up kachi-koshi improving to 8-5.

Our final three-loss rikishi was Ozeki Kakuryu who received today's stiffest challenge drawing Yokozuna Hakuho. The Yokozuna came hard at the tachi-ai getting the usual right inside position followed by the left outer grip, and all the slippery Kak could do was weasel out of the impending doom and flee, but he could only get a half step before Hakuho just stroked him hard from behind spilling the Kak all the way into the second row. Trust me, this one wasn't pretty as Hakuho improved to 12-1 officially knocking Kakuryu outta the race with a 9-4 record.

So with all of the three-loss rikishi suffering defeats and Hakuho maintaining his one-loss status, it was up to Ozeki Kisenosato to keep things interesting by trying to solve Sekiwake Goeido. The Ozeki actually came with a moro-te-zuki tachi-ai, but it was slow in its development (meaning there was no thrust with the legs), and so Goeido was able to slip to his left getting the left arm to the inside in the process, and before Kisenosato could really adjust, the Father forced the Ozeki over to the edge and pushed him across the straw with a right paw to Kisenosato's left teet. At this point Endoh had already lost, and so when Kisenosato went down, it was so quiet in the venue that even the librarians on hand got uncomfortable. Goeido improved to 9-4 with the win and should be a lock for the Shukunsho, and while Kisenosato does fall to 10-3, there's still a mathematical (okay, let me compose myself as I finish this sentence) chance that he can take the yusho. I'm not even going to break down the scenario because it won't happen, but it is important that when they show the leaderboard at the start of the day 14 broadcast it will look like this:

1 loss: Hakuho
3 losses: Kisenosato

When a bout is thrown in sumo, people need to be careful and not rush to judgment thinking the funny bidness occurred in order to propel someone to the yusho because that is rarely the case. Instead, one only need to grasp the politics of the situation at hand to understand why someone would defer a bout to another. For example, Endoh's losing to Jokoryu early on made sense if you understand the senpai/kohai relationship so prevalent in Japanese culture. And that same senpai/kohai relationship is why the Association has established a rule that stable mates and biological brothers are not to fight at a hon-basho because you'd never get a straight up match.

The reason I bring this up now is to illustrate that having Kisenosato on that leaderboard instead of Harumafuji is vital. We all know that the Kid doesn't stand a chance, but what if Harumafuji had beaten the Kisenosato a few days ago leaving Hakuho and Harumafuji at the top of the leaderboard the final four days? Nobody is interested in that, but a timely loss by Hakuho coupled with Kisenosato's victory over Harumafuji kept a leaderboard intact that would hold the interest of Japanese fans at least for a couple of days with both Kisenosato and Endoh on the board. Hakuho is going to take the Aki basho yusho as expected, but it's also important to realize how yaocho is still used to benefit the sport as a whole, and we can see that as Kisenosato is still officially on the leaderboard heading into day 14.

With the yusho talk taken care of, let's now shift our focus to other bouts of interest. Sekiwake Myogiryu was kept at bay by M2 Aoiyama's long tsuppari from the tachi-ai, but Aoiyama abandoned that technique and went for a senseless pull opening up the inside to Myogiryu, who pounced and scored the oshi-dashi win from there. Myogiryu's kachi-koshi hopes are still alive at 6-7 while Aoiyama's make-koshi is official at 5-8.

M4 Toyohibiki nudged Komusubi Takayasu back pushing with his long arms, but he extended himself way too far allowing Takayasu to quickly move to the right and shove the Hutt down for ugly win. I question whether Toyohibiki was trying his hardest in this one as both guys end the day at 5-8.

M3 Chiyotairyu used two big sloppy shoves to bludgeon M1 Ikioi back and across the straw just before Chiyotairyu flopped down himself to the dohyo. The only reason I bring this bout up is because Chiyonofuji was in the booth today providing color, and he stated, "I'd grade him 100% in that bout if he hadn't of fallen down." It's the perfect point because we know Chiyotairyu can beat anybody in the bidness, but his attack has got to be better grounded. It's just not normal to crush a guy back in less than two seconds and still end up on the dirt yourself. Suri-ashi my man, suri-ashi. It's too little too late for Chiyotairyu who moves to 5-8 while Ikioi is one worse at 4-9.

Though he's probably my least favorite guy in the division, M11 Takekaze finished off M4 Kaisei in spectacular fashion after Kasei was too wide at tachi-ai unable to capitalize on Takekaze's immediate retreat. As a result Takekaze slapped his way into moro-zashi and then used a nifty uchi-gake leg trip with right leg to spill his larger foe to the dohyo. Kaisei falls to 6-7 with the loss and didn't really seem to be trying in this one as Takekaze picks up kachi-koshi at 8-5.

M5 Tokitenku moved left grabbing the cheap left frontal belt against M11 Tochinowaka, but Tochi-Slow-Walkah just burrowed his right shoulder into Tenku's torso as the Mongolian moved back to his left knocking Tokitenku across the straw in a hurry. This was great footwork from Tochinowaka who has somehow found himself in great position now at 7-6. Tokitenku suffers make-koshi at 5-8, and it serves him right for trying to stave off make-koshi with a cheap henka.

M13 Homasho was befuddled a bit by M5 Aminishiki's low tachi-ai, and the two dudes touched heads briefly while both fished for the pulldown opening in a cat and mouse affair. There's really nothing to break down here as Aminishiki pounced first pushing Homasho down by his right butt cheek only to briefly touch the outside belt for the official uwate-dashi-nage win that saw Aminishiki propelled to 9-4 while Homasho takes a passive page out of Endoh's tachi-ai falling to 8-5.

You gotta hand it to M6 Kyokutenho who picked up kachi-koshi today by executing a perfect hari-zashi with the left hand against M12 Sadanofuji slapping first and then inserting that same left hand to the inside. Before Sadanofuji knew what had hit him, Kyokutenho had him driven back and across the straw without argument. It's 8-5 for Tenho who kachi-koshi's at the age of 39! Sadanofuji is still alive and well at 7-6.

Speaking of alive and well, M14 Masunoyama read M7 Aran's tachi-ai henka to the left beautifully and forced the Bouncer back and out in a second flat. Spalding improves to 7-6 while Aran is officially my least favorite rikishi in the division (sorry Takekaze) falling to 3-10.

And finally, in a battle of seven and fivers, M7 Toyonoshima failed to get inside from the tachi-ai due to M16 Tamawashi's left choke hold, and Tamawashi's tsuppari were just too long for Tugboat to do anything, so The Mawashi gradually pinned his foe against the edge and pushed him out picking up kachi-koshi in the process.

There will be very little to break down tomorrow, and Kisenosato has a 0% chance of defeating Hakuho unless the Yokozuna wants it that way. Had Endoh continued to fight, his quest for a special prize would have been a minor storyline, but other than that, I can guarantee you that it will be a short report tomorrow.

Until then.

Day 12 Comments (Martin Matra reporting)
As usual, I'm finding myself at a nearly complete loss as to what I could possibly say in an intro to a report – don't get me wrong, this a compliment to the other writers, as they leave few stones unturned in their own overview of the current basho. Of course, I could bore you with details about my personal life, but I'm not nearly as confident as Clancy that you even remotely care about whether the equinox is a national holiday in Romania (it isn't). For what it's worth, in the past few years I've been studying quite a bit of Japanese, and I find myself particularly drawn to their writing system, the kanji, to the extent that I'm taking JLPT N1 in December after passing (barely) N2 last year. If I pass this one as well, I'm pretty sure I'll add the feat to my claim to fame. However, for those of you who don't know what I'm gonna be up against, Mike warned me that the exam "will kick your ass", and I'm confident he knows what he's talking about, since he took and passed the same level many moons ago. Anyway...

It was a bit disheartening to see 37-year old Wakanosato have no answer for Juryo visitor Chiyonokuni's spirited pushing attack, but it wasn't surprising. It's pretty amazing he's survived so far in Makuuchi, but I don't think he'll be able to carry on much longer, as the loss sends him into double digit loss territory. As for his much younger opponent, he doesn't really belong in Juryo, injury being to blame for this most recent visit.

Masunoyama evened his score, sending Tamaasuka to his make-koshi in the process. The initial charge left things undecided, as both men struggled for any sort of grip or position. They eventually settled into an anxious hidari-yotsu, but Masunoyama took the initiative by using pure power to lift into his opponent's pit and going to the inside on the other side as well. It proved to be enough, as he soon finished off his compromised foe with yori-taoshi and proceeded to gasp and pant his way into the victory squat (which I still don't know what is called, even after following sumo for several years).

Next up, Tamawashi (who's neither round as a ball, nor swift as an eagle) was really sharp, dismantling Joke-oryu with a precise thrusting attack. Jokoryu was beaten so badly that the bout ended with an oshi-taoshi which bent Jokoryu's knee in a painfully awkward way. Both guys are on the hill at 7-5.

Tochinowaka vs. Homasho looked more like butsukari-geiko than a real sumo bout, as Homasho only put up token resistance and tried absolutely zero counter moves. With all the yaocho going on these days and Homasho at 8 wins already, I'm not surprised, but I still feel a bit cheated. Lee improves to 6-6 with the gimme.

And while we're talking about gimme's... the MIB stepped in to contribute to the overall atmosphere of... how do I describe this? I guess 'hoax' is a bit mild. Tokushoryu henka'd Japan's new sweetheart Endo (you should've heard the cheers when he stepped on the dohyo during the dohyo-iri) and from there beat his inexperienced ass into a pulp. However, much to everyone's surprise, including the two rikishi, a mono-ii was called. For more than a minute, the shinpanzees argued louder than usual, and when the kangaroo court was over, a REMATCH was called for. Which, as fate would have it, was won by Endo, much to the delight of the predominantly sumo-ignorant crowd in the Kokugikan. Knowing he was robbed, Tokushoryu showed his indignation visibly as he got back up on the dohyo after being pushed out, even muttering something with no particularly visible direction (though I have a sneaking suspicion I know who it was addressed to and what it consisted of). At the end of the day, Endo stays on the leader board with 9 wins, whereas Tokushoryu (5-7) inches ever so closer to make-koshi.

The next one wasn't nearly as exciting, as Shotenro (5-7) hit Sadanofuji (7-5) really hard, got a left on the inside and pushed his larger opponent right out. Not much more to comment on, really.

Aran continued his run of piss-poor performances as he blew away a double-grip advantage in an instant, due to having the balance of a 3-year old. The Ossetian successfully kept Tenkaiho at bay for a while, with an elbow to the grill, and put himself in prime position, getting into migi-yotsu and enjoying the left uwate as well. Tenkaiho held on with only the right inside, so Aran soon tried the force-out, but Tenkaiho used his mawashi grip to counter and throw Aran to his 9th loss. In a word, Aran's sumo would have to be described as simply “bad” this basho, and his trademark pose of indignant disbelief is all the more hilarious given the content of the bouts themselves. Tenkaiho improves to 7-5.

Takekaze went for the cheapie as he henka'd Toyonoshima (for what it's worth, Takekaze owns Toyonoshima, their head to head is 16-6), but the Kami of sumo were watching today, and Toyonoshima was able to recover, stand his ground against the follow-up push from Kaze, and ultimately evade for the successful serves-you-right pulldown. This conclusion makes both rikishi's scores even seven fives.

Kotoyuki decided to capitalize on Kitataiki's overeagerness (fuck you, spell check, it SHOULD be a word) or otherwise was just a big asshole, as he henka'd the daylights out of him for the quick and dirty win, delaying his make-koshi for at least another day. Kitataiki shares the same 5-7 mark.

Tokitenku's timing was way, way off once again (and I can't help but wonder how this pattern CAN'T be connected with the time kanji in his shikona), as he jumped the gun on Gagamaru, but for some reason they weren't stopped. Tenku needed no special invitation to grab the free (not even cheap) left uwate and gain a solid position in Gagamaru's large flank. There was really no way the Big Georgian could win from that position, and Tokitenku took a little time and a few revolutions to take Gaga off balance and dump his to his face by uwate-dashi-nage. These two share a 5-7 as well, wouldn't you know it.

Takarafuji literally doubled his wins today by weathering the tsuppari storm from the beefy Fujiazuma and timing his sideways thrust to perfection for the tsuki-otoshi. Fujiazuma isn't faring much better at only 3-9 himself.

Shohozan evened his win-loss ratio with a chokehold oshi-dashi at Kyokutenho's expense, after charging carefully enough to deny the long-armed ex-Mongol any sort of mawashi grip. Tenho falls to 7-5.

Aoiyama and Ikioi were the protagonists of one of the longer... warm-ups of the day, failing to synchronize twice, before proceeding with a technically and tactically unappealing mess of a bout. Both men traded thrusts and none of them had any real intention of going in close, and it was Ikioi's ikioi which made the difference in the end as he outlasted his fatter European foe and earned his 4th win. Aoiyama still holds some hope, at a dangerous 5-7.

Tochiohzan vs. Kaisei went down pretty much as I (or, for that matter, anyone who's watched a little sumo) had predicted, with Oh quickly working his way into a double grip, pushing his bigger, slower opponent to the edge where, at the first sign of resistance, he shifted into reverse, pushing the outmatched Brazilian down. The number of 6's in these two's records makes Mike a little... hot under the collar, ifyaknowwhaddaImean.

Chiyotairyu had to do a little fishing to get the right uwate from Takayasu, but he did get it in the end and won by yori-kiri, evening the men's scores to 4 apiece.

Myogiryu inched a little closer to make-koshi when he couldn't budge Okinoumi, despite having both hands in at some point after the tachi-ai. Okinoumi (6-6) survives with the strange win and now has a realistic chance to get 8, as I was saying a coupla days ago.

While it was sweet to see Goeido show good awareness and reflexes to foil a henka, perpetrated by Aminishiki, no less, the Father's overall sumo this basho left me with a poor impression, topped by the VERY poor job he and Hakuho did two days ago. As the dust settles, Aminishiki and Goeido both stand at 8-4, but only one of the two truly deserves it.

Kakuryu earned his 9th win by stopping Toyohibiki's charge and then backing up and letting the larger man go with the flow... down to yet another loss. With the win, Fishy stays on the virtual leader board, but somehow I don't see him taking down either Yokozuna. Toyohibiki still has an outside chance to grace higher ranks in November, but he'd be wise not to, unless he's OK with a thrashing to the tune of 3-12.

Hakuho looked a bit passive but never out of control vs. Kotoshogiku, stopping the Ozeki dead in his tracks, getting a hand on the inside, then executing the pulldown he so masterfully does time after time – except when he's trying to lose on purpose. 11-1 means he's not really in the mood for giving up the yusho, but with Kisenosato just one win behind... you can't be too sure. The Geeku has 3 tries to get that last win he needs, and something tells me it won't be a problem.

Kisenosato defended Japanese national pride by hanging in there against a Harumafuji who didn't really care much about winning. I'm not really in the mood for dissecting the bout recording frame by frame to point out the not so few opportunities Ex-Ama had to grab various belt grips, but take my word for it, they were there. And I'm equally not in the mood for explaining the possible motives for giving up the win – if you MUST read those, just mosey on over to Mike's day 11. Kisenosato goes into double digits with the kata-sukashi win (the third in a row, and in the last three bouts of the day, no less, for those of you inclined to be entertained by such statistically anomalous occurrences), while Harumafuji gracefully bows out of the yusho race and is a prime candidate for getting Kotoshogiku over the line tomorrow.

It'll be interesting, for a change, to see how the yusho race concludes, though I don't think there are too many chances for the cup to go to any other trophy case than Hakuho's. With sumo in dire need of some Japanese hope, though, I wouldn't be surprised to see Kisenosato in a play-off or something. It will also be interesting to see how Exo fares in the last three days, after it became clear he's being blatantly helped up. No matter how he does, he's guaranteed to get a healthy boost up the rankings, where I expect him to hit the wall hard next basho.

This is it from me for now, I guess I'll be seeing you again briefly in November. Mike steps up to the plate tomorrow – hope he gets something juicy to report on, though.

Day 11 Comments (Mike Wesemann reporting)
Oh what a difference a single bout can make in terms of maintaining interest in a basho. When NHK began the broadcast on day 9, the message being sent was don't give up, and that was when Kisenosato was still just one off the lead. After the Kid was defeated on day 9 by Chiyotairyu, it left Hakuho alone at 9-0 running away with this thing and the next closest competitors two back at 7-2. There is not a rikishi on this banzuke capable of running Hakuho down from behind with even one loss let alone two losses, and so I think at the end of day 9 Miyagino-oyakata and/or Yokozuna Hakuho decided that it would be best to take a hit for the great good of the Aki basho.

After day 9, the Sumo Association's leaderboard looked like this:

0 losses: Hakuho
2 losses: Kisenosato, Harumafuji

After day 10, the leaderboard was adjusted to look like this:

1 loss: Hakuho
2 losses: Harumafuji, Kisenosato, Homasho
3 losses: Kakuryu, Goeido, Aminishiki, Kyokutenho, Endoh

See a difference?

You have to be careful after observing a yaocho not to immediately think, "Oh they're setting up this or that rikishi to yusho." No, they're creating a situation where it looks as if more rikishi have a chance to yusho thus maintaining interest in the basho because after day 9, there was zero interest. Hakuho is still the clear favorite, and I would put odds of his hoisting the cup at about 95%, but nothing that occurs on the dohyo these days surprises me anymore. Just be content that what ever happens will be correctly analyzed and explained on this website.

With that in mind, let's work our way up the leaderboard starting from the three loss rikishi.

First up was one of the more compelling bouts of the day featuring the veteran of all vets in M6 Kyokutenho vs. the rookie of all rookies in M13 Endoh. Endoh has proven to be a bulldog at the belt, but Kyokutenho isn't still on the banzuke at 39 because he's a dumbass. Rather, he's still one of the most potent belt fighters out there, so the question was could Endoh's youth and strength befuddle Kyokutenho's age and experience? Unfortunately, we would not get our answer. As the two hooked up in the hidari-yotsu position, Endoh got his usual left arm to the inside while Kyokutenho simply placed his left arm where it should have been not grabbing the belt nor trying to get it in tight. At this point, Endoh musta sensed something was going on because he just grabbed the right frontal belt that was wide open and spun Kyokutenho around and down like a windmill using a right belt throw.

As I watched the replays of this, I focused on Kyokutenho's left arm, and it was clear that he had no intention of putting up a fight. Dude's been around for twenty years and has fought the likes of Akebono, Takanohana, Musashimaru, Asashoryu, Hakuho, and even Baruto, and nobody has ever flipped him as Endoh did today not to mention less than two seconds in and from the center of the ring. The only time I've seen a guy go down to the dohyo as Tenho did today was in the practice ring at the end of a butsukari-geiko session where the rikishi actually practice taking dives...uh...because they would never think of throwing a bout of course, but because...because they need to learn how to fall so as to avoid getting injured (whew). In all seriousness, this was straight up yaocho and there is zero argument against it as Endoh secures kachi-koshi at 8-3 while Kyokutenho falls to 7-4. And no, this does not mean they're setting Endoh up for the yusho; it means that someone in Kyokutenho's camp felt it best if Endoh picked up the win today for whatever reason. The result is Endoh staying on the leaderboard and Kyokutenho dropping off.

Next up in the three-loss category was M5 Aminishiki who looked to receive a stiff test from the semi-resurgent M1 Shohozan. Shohozan looked to dictate the bout early using his tsuppari attack, but with no legs behind the move Ami was able to sneak in for the left inside and quick right kote-nage throw that put Shohozan on his heels. That move seemed to wake the M1 up because he realigned chests with his opponent, failed on a maki-kae, but still just bodied Aminishiki back and down across the straw with some oomph. Or so it seemed. As Aminishiki fell backwards, he executed an utchari with the left arm pushing Shohozan laterally and forcing the M1 to step beyond the ring before Aminishiki hit himself. A mono-ii was called that correctly declared Shneakiy the winner, so he picks up kachi-koshi and remains a nuisance on the leaderboard. Shohozan falls to 5-6 but should get easier opponents the rest of the way.

Our next three-loss rikishi was Ozeki Kakuryu, who didn't take his 1-9 opponent in M3 Takarafuji seriously, but can you blame him? The Kak used lazy tsuppari to keep Takarafuji upright setting up the eventual left inside position and right outer grip, and once the Ozeki had that, he still lazily spun Takarafuji around and sent him out from the rear instead of actually scoring the yori-kiri win. Why waste your energy when you've got nothing but tough opponents down the stretch as Kak moves to 8-3.

Our final three-loss rikishi was Sekiwake Goeido who was part of the day's penultimate bout against Yokozuna Harumafuji, who is surprisingly still stuck on just two losses after exhibiting horrible sumo the first 10 days. Kane's posting of that pic yesterday of Harumafuji back when he worked the drive thru at that burger joint must have jogged his memory on how effective a good face slap can be because the Yokozuna dictated this one from the start coming in low and using a series of neck shoves and face slaps to keep the Sekiwake away from the belt. About five seconds in, Harumafuji was able to duck into the right inside position and left outer grip. Goeido lightly countered that with a right sukui-nage attempt, but it was nothing doing as the Yokozuna executed the force-out win from there. The loss knocks Goeido (7-4) off of the leaderboard for good and shows that the bout yesterday between Hakuho and him had nothing to do with propping up a particular rikishi. Harumafuji moves to 9-2 and still has a say in things.

Riding the momentum of his day 1 victory over Endoh, M13 Homasho am sweet needed to solve M11 Takekaze today, and I say solve because you know the last thing Takekaze is going to give you is a fair fight. Homasho approached the bout way too cautiously today holding back at the tachi-ai and feigning interesting on getting to the inside, and so it was a series of threats to get in by Homasho and threats to pull down by Takekaze, and the longer this game went on the more it favored Takekaze who eventually found his opening striking quickly from the side and slapping Homasho down to an 8-3 record. Homasho really needed to get in deep from the start, but against Takekaze (7-4), it's fiddy fiddy he's even going to be there at the tachi-ai. Unfortunate stuff.

Our final two-loss rikishi of the day was Ozeki Kisenosato who led with his left shoulder against M4 Kaisei to keep the Brasilian upright and then silled the dill with a left ottsuke shove placed perfectly under Kaisei's right pit, and as the Ozeki pushed Baby Huey to the side, he caught him with a right choke hold for good measuring sending the M4 back and across the rope via oshi-dashi. Good stuff from Kisenosato, but it ain't gonna work against the other Ozeki and Yokozuna. If Kisenosato (9-2) wants to stay in this yusho game, he's going to have to bring it from the tachi-ai. Kaisei falls to a very respectable 6-5.

With Harumafuji, Kisenosato, Kakuryu, Aminishiki, Endoh, and Homasho all still hanging around, let's move to the leader, Yokozuna Hakuho, who was pit against Sekiwake Myogiryu in the day's final bout. The Yokozuna used that same right inner left tottari attempt tactic at the tachi-ai he used against Goeido, and when it didn't work, he went right back to focusing his efforts on getting to the inside, but Myogiryu kept his left shoulder in so tight it kept the Yokozuna away from his coveted right inner allowing Myogiryu another side push. The problem was that Myogiryu's swipe was a counter move that came in the center of the ring and had no effect other than to compromise his position, so Hakuho came out of the fray with the firm right inside position. Myogiryu tried to slip out of Hakuho's grip making it look like a maki-kae, but before Myogiryu realized he had moro-zashi, the Yokozuna pinched in hard from the outside on both arms and threw Myogiryu over kime-dashi style near the edge of the ring although it was officially ruled kote-nage. Myogiryu (5-6) was feisty enough in this one to make it interesting, but Hakuho never was in any danger as he improves to 10-1 on his way to the yusho.

At this point, let's review the current leaderboard after a few of the three-loss guys were knocked out:

1 loss: Hakuho
2 losses: Harumafuji and Kisenosato
3 losses: Kakuryu, Aminishiki, Endoh, and Homasho

The three-loss rikishi of course don't have a chance but having Endoh even on the leaderboard this late serves a great purpose, and it will be interesting to see who they feed him to over the waning days of the tournament (look out...it's Tokushoryu tomorrow!).

In other bouts of interest on the day, Ozeki Kotoshogiku met up with M3 Chiyotairyu, and this bout was hard to predict because if Chiyotairyu used his balls-to-the-wall tachi-ai moving straight forward, I'd give him the advantage. The problem today was, however, he settled for a straight up hidari-yotsu contest from the tachi-ai, which obviously throws the advantage over to the Ozeki, who used a quick force out charge and then right tsuki-otoshi shove when Chiyotairyu showed the first sign of resistance. It was over in two seconds maybe, and I can't figure out for the life of me why Chiyotairyu didn't attempt a single shove. He deserves his make-koshi this basho at 3-8 while Kotoshogiku can only play the role of spoiler at 7-4.

If Komusubi Tochiohzan is serious about becoming a sanyaku mainstay, he has to take care of business against M2 Okinoumi. All he offered today was a light tachi-ai, and so Okinoumi delivered a left ottsuke that kept Oh's right arm pointing to the other side of his body and away from an inside position. This was key because it allowed the taller Okinoumi to get the left arm to the inside, and when you have two combatants with equal stances (hidari-yotsu in the case of this one), the stronger and/or taller guy is gonna win. Both rikishi threatened right outer grips, but it was Okinoumi who was able to keep his gal upright and leverage the Komusubi back and across the straw with little argument. Both rikishi end the day at 5-6.

Rounding out the sanyaku, Komusubi Takayasu got into a tsuppari-ai with M2 Aoiyama, and the bout turned on a dime when Aoiyama unleashed a right head slap that sent Takayasu over and dangerously close to the dohyo, and before he could regain his wits, Aoiyama jumped him and pushed his opponent down for good. Huge loss for Takayasu who is now on the brink at 4-7 of losing his sanyaku seat. Aoiyama improves to 5-6 with the win.

As for other bouts worth noting, M10 Tokushoryu secured the left inside position and righter outer grip against M7 Aran and immediately escorted the Bouncer out of his own club with a sweet outer belt throw. Aran (3-8) deserves make-koshi after getting his ass handed to him in two seconds by Tokushoryu, who moved to 5-6.

M7 Toyonoshima (6-5) has recovered from his slow start and actually moved his head above water after a hidari-yotsu contest against M14 Masunoyama (5-6) where Tugboat was able to slip his right hand to the inside for moro-zashi and then keep the Michelin Baby in tight before sending him over with a throw that quickly turned into a shoulder slapdown.

When M8 Fujiazuma is 2-8 coming into the day and he still kicks your ass, you've got some issues. And such is the case with M11 Tochinowaka (5-6) who wasn't able to even lean forward in this one as Fujiazuma just pummeled him back and across from the start. Sheesh.

The winner of the M14 Jokoryu - M9 Kotoyuki bout would be determined by the style of sumo...yotsu for Jokoryu and oshi for Kotoyuki. Kotoyuki's initial shove attempt was turned upward as Jokoryu gained the right inside setting up the easy force-out where Kotoyuki just gave up before he was even pushed across. I'm not sure what was wrong with Kotoyuki, but he stood there at the edge of the dohyo slumped over a bit unable to move. I have to assume it was one of his legs because they borrowed that antique wheelchair from the Pawn Stars crew to wheel KY out of the arena, but it's weird when you have a guy with a badly injured leg...whose still standing upright on both feet. Not that anyone cares, but Kotoyuki (4-7) is likely done for the basho while Jokoryu is one win away from kachi-koshi at 7-4.

And finally, we've never seen a Hutt move as fast as we saw M112 Tenkaiho move today securing moro-zashi against M15 Wakanosato (2-9) and escorting the Gangstah back and out in less than two seconds. Tenkaiho improves to 6-5 and made such haste that even Usain Bolt half a world away looked up from his phone ever so briefly feeling a slight disturbance in the Force.

As NHK was wrapping up their broadcast today, they showed the images of three battle worn rikishi making their way up the hana-michi after the final bout: Hakuho, Harumafuji, and Kisenosato. It was the perfect conclusion to a day that signaled to the fans there's plenty more action to come with these warriors coming back for more tomorrow.

Martin'll be ready to break it all down.

Day 10 Comments (Kane Roberts reporting)
Here we are at the beautiful Ryogoku Kokugikan Tokyo Japan for an outstanding evening of world class Sumo! Tonite's bouts feature the Gangtsah' Wakanosato in a do or die match to fend off the fall in rank to Juryo, an exciting Ozeki matchup between two powerhouses- 7-2 Kisenosato and the always potent Kotoshogiku at 6-3. Our big bout of the evening pits super hot Sekiwake 6-3 Goeido against the current undisputed champion and dai-Yokozuna - Hakuho! And as an added bonus (just as in my first report a week ago) a gyogji hits the clay!!!

So let's get it on - Aki Basho 2013 - Day 10!

The night started with Asahisho (on the mend having had his left arm bent about 90% in the wrong direction) defaulting a victory to Juryo dude Takanoiwa who stuck his head in the bigs, grabbed his win card and took a cab home. Let's hope the injured youngster is gonna heal soon!

Next, Tenkaiho and Endoh stepped up on the dohyo as all the nihon hotties (and believe me sumo events are loaded up heavy with 'em) felt their hearts flutter and their trimmed parts twitch. Endoh (6-3) has a certain kinda cool swagger about him…I mean even with the frenetic Yoshikaze doing his best MC Hammer dance steps around him, Elvis just got his work done with out even blinking an eye…sweet! As the crowd cheered and painful high school memories of "cool kid envy" rolled back into (5-4) Tenkaiho's mind, the two young men faced off at the line and all but one in the venue was rooting for the new star.

At the tachi-ai Endoh nailed (and lifted) Tenkaiho with his left shoulder and snagged migi yotsu with his right hand. Tenkaiho chugged his legs and pushed forward, sliding Endoh's right foot to the rope…but the big guy's hands were skillfully tied up by his opponent. Elvis once again displayed purposeful (and powerful) intent as he fought for and leveraged a two hand belt grip and drove the bigger Tenkaiho out of bounds for a solid yori-kiri win. Endoh (7-3) curls his lip while muttering "Thank you very much" and takes another step towards his debut, Makuuchi kachi-koshi.

Stepping up on to the dohyo, M11 Tochinowaka (4-5) and M14 Masunoyama (5-4) both realize they're in critical condition as far as maintaining their Makuuchi status, so from here forward every bout carries some serious weight. Speaking of serious weight it appears Masunoyama always had a propensity for orbicular shapes…

Now his roundness, Masunoyama, will come off the blocks fast and hard (out of necessity because of his small lungs and big heart) and conversely Tochi"slow walkah" as a rule will not…This time, Masunoyama got his oshi seeking mitts into Tochi's throat and started some energetic tsuppari and leg pumping but the taller man weathered the storm while persistently vying for some yotsu advantage. Eventually Masunoyama ran out of gas (oxygen) and Tochinowaka pushed and Masu fell (yori-taoshi) awkwardly to the dirt. This bout was similar to the aforementioned Yoshikaze / Endoh bout except Endoh always seemed in control and unaffected by the tsuppari chaos. Tochi and Masu stand at 5-5.

Tamawashi is another hard tsuppari attacker out of the gate and can power his opponents back to the rope. Thing is, tsuppari specialists like Chiyotaikai lived by the teppo and threw cement blocks at their opponents. Their forward attack was sternly applied until one or both rikishi was flying off the dohyo.

Well, the pleasant-faced Tama did in fact successfully slap his man, M10 Tokushoryu, backwards but then inexplicably Tama tried some kind of grabbing and (Mike warns these guys time and again) backpedalling pull move that ended up handing his opponent a twisting sukui-nage victory. Tamawashi is medium well at 5-5 and Tokushoryu is just a medium 4-6.

Big and fat M9 Gagamaru lost every battle against fat and big M12 Sadanofuji (geez, come to think of it, Endoh came along just in time). Yubabamaru tried an oshi-dashi seeking full frontal shove attack and lost…he tried again and lost…he tried to gain some belt action and lost and then Sadanofuji, now with left and right-handed belt grips, yorikiri'ed the blubbery white guy out of the sacred ring faster than Clancy undresses his female students with his eyes. Gagayubabamarumarumorimori is sitting ugly at 5-5 while Sadanofuji is sitting…well he's sitting at 6-4.

Jokoryu got the better of Yoshikaze and when he flipped the nervous kid over for a kote-nage win, Yoshikaze's foot clocked the gyoji in the face and sent him sprawling to the dirt. Two gyoji knockouts in the same basho…sweet!

Both sumo dudes are 6-4 and the gyoji finally has sumo footage that his grand kids might give a shite about.

Yeah, the gangstah, M15 Wakanosato, has been bullying fresh rikishi around for a while now. Say what you will about him, he's always been one of those straight shooting, tachi-ai tough guys like Dejima and Takamisakari and even coming in with his 2-7 record you know he won't henka. With make-koshi staring him in the face (and a subsequent trip to Juryo) he lined up against the skilled but inconsistent Kitataiki…I was on the edge of my seat!

At the gun Wakanosato came in low (he kinda has to) and lifted Kitataiki up and worked him to the edge. Problem is, our favorite gangstah had a high grip under Kitataiki's armpits and Wakanosato was never know for his lengthy extremities. Kitataiki held off Wakanosato's push and they danced to the middle of the ring where Waka tried to twist his foe to the dirt. They both hit the ground and alas…no mono-ii! M6 Kitataiki is at an unimpressive 4-6 while the gangstah, now 2-8, stared at the Shinpan to no avail and must soon join the subway dwellers.

Kyokutenho, another cuddly veteran who has slapped down father time more than twice, faced off against the dapper Ho-ma-sho-am-sweet! Both men have earned semi solid 7-2 records and the taste of kachi-koshi was stronger than last nights natto omelette with negi and avocado!

Homasho, he of the low and perfectly executed bow, did what he always does…sprung from his crouch with his arms near his sides and worked his enemy back. Upon losing the tachi-ai Kyokutenho had no answer and Sho-am-sweet (fresh from his injury induced Juryo prison sentence) gets a much needed 8-2 while Kyokutenho must wait another day at an impressive 7-3.

On this night, in an attempt to gain slight advantage, Takekaze's usual set of head games included an intentional matta. Things is, across the shikiri-sen was El Shneako Diablo himself - Aminishiki. Yes, the false start took place but the Shneakmeister General doesn't get rattled by bush league tactics…you don't kid a kidder (and it pissed Aminishiki off). He took Takekaze's initial charge, backed up and then slapped his way to a high right hand, low left hand thrusting charge and he literally shoved him into the crowd like he belonged there. They called it oshi-dashi but it was more like "a to the motherf…in' k homeboy". Sheaky is a mensch at 7-3 while Takekaze checks out tomorrow's ticket prices at 6-4.

I'm liking Chiyotairyu. His honest bouts reveal he's a tough kid who's got some serious game in him and as a bonus he's still on the vertical sumo skill curve. I do believe that facing off against Kakuryu can't be a lot of fun. I mean if you run into his truck when he's carrying a full payload it get can get nasty in there. At the tachi-ai Kak head butted the kids jaw so hard it was Boom Out Goes The Lights. Chia Pet fought on instinct for a second and then crumbled to the killing floor. Uwate-dashi-nage was the call. Kakuryu is at his customary 7-3 and Chiyotairyu retreats at 3-7. As a final note, I get the feeling that these losses will be learning experiences for the kid and he'll be back hopefully with some new found savvy and toughness.

And now for one of the marquis battles of the night - (7-2) Ozeki - Kisenosato and (6-3) Ozeki Kotoshogiku. They come in at 19 wins for Kisenosato and 27 wins for Kotoshogiku but lately they've been trading wins fairly evenly.

At the tachi-ai they met with tremendous force and Kotoshogiku gained strong position as he lifted Kisenosato up and back, but the Kid's stance was real strong (not aligned). Giku drove hard attempting his signature belly joisting move but Kise would have no part of it.

Giku would repeatedly gain a yotsu grip (migi and or hidari) only to lose it moments later. Kisenosato twisted repeatedly, looking to leverage his hip under Giku some kind of nage win while Giku countered with his own heavy shoves and chugging legs. Kisenosato's footwork was spot on as he wouldn't allow Kotoshogiku to move him effectively.

In the center of the dohyo they fought for yotsu terrain, twisting and turning each other away from strong belt grips. When Kotoshogiku made a final attempt, Kisenosato worked him out of the winners circle for a well earned yori-kiri and Mike's words rang true once again. Sure Giku got some skills but he ran outta gas 'cause he's running outta gas.

Great effort on both men's part_ Kise stands at 8-2 while Giku falls to 6-4.

Next up, King Hakuho and Lost Boy Goeido. Now "which way did he Goeido" usually is all over the map. I mean basho to basho he shows a wide range of excellence and lameness and at the end of the day we're usually left with wondering where his potential goes from day to day. But this basho he's been pretty darn good and he's got the Japanese crowd with him and uhhh the Sumo Association would like to see him do something like maybe beat a Mongolian and make the basho a bit more interesting and well you know…come on willya?

At the bell, Yokozuna Hakuho offered up a light hari-te to Goeido's Sekiwake mug and then instead of grabbing his belt, he slipped back and grabbed his arm and pulled. Goeido easily slipped out of his grip and Hakuho uncharacteristically tried a light pull down but thought better of it. During this Goeido was moving around a lot but not really demonstrating any offense or even defense. Hakuho decided to back up and spin Goeido around and then run both of them towards the rope where he jumped off the dohyo. Goeido pushed finally but Hak was already on his way out. Incredibly, the win and the loss both go to Hakuho! Hak is at 9-1 while Goeido sits at 7-3.

The commentators mentioned that Harumafuji's sumo this basho started bad but he's improving. Ya think? I mean after pulling off the big pussy move of the year with that water boy shove (actually he's known for shoving people at the wrong time on and off the dohyo) and then dissing Chiyotairyu just because he got worked by the kid, Haru's got more than just his ersatz sumo to straighten out.

Haru needs to A. get back to the insanely powerful tachi-ai and smart sumo that got him here and B. go back to his roots (maybe even back to when he was a young kid) find himself as and own the Yokozuna title. He'll never pull off the same badass attitude as Asashoryu or dominant stature of Hakuho. He's on stage, not just the dohyo and that takes a confident understanding of how the Yokozuna kimono fits and then you just roll with it.


Look, this is what happens when you try too hard to be something you're not.


At the tachi-ai Harumafuji stepped to the side and threw Kaisei to the ground…hiki-waza matta for you ay? Henka? Hey I'ma shesa don't know. But I'll tell you I enjoyed the Wakanosato bout a whole shiteload more than this trivial trip to Nowheresville. Maybe Harumafuji is INJURED or then again maybe he HAS found himself.

Either way…Ama she'sa gonna go and have a burger and hope that something like THIS is on the other end of it.

Day 9 Comments (Mike Wesemann reporting)
As we turn our attention to the second week of the basho, it's time to focus on the yusho race. The only problem with this basho is there's no yusho race to speak of. I think this was evident as NHK started their broadcast today by reviewing the career of former Ozeki Kotokaze (current Oguruma-oyakata). In a nutshell, he was the former prodigy of former Yokozuna, Kotozakura, and he reached the Makuuchi division in Hatsu 1979 with high hopes only to be derailed two years later by a serious left knee injury. He came back from that injury only to tweak the knee again at the Nagoya basho a year later. After coming back yet again from the 1980 Nagoya basho, Kotokaze went on a nifty run exactly 32 years ago capturing his first career yusho at the 1981 Aki basho. For sumo fans in Japan, Oguruma-oyakata is one of the most endearing figures in the Association, and although I never saw him fight as an active rikishi, he quickly became one of my favorites due to his unique insight--and lisp--as he gave analysis of the bouts on the NHK broadcast itself and the now defunct Sumo Digest.

The feature on Kotokaze was a pull at the heartstrings of sumo fans and perfect for a holiday in Japan when NHK and the Association knew that ratings would be high. After the short trip down memory lane ended, Tamanoi-oyakata (former Tochiazuma), who provided color analysis on the day, talked about the importance of never giving up (akiramenai koto). When Tochiazuma was done, they next introduced none other than Takamisakari in the mukou joumen chair, and when asked for his thoughts on Kotokaze, he also repeated the obviously planted line of never giving up, and so I think the start of the broadcast today was an attempt to remind the Japanese fans not to give up on the basho first, and don't give up on the Japanese rikishi second. Hakuho's picking up his 27th career yusho is a given at this point unless there is some serious yaocho later in the week, and so with a Mongolian closing in on extreme record territory with little relief in the short term, the Association needs to reassure the domestic fans not to give up.

Before I get to the bouts today, I just have to make one final comment on Takamisakari. It's a smart move to sit him in that chair on a holiday, and while I wish they'd make him a part of the broadcast more than just one day per tournament, where do they find these fans who always seem to be surrounding the oyakata when he's on television? If Disney's serious about making more Star Wars movies and they want to do a new Mos Eisley cantina scene, they don't even need a casting call; just locate the fans sitting close to Takamisakari during these broadcasts.

On that note, I'll start off my day 9 comments by breaking down the leaderboard and listing the rikishi who have a chance to yusho and why:

Rikishi         Reason
Hakuho      Just because

Today, the dai-Yokozuna was challenged by M4 Toyohibiki (yes, I typed that last phrase with a straight face) who was unfortunately for him summoned in the absence of Kotooshu. This one took 3/4 of a second with Hakuho getting the right inside at the tachi-ai and then easily using a left tsuki to the side of Toyo the Hutt sending him down to the dirt in a giant heap. As the dust settled, Hakuho stood at 9-0 while Toyohibiki fell to 4-5.

In other bouts of interest...

As bad as Yokozuna Harumafuji has looked this basho, he still came into the day with just two losses. The problem, though, is that the majority of those six wins were with crap sumo. I mean, it's one thing for Aminishiki to sneak around the ring and use trickery to pile up wins, but a Yokozuna? I think Kane's description of Yokozeki is more apt for Harumafuji's current ability. Today in what promised to be a feisty affair against Sekiwake Myogiryu, Harumafuji came with tsuppari but then immediately went for a pull creating separation between the two combatants. As Myogiryu looked to get in close, Harumafuji was just too busy throwing out wild shoves, pull attempts, and the occasional face slap. In the end, Harumafuji found an opening and pushed Myogiryu (4-5) out for the win, but this tasted more like hobo stew than it did savory sumo. Harumafuji moves to 7-2, but this has been a terrible basho for him. I expect a bout featuring a Yokozuna to be a linear affair or at least a contest where both parties are in control.

In our Ozeki duel for the day, Kakuryu and Kotoshogiku hooked up in the immediate hidari-yotsu position, and Kakuryu actually grabbed the right outer first, but it was just one fold of the Geeku's belt. Kotoshogiku easily shook that off and worked his left shoulder firmly beneath the Kak's chin securing his own right outer in the process, and this was a position from which Kakuryu could not counter. The yori-kiri by Kotoshogiku was textbook, and I just didn't see a lot of fire and determination from Kakuryu in this one for whatever reason. Both Ozeki stand at 6-3.

I guess Ozeki Kisenosato was technically in the yusho hunt coming into the day at 7-1, but we all knew he wasn't. M3 Chiyotairyu just crushed the Ozeki back from the tachi-ai a full step, and it was nice to see him follow that up with a second volley because with this guy lately, it's been one step forward (at the tachi-ai) and then two steps back. Chiyotairyu actually committed so hard on his second shove attempt that he fell over and down to the clay, but not before Kisenosato's right foot was knocked across the tawara and into the soft sand just beyond. If Chiyotairyu could only trust in his forward moving sumo he'd be nigh unto unstoppable. Until then, a 3-6 record from this level is still considered a failure. Kisenosato drops to 7-2 and never even had a chance to counter in this one.

Just when I start to get excited about Sekiwake Goeido, he redefines the term Suckiwake by henka'ing M2 Aoiyama for the quick and dirty win. You have a guy slumping in Aoiyama (3-6); yet, you're not confident enough to take him straight up? Lousy win for Goeido who improves in record only to 6-3.

M1 Shohozan has continued to use that feisty tsuppari attack from the tachi-ai, but his legs were missing in his bout against Komusubi Tochiohzan today. Shohozan was actually able to raise Oh upright with his initial thrusts, but with no de-ashi, Tochiohzan just stood there watching him flail away until he saw an opening to Shohozan's right side whereupon he got the right hand placed perfectly under Matutano's left pit and tsuki-otoshi'ed his nacho cheesy arse down to the clay with a single thrust. Both rikishi stand at 5-4, and we can see the veteran Tochiohzan recovering from the brutal Komusubi schedule early on while Shohozan is forgetting the brand of sumo that got him this far in the first place.

M1 Ikioi was wide open at the tachi-ai against Komusubi Takayasu going for the quick and dirty pull down that nearly worked, but once Takayasu was able to gather his wits, he easily recovered and managed to get the left arm to the inside allowing him to secure moro-zashi and drive Ikioi clear across the dohyo and out in a wild affair. Takayasu still has hope at 3-6 while Ikioi is hope less at 1-8.

One of my favorite bouts today featured M2 Okinoumi vs. M3 Takarafuji where the two hooked up in hidari-yotsu early on before Okinoumi pressed the action by lifting Takarafuji upright to the extent he was able to secure the right outer grip, and once he obtained that, it was curtains for Takarafuji. Okinoumi moves to 4-5 with the textbook yori-kiri win while Takarafuji falls to 1-8.

M7 Toyonoshima finally got moro-zashi on someone, and today's victim was M4 Kaisei, but the Brasilian would not go quietly using a stubborn right outer grip to counter and stay alive at the edge. After a few seconds of wrangling, Toyonoshima finally offered a simple kiri-kaeshi (thigh) trip, and that provided enough of a momentum shift that allowed him to finally force Kaisei across the straw with the inside grip. Great adjustment from Toyonoshima who moves to 4-5 while Kaisei is still a threat to take over a Komusubi rank for Kyushu at 6-3.

M6 Kitataiki ducked low at the tachi-ai against M5 Tokitenku getting the right arm to the inside whereupon Tenku went for a senseless pull attempt that result in his being escorted off the dohyo and into the front row as both gentleman end the day at 3-6.

M5 Aminishiki had dominated M6 Kyokutenho lately, but it's not due to straight up sumo, and today was no different as he tried to sneak into the cheap inside position by moving left, but the Chauffer responded well grabbing the solid right outer grip, and as Aminishiki rushed his left scoop throw attempt at the edge, Kyokutenho forced him down across the straw for the win. Sort of.  Aminishiki actually pulled off one of the more athletic moves of the basho arching his back low over the straw in the limbo dance style as he waited for Tenho to put his right hand down to the dirt.  The gyogji ruled for Tenho, and a mono-ii was called where they ruled Aminishiki was not upright enough to be in position to win, so the initial ruling stood.  I don't know; I thought Aminishiki (6-3) pulled off the brilliant utchari, but it's Kyokutenho who scoots to 7-2.

M9 Gagamaru and M7 Aran redefined the term "slow motion" at the tachi-ai where Aran threatened moro-zashi but wasted it by moving to the side trying to push Gagamaru laterally. Yubabamaru got the left arm to the inside and pressed the action from there pinning Aran up against the edge where he grabbed the right outer and bounced his foe back for good scoring the sweet yori-kiri win. Gagamaru moves above .500 for the first time at 5-4 while Aran is 3-6.

M8 Fujiazuma (1-8) suffered an early make-koshi while is tsuppari attack sans de-ashi was useless against M12 Sadanofuji. The latter just watched Fujiazuma throughout the bout folowing him around the ring until he saw an opening and then pounced for the oshi-dashi win. Sada didn't even need his might today as he improves to 5-4.

M13 Endoh stuck like glue to M8 Yoshikaze at the tachi-ai with a left inside grip despite a quick shoulder-pull attempt from Cafe, and with Yoshikaze having committed on the pull, Endoh burrowed in deep, pulled his gal close, and secured the left outer grip. From there it was a foregone conclusion as the King scored the easy force-out win moving to 6-3 in the process, the same record held by Yoshikaze.

M9 Kotoyuki stuck to his brand of sumo today largely because he was fighting M15 Tamaasuka. Nothing to break down here as Kotoyuki pressed straight forward, driving his legs, and using this trademark tsuppari attack, something that his opponent had no answer for. It was a purely linear bout earning Kotoyuki the tsuki-dashi winning technique as he looks to recover from his awkward start at 4-5. Tamaasuka is one worse at 3-6.

I've mentioned multiple bouts so far where a rikishi has patiently waited to grab an outer grip and then attack once secured. M10 Tokushoryu was in the same position today against M15 Wakanosato in their hidari-yotsu contest, but he gave up too quickly on the right outside settling for a left inside grip instead of lifting up on Gangsta-no-sato's right armpit. Big mistake because when both rikishi maintain equal holds, the better tactician will always win, and so it was Wakanosato that grabbed the right outer setting up the yori-taoshi win and sweet mount of his opponent. Wakanosato (2-7) doesn't get that outer if Tokushoryu (3-6) doesn't abandon the left position up high in favor of a deep inside belt grip, so live and learn.

M16 Asahisho's tachi-ai was weak because he was only looking to retreat and mawari-komu around the ring in order to set up a pull, but M10 Shotenro wasn't fooled and grabbed Asahisho in the right kote-nage position and wrenched the youngsters arm so hard he prolly injured it. The kimari-te was ruled kime-dashi, but this was more like a submission hold in mixed martial arts. Asahisho drops to 3-6 and may not be able to continue. Shotenro limps to 4-5.

M11 Takekaze (6-3) used a quick moro-te-zuki at the tachi-ai and even quicker pull of M14 Jokoryu (5-4) who flopped forward to the clay before he knew what hit him.

M11 Tochinowaka kept both arms in tight at the tachi-ai giving him moro-zashi against M12 Tenkaiho, but he was too lackadaisical with the position and allowed the Hutt to maki-kae, and instead of burrowing back in for belt fight, Tochinowaka just wasted his superior position going for a stupid pull down. Tenkaiho may be fat and slow, but he ain't stupid as he jumped the move and scored the yori-kiri win. He one-ups Tochinowaka record-wise by one win at 5-4.

M14 Masunoyama rushed his charge against M11 Homasho barreling forward without having his gal in snug, so Homasho was able to pivot right at the edge, grab the back of Masunoyama's belt in a right outer, and then escort him down to the dirt using his own momentum against him. Rookie mistake from Masunoyama who falls to 5-4 while Homasho is a winna way from kachi-koshi at 7-2.

And finally, Sokokurai popped his head up from Juryo like a mole in that Whack-A-Mole game only to have it beaten back down by M16 Tamawashi's tsuppari attack in about five seconds. Tamawashi was cautious in this one, but it was understandable due to Sokokurai's gimmick sumo. At 5-4, The Mawashi is one step closer to another two months' worth of Makuuchi pay while Sokokurai falls to 3-6 and will likely earn Juryo script in the foreseeable future.

I've always wondered what it'd be like to be the opening act for a rock star, so need I even mention tomorrow's headliner?

Day 8 Comments (Clancy Kelly reporting)
Well, its "shubun no hi" here in Yappan, which translates roughly as "winter is jess around the river bend, mofo" and being a national holiday, kids are not in school, most workers are off, and Im planning on partying at the home of a friend, which translates roughly as "not really wanting to sit here at 5am on Monday a.m. and type to yall about sumos!"

BUT...Lord Mike gets, how to put it, "Shakepearean scary" if his serfs let him down, so Id better throw something together, because if the scars crisscrossing Martins back for his absence in July arent enough, rumor around the hotel has it dude might start demanding "droit du seigneur." So for my daughters, away we go.

Many of you may have noticed that we here at ST employ a few tricks when we dont have the time or mojo to write a full on report. One is to start with a long, rambling, barely coherent intro that makes you gaze longingly at the straight razor in your medicine cabinet. Another is to start with the final bouts in order to sate readers appetites for the "big" news and to lessen the severity of their wrath when they scroll on down and find that you did NOT cover the Kyokushuho/Jokoryu tussle.

Ill try to avoid both, but no promises, cause when my children awaken in an hour or so, Papaclanc gottsta spring into action.


Kyokushuho was a Makuuchi guest today, filling the unbalancing void created when the great Kotooshu pulled out (at least I THINK he withdrew; couldnt really be sure if thats what Martin was trying to say on Day 7). Im not an expert on all things sumoid, but I would guess its verboten to be up for the day from Juryo and pull any crap at tachi-ai. At any rate, he came in straight and hard, getting into a tight hug with Jokoryu. The Joker Man had fortunately snatched a tiny bit of his foes outside belt, and with that right hand lifted and turned as he was driven back to the bales. Kyo-kun struggled valiantly, bouncing on one leg and forcing Jokoryu into an "all-in" throw, with both men toppling onto their noggins.

Major props to the W14 for not putting his hand down like a pussy, for that would have brought him the loss. In fact, if you watch the bout and freeze it just where Kyokushuho touches out youll see Jokoryu in a position we normally see 15 year-old girls about to catch a rubber ball in Rhythm Gymnastics at the Olympics. Never ceases to amaze me just how flexible these big fat fuckers are!

Homasho was pushed back at the jump almost like he was "lending a chest" in keiko, but once his feet touched the ropes he used both to spring forward and get around Tamaasuka while grabbing the outside right belt. Now in the center of the ring, he gave up that grip to get an inside left, and with that did his own cattle drive to his 6th win. Tamaasukas hide has got to be feeling raw at W15 3-5.

Normally a kimari-te decision of "hataki-komi" means the bout was lame, but Asahisho is a smallish man by sumo standards, so to see him hammering away at the significantly (a word, btw, I enjoy [meaning my mouth physically enjoys] enunciating) larger Tenkaiho was sweet. He nearly pummeled him back and out, with Tenkaiho coming closer to stepping out than Mike did to scoring with that Nevada chick at the Ozzie concert of 89. Sadly for Asahi Super Dry Sho he evidently did not, and immediately after set his great weight down upon the E16 and recycled him to the clay.

Exciting bout next as Sadanofuji took on Masunoyama. Either man would look right at home on a Thanksgiving table with a soft, seasoned bread mix jammed up his ass (REALLY, Clancy??) and when they got into a frenetic (I know, Im using this word early in the report, but its gotta be done!) yotsu belt battle, trying to throw each other, well, its was just fun to watch. Eventually Masu-san used an outside right belt to go for the pulling throw, but his hand slipped off as he pivoted, so while he was busy not completing the throw Sadanofuji was able to balance on one leg just long enough for his opponent to crash down first onto his backside.

Tamawashi slipped out of his energetic tachi-ai pushing to Tochinowakas mug, and now all discombobulated was easy force out fodder for the Mongolian W11. Both men sit fiddy fiddy.

Damn, Id rather sit through a three hour lecture on the healing power of crystals than have to listen to another person I know talk about their new ios7. Get. A. Fucking. Life.

Just heard an alarm go off, so let us jump to Takekaze and Kyokutenho. Uh, whats to see? The Chauffer snagged hold of the little eel and drove him back and out with little to no fanfare. (Well, there was some fanfare, as this is not Nov. and not Kyushu. WHY do they continue to hold a basho down in Fukuoka? No one ATTENDS!! I want two basho in Osaka.)

Took about 37 minutes for the MIB to overturn a call for Aran (heretofore known as "The Flea" for his tachi-ai jumpaways) and give the win to Aminishiki. Shneaky recovered from Arans SUPER pathetic henka and drove him back and out while he himself dove to the dirt, but it was not clear if Aran had stepped out with his tootsie before Shneaky touched down. Itd be some small justice if Aran sprained an ankle as he fell awkwardly off the dohyo.

Yoshikaze was looking to stay in second place vs Kaisei, but the huge Brasilians initial thrusts were placed perfectly enough to immediately send Starbuck back to his table in the corner where he continues working on writing the Great Japanese Novel. 6-2 looks good on both fellas.

Okay, (engaging thick Scottish brogue) the weeuns are now roostin aboot the hoose, so its Sanyaku time.

In the Komusubi matchup of this basho, Tochiohzan won a catfight with Takayasu, exchanging fast slaps till the West K was forced back and out.

Goeido played slightly dirty vs. Ikioi, hitting with, yes, both feet at the shikiri-sen but also with torso already in spinning mode to get an outside belt. The Ick was never a factor as the Suckiwake took advantage of his lamely gotten goods for his 5th win. This kind of sumo down at M7? Fine. But for a Sekiwake taking on a W1? Cheap and not exactly career advancing.

Shohozan demonstrated he has what it takes to avoid getting lonely in a penitentiary by giving it good and slippery to Kotoshogiku at the gun. The groan let out by the crowd at this egregious henka was matched only by the two second long stare the Ozeki gave the E1 as he disgustedly picked himself up off the clay. Goldmember or not, that HAD to hurt. Please do mark the Shohozan/Geeku bout in November down for Must See Kyushu TV!

Kakuryu oddly wanted none of Myogiryus belt, instead content to have an at-arms-length slapping battle. At one point the Ozeki tried to shove down on the back of the Sekiwakes head, but it only brought him strife as Myogiryu got up and under and rammed him out to his 2nd loss. With Yoshikaze and now Kakuryu two back, Hakuho breathes more easily (snark alert).

Honestly, Toyohibiki had Kisenosato dead to rights, with a tachi-ai win that had the Ozeki going back with nothing. Toyo-chan for some reason passed on snagging the belt his left hand was sitting right on while he was driving The Kid back, but once Kisenosato got his own belt grip and started pushing them back to the center Toyohibiki decided, Uh yeah, I DO need that belt. It was too late now as he was worked across the ring to the tawara. Here he dug in (knowing full well he was deader than smallpox) and threw the seals in the audience some fish by making the Ozeki press on him for about eight seconds before falling out. Itll go down for most people as a great bout; itll not even go down for me, cause I cant swallow shit.

Hakuho, looking a lot more proactive at the start than normal, raced to a quick double inside moro-zashi against Takarafuji. It was all the E3 could do to stay alive for a few seconds, breaking the moro-zashi and leaning in as if whispering in Kublais ear, "Please, my children are watching!" Deaf is what the Khan is to such protests, however, and it was one, two, three, what are we fighting for, dont tell me I dont give a damn, next stop is Taka slam! Im willing to bet his bout vs. Kisenosato around about Day 14 will play out similarly.

I tire of Harumafujis attitude. First, some background. If you recall (and you DO), he was run over so badly by Chiyotairyu on Day 8 two months back in Nagoya that his oyakata seriously asked the public for help in finding the number of the truck. So its understandable that today he would be rearin to go to erase that horrific memory. But Chiyos hands hadnt even begun to consider thinking about the possibility of making preliminary plans to initiate a potential venture regarding a move down to the dirt before the Yokozuna leapt up drove into him. At the ropes they stood as the gyoji rightfully called it back, while HowDo stared into Chiyos face for a full two seconds like hed spit in the Yokozunas guriltai shol. When its your fault, even if youre the top dog, staring is bush league. But maybe the entire thing was a mind game he was playing on the W3.

If so, it worked, cause on the redo Chiyo got his hands down in the squatting position quicker than one of Kanes groupies. As he waited, Harumafuji sauntered into his crouch, la dee FREAKIN da. When they shot out, Chiyotairyu hit him hard in the chin with his right palm, but the Yokozuna was able to absorb it and push forward. Retreating, Chiyo took one more swipe that connected with HowDos mug, before the Yokozuna nailed him with his head and hands and bumped him out. Again they stood for a few seconds, with Harumafuji keeping his left palm on Chiyos chest, looking for all the world like he was gonna shove him to the floor below. He managed to hold himself in check, but coupled with the beatdown of that poor Water Boy on Day 2, we can see that this Grand Champion has his hands full with simply winning these days, and his little energy left over to think about the way he carries himself.

Day 7 Comments (Martin Matra reporting)
After taking the last basho off, I came back here just in time to see Baruto hand in his retirement papers. No big surprise, given his drastic fall down the ranking, but what makes it really interesting is that he stated his intentions three years ago. In September 2010, when I was fortunate enough to get to Japan and meet the man in person, courtesy of the late Doc Kadastik (no, he's not dead, he's just retired from the sumo commenting business), Baruto said he'd go on and keep doing sumo for three more years at max – I'd be tempted to think he wasn't just making small talk. As for his future plans, at that time he said he wanted to go into the beef farming business – and if that works out, you can bet I'll get my arse over to Estonia for a beefy Bart Burger (is it just me or does that sound REALLY wrong?).

Before I hastily go through the day's fights, I feel compelled to notice how dominant Hakuho is really becoming. The big man from the steppes, 27 years old, currently has 26 cups and there's no sign of him slowing down the least bit. But I guess that's really old news. What really intrigues the hell out of me is HOW such dominance can come to exist, and when I'm asking myself this, I'm not looking only at sumo. Every once in a while, some bad-ass appears and kicks everyone else's asses. And, whether his name is Asashoryu, Hakuho, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Tiger Woods or Elena Isinbaeva (ok, that's a her), everyone knows that name and thinks about him (or her) in awe. The answer is far from simple, as one would expect from such purposely philosophical problems. Anyone will start with technique - these guys have it, all of them, no exception. Then comes training and conditioning, which they also have. And if anyone tells you otherwise, they're lying. Of course, some guys are more efficient than others and might need less time to reach the same results, but the order of magnitude is pretty much the same for everyone – putting in the hours is not enough, but it sure as hell is necessary.

And then, after you factor in all the physical reasons, you have to take into consideration the mental aspect. First of all, the fear factor – you're all alone up there with that untouchable guy everyone loses too, the first thing you think about is "I'm gonna lose, and it's OK, because I'm supposed to". Then comes denial: "NO! I can take this guy, I'm almost as good, all I need is a good day and maybe a bit of fortune on my side", then you run through your head all the possible scenarios "If he does this, my only chance is to counter with that, etc." And while you, the contender, the pretender, all tense and self-conscious, are facing the challenge of your life, the champion is standing there probably deciding what to order for dinner in order to celebrate the day's victory. Which almost inevitably comes, further increasing his prestige and the fear he strikes in the hearts of his future wannabe conquerors. I'm obviously exaggerating, but there's no smoke without a fire.

What makes Mongolian dominance that much more interesting is that they're a small minority in an association where the large majority is Japanese, and the banzuke distribution of these guys is drastically top-heavy. If I didn't know better, I'd be tempted to assume that Mongols are stronger and more naturally gifted towards physical activity, but that would be racist, so I'll refrain. I remember someone musing on this very same topic (most likely Mike – he writes half of the reports around here anyway), and concluding it's a simple case of motivation – Mongolia is incomparably poorer than Japan, and the guys coming to Japan from there are probably happy with a roof over their head, some food and some money on top of that, in exchange for doing something fairly close to what they'd be doing in their own country anyway… for free and for fun. Contrast these guys with spoiled Japanese boys and you get… the current banzuke.

Oh, my point? Well, most foreign watchers of fat men in skimpy clothing crashing into each other don't give a rat's ass if the banzuke is dominated by a Japanese guy or a foreign guy (except when that foreign guy happens to be from the same country as them), but one cannot help but wonder what the Japanese are feeling when what basically passes as their national sport is being dominated by a nation perceived as inferior (and not just by them). During the past few years I've been studying Japanese language and culture a bit and I must confess that the more I study it, the less sense this continued domination makes. But something tells me it will come to an end soon, before I'll have had the opportunity to get to the bottom of it.

Anyway… Hakuho continued his dominance in style, and he seems a bit typecast these days, playing a brick wall. Chiyotairyu hit him with all he had at the tachi-ai, and that must have been ALL he had, because, after the initial impact, he kinda fell flat on his face with little interference from Hak. At 25, Chiyotairyu seems to have hit a plateau, with his comfort zone just a little under the jo'i. His 2-5 performance so far is unconvincing.

Harumafuji slipped to the left at the initial charge, immediately grabbing the uwate and kindly escorting his fatter opponent out of the dohyo. Toyohibiki is 4-3 despite the loss, whereas the second fiddle Yokozuna is a flawed (both number- and content-wise) 5-2.

Kotoshogiku was simply careless in his charge against Tochiohzan, immediately giving up moro-zashi. A simple, inevitable yori-kiri followed, which brought Oh his 3rd win and took Geeku out of the yusho race (as if he had been there in the first place).

The next (non-)bout has some sort of value for me, because it was the first time I read the fusensho banner after learning kanji. It literally reads no-fight-win, which makes sense if you think about it. You do, don't you? In any case, Kotooshu gets taken to the hospital for the third time in 7 basho (and you don't need to be a nuclear physicist like Dr. Kadastik to know where his career is headed – just ask Baruto). Takayasu gets an important second win, but I'd be very surprised if he got kachi-koshi.

Kisenosato capitalized on his superior weight against Myogiryu, whose linear attack was easily deflected and he ended up crossing the tawara in the wake of a deftly timed side push from the Kid. At 6-1, Kisenosato is probably the closest thing Hakuho has to a contender (but closeST does not necessarily mean close). Myogiryu falls to a lackluster 3-4, considering his opposition so far.

The other possible contender for the title is Kakuryu, who certainly took his sweet time is disposing of Okinoumi to get to 6-1 himself. The bout was won, I think, at the tachi-ai, when the Mongol got the right uwate and denied the longer Okinoumi one of his own. The two messed around the center of the dohyo for about a minute, until Okinoumi got sick of waiting, made his move and was rebuked with a well-timed throw at the edge. His 2-5 is not nearly as bad as it looks, and the way he's looked even in those losses makes me think he might even get a hard-earned 8-7.

Goeido thought he had it all figured out, standing up and waiting for the tsuppari from Shohozan, then pulling at Cheetos' overextending arms to… well, nothing wrong with the strategy, 'xept you gotta not miss the opponent's arms. Goeido did and was pushed back and out faster that you can say make-koshi, which he's in danger of suffering at 4-3. Shohozan shares the same mark, but his opposition has been far superior.

Ikioi shifted to the right ever so slightly to get the uwate, which he readily did, denied Takarafuji any sort of grip, then threw him down to the clay after a few seconds of maneuvering into position. But it makes little difference, as both dudes stand proud at 6-1 (that's losses to wins).

Out of the remaining bouts, I'll only cover a few I thought interesting, and the first one has to be Yoshikaze vs. Tokitenku, as Yoshikaze was on the leader board coming into the day (yeah, as if). A characteristically passive Tokitenku simply stood up at the tachi-ai and tried to keep the little pest away, but there was little he could do against Yoshikaze's determination and momentum. Therefore, Yoshikaze stays tied for second place at 6-1, while his Mongol foe drops below sea level at 3-4.

As I was watching Tenho and Kotoyuki's nirami-ai I was thinking the young Sadogatake guy has about one way of winning the bout, i.e. rush his bigger and more experienced foe and hope he doesn't turn him around at the edge. And rush he did, and resistance of any sort meet he did not. It cracks me up to see the little butterball strut back to his side of the dohyo after a victory, but he still doesn't have anything on Takamisakari. Tenho suffers his 2nd loss in 3 days and falls out of the yusho race (and I really am tempted to put an "as if" in here as well, but then I remember the 2012 12-3 yusho – that was so wrong, for so many reasons). Kotoyuki improves to 3-4.

Normally I wouldn't even bother watching Shotenro's bouts, but when facing Aran, you're almost certain something will happen. And I don't regret watching it, as Big Shot treated me to some of that raw Mongol power, scooping the technically challenged Ossetian down to the dirt, after the afore-mentioned Ossetian failed to grab his wide-open mawashi. Both guys are a bit listless at 3-4.

Finally, Endoh took care of business confidently against a weak opponent in Asahisho, but one cannot help but worry about the passive tachi-ai this new guy exhibited. While it might have worked like a charm in Juryo and will likely keep working against the dregs in Makuuchi, he's in for a rough wake-up call up in the jo'i, where he has a pretty good chance to make his debut in a basho or two. In any case, Exo (I'm sure a context for this gratuitous shikona reversal will manifest itself in some later report) improves to 5-2 and keeps up the good work, at least on paper, whereas Asahisho falls to 3-4.

Clancy takes over tomorrow and, believe it or not, you get another piece of me in a few days. Cheerios.