Home | User Forum | News | Fantasy Sumo | Media Requests | Contributors | About Us | Sumo 101 | Links | Archives | Swedish
2015 Nagoya Pre-basho Report
I
find that when I comment on a lot of days during a basho that I sort of run out
of gas when it comes to producing a post-basho report, and while that unexpected
finish to the Natsu basho where Sekiwake Terunofuji picked up his first career
yusho was tempting, there just wasn't anything new to say. Either that, or I
felt the conclusion was so far-fetched that I didn't want to touch it. And I
wasn't the only one who didn't participate in post-basho festivities.
The Sumo Association didn't even bother sending an oyakata over to NHK for their
traditional hour-long Sunday Sports program the evening of senshuraku where they
interview the yusho rikishi in studio. I'm trying to think if they have ever not
sent an official from the Association to Sunday Sports before, and I just can't
think of a previous basho where they didn't. At least send over a dude no longer
affiliated with the Association with some credibility like Mainoumi or
Kitanofuji, but instead of an official representative from the Association, we
got these two losers for the Sunday Sports broadcast:
The guy on the left is Sumotalk unfavorite Demon
Kogure Kakka who has a terrific voice but terrible sumo takes. He was flanked by
a guy named Sugifuji or something like that, but I didn't even bother looking
him up. I mean, you show up to a professional broadcast company like NHK wearing
a blazer decorated with large stars or a custom Burger King crown, you have no
credibility. If I went out in public dressed like either of these two clowns,
I'd get my ass kicked...and rightly so! I mean, just look at those two. I
think they'd actually get made fun of at a gay pride event. The point I'm
trying to make here is that I think the Sumo Association wanted to stay as far
away from the ending to that basho as possible because that comeback for
Terunofuji was indeed "staged" by the Hakuho camp, and I suppose it was hard for
me as well to really take it seriously to the extent that I wanted to do a
post-basho report.
And just because Hakuho stepped aside and gave the yusho to Terunofuji, it
shouldn't belittle in any way just how potent Fuji the Terrible has become. I
had sent signals during the Natsu basho that Terunofuji's first yusho would come
before year's end, but even I didn't think that he would be set up at the Natsu
basho like that. Still, I base a lot of my comments on precedent, and we have
certainly seen precedent where Hakuho will step aside and let an emerging
rikishi take the yusho and / or receive promotion to an elite rank. I don't
really like that this happens, but if you lower the bar for the Japanese
rikishi, it only seems natural that the up-and-coming Mongolian rikishi will
take advantage, and that's exactly what Terunofuji did in May, so props to Fuji
the Terrible for his first career yusho and subsequent promotion to the Ozeki
rank.
With that said, let's now turn our focus towards the pending Nagoya basho where
I have seen a wide variety of headlines surrounding a good mixture of rikishi,
so instead of focusing on he headlines one by one, I will weave in what's being
said in the media as I comment on the various rikishi populating the banzuke.
Let's start from the top with Yokozuna Hakuho who has been making the usual PR
calls for the Association. He's also been practicing a new tachi-ai that was
employed by Futabayama, the sport's 35th Yokozuna. I guess Hakuho figgered since
he's going for career yusho 35 this basho that he would adopt something from the
style of the sport's 35th Yokozuna. The fact that he can actually do this and
still come in as the heavy favorite to yusho is just ridiculous. Just imagine
Jordan Spieth saying, "Okay...I now have two golf majors...Jim Furyk has two
golf majors, and so in order to honor Jim, I'm going to adopt his swing at the
British Open." Hakuho's ability to change his style like this on a whim and
still yusho just demonstrates how dominant he is in the sport. He has not lost a
step and still holds all of the cards every basho. Terunofuji may have something
to say about that in a few years, but Hakuho is still the man.
As for his new tachi-ai which he intends to employ during the tournament
(probably for PR more than anything), it's called "Ato no saki," or last is
first. Supposedly, the guy doing the tachi-ai charges late (or last) thus
reading his opponent's move and then seizes the advantageous position first. To
me, it's just another gimmick that Hakuho can get away with and still yusho if
he so chooses, and we'll see if the media continues talking about this new
tachi-ai during the tourney. As for his performance in Nagoya, I'm going to
predict a 13-2 record on his way to the yusho.
I really don't have anything new to say about Yokozuna Harumafuji. I think the
Yokozuna is actually getting better by having Terunofuji in his stable, but
unfortunately, I think Harumafuji will still come in as a role player going
through the motions and doling out strategic losses. I look for HowDo to check
in with about 11 wins and have another ho-hum basho that won't be criticized by
the Yokozuna Deliberation Council because the Japanese Ozeki suck so bad.
Yokozuna Kakuryu is on record as saying there's a 95% chance that he makes his
return at Nagoya. I read where Mainoumi is of the opinion that Kakuryu should
consider retirement if he isn't able to fight for the third basho in a row. Just
having that out there puts a bit of pressure on the Yokozuna, so let's see how
he responds at Nagoya. From what I'm reading, his left shoulder is still
bothering him, but he's in shape enough to throw his mage in the ring. I expect
a ton of ring rust from Kakuryu, and when you have a slew of Japanese rikishi
who need wins, it should be easy pickins against the Kak. I look for him to
finish with eight or nine wins and struggle in his return.
In the Ozeki ranks, Kisenosato is being primed to take his first ever yusho. I'm
not sure why there's all this excitement surrounding him in the media, but it's
tangible. I guess the Kid had success against some of the Yokozuna during
pre-basho keiko although his wins over Hakuho came with the Yokozuna dicking
around with that new tachi-ai. Kisenosato also turned 29 a few days ago, and
with his not getting any younger, he's really gotta yusho in the next year or it
won't happen. I don't want this to sound like a prediction, but don't be
surprised if Kisenosato takes the yusho in Nagoya. In all reality, my opinion is
that the kid is good for four wins or so all on his own at this level, but look
for him to flirt with 11 - 12 and possibly more. The pre-basho hype surrounding
him is definitely there in the funny papers for whatever reason.
Next up is Ozeki Goeido, and it always makes me chortle when I read the
headline, "Goeido looking to make a comeback this basho," (they use the word
fukkatsu). Come back from what?? The dude has never won more than eight
bouts as an Ozeki, and we all know that most of those wins are due to his
opponents letting up. This is a perfect example that if you say something enough
times in the media that people will actually start believing it. To say that
Goeido is ready to make a comeback implies that he was once great or dominant.
Trust me when I say he was never great and he was never dominant. This is just a
PR ploy to give the appearance that Goeido is a credible Ozeki when he really
belongs down around the M6 rank. I see the Father struggling yet again to reach
eight wins, especially if they're going to buoy Kisenosato up a bit more.
Ozeki Kotoshogiku comes in kadoban, and the dude is really a sick dog that needs
to be put down. It's harsh to say, but it's just ridiculous to watch them prop
this guy up. Kotoshogiku is useless at this level, and he could maybe generate
two wins on his own...with two henka. Let's just see what happens here in
Nagoya, but the Geeku resembles Kaio when that great Ozeki was in his final few
basho. I suppose they're going to keep him alive and active, so give him eight
wins with none of them deserved.
Remember that old Sesame Street song, "Which one of these, is not like the
other?" That's Terunofuji in a nutshell ranked as an Ozeki. This dude is the
second best guy in sumo hands down, and it wouldn't surprise me at this point to
see him actually ranked as Yokozuna at the end of twenty fifteen. Hakuho has
never stood in anyone's way when they've legitimately risen up and threatened
the Yokozuna rank, and after watching Hakuho gift Terunofuji the yusho in May,
there's no indication that he's going to make Terunofuji earn anything by going
through the Yokozuna. As I stated in May, look around on the banzuke and tell me
who Terunofuji will have trouble with besides Hakuho. There's no one there, and
so unless the Ozeki starts giving out freebies, he's going to win 12-13 by
default. His only loss the last two basho that wasn't a fluke came against
Hakuho. I mean, you had guys like Sadanoumi and Tokushoryu topple him, and then
there was the diarrhea incident against Kaisei.