Osunaarashi vs Chiyootori
Osuna got some power shots in but he was put near the edge and went for a switch as he was going out. Unfortunately, it didn't work and he took the loss.
Takanoyama vs Chiyonokuni
Tak got power blasted multiple times and went flying out into his new home in Makushita.
Tochinowaka vs Chiyotairyu
Chiyo went for the throw near the edge and collapsed under Toch's weight to lose.
Shohozan vs Toyonoshima
Fun match here with both guys side stepping the other and chasing each other all over the ring. They both were holding onto the throats and Shohozan got the win.
Kotoshogiku vs Myogiryu
Myo was off balance from the beginning and in trouble early. He was ready to fall and Koto did his usual bear hug to the edge and won it.
Kisenosato vs Kakuryu
Close on here with Kisen rushing Kak out. The ref was in the way so we couldn't see who won but they gave it to Kisenosato.
Hakuho vs Harumafuji
They had a nice tachi ai and Hakuho hooked himself under Haruma's arm and threw him for an easy win.
Rankings from http://sumodb.sumogames.de/Banzuke.aspx
Individual wrestler thoughts:
Hakuho - When you possibly under-perform at 14-1, things are looking really good. What can you say. Hakuho is the current Michael Jordan or Babe Ruth of Sumo and is so far ahead of everyone else. This was a great basho for him and he stomped his rivals without much trouble at all. I can't see him losing anytime soon and he'll likely get his 5th straight tournament win next time.
Harumafuji - His main problem is that he loses easy early matches and he's out of the running immediately. There was no excuse for losing to Aoiyama or Shohozan and things are not looking good for him right now. He's under high pressure and stress and there is a chance he may be forcibly retired if he can't start racking in 12 wins routinely. His style is unfortunately his greatest strength and weakness. He can charge people like no one else but the same charges often knock him off balance and put him in bad positions. He just needs to make sure he wins the easier matches and then start worrying about everyone else.
Kisenosato - He is improving some but again, he took some silly losses. He shouldn't have lost to Chiyotairyu and probably should have gotten past Okinoumi. None of it matters though if he can't get past Hakuho at the end of the day. He has to figure out Hakuho like he has figured out Harumafuji if he ever wants to win a title, because Hakuho is not going to screw up. Credit to him though for taking out Harumafuji and his Ozeki rivals. He is looking better, but he still has ways to improve. Let's see him win a basho first and defeat Hakuho, then lets talk about a Yokozuna promotion, okay?
Kotoshogiku - He wins with basically the same yorikiri technique every time and it seems to work. He really should do better than he does but he just doesn't for some reason. I guess its because he also has a habit of taking silly losses early and at the end of the day, he's no competition for Hakuho.
Kakuryu - I never find anything Kakuryu does to be memorable in any way. He just kind of exists and is lower than Kisen and Kotoshogiku. He's never going to win anything.
Goeido - I didn't see all of his stuff but he was the only one to knock off Hakuho and he looked pretty solid this tournament. An 11-4 as a Sekiwake is no joke and he's on the road to an Ozeki promotion if he can do this for 2 more basho's. Big credit for taking down Hakuho and Kisenosato.
Shohozan - He got some very good wins with a Harumafuji win plus victories over both Koto's. He should have won more though and limited the dumb losses. Give him credit though as he routinely has the hardest schedule of anyone out there.
Tochinowaka - He took a lot of stupid losses and his habit of standing up straight is no good. A 9-6 is decent though and hopefully he can stay steady in Makushita. I want to see him fight some of the big names though.
Endo - Pretty good tournament for Endo. A 8-7 would have been fine but he got injured near the end and got 9-5-1. He surely would have gotten 10 wins had he not gotten injured and he is a rising star. Expect another 9-6 next time around or maybe even 10-5 if things work out well. Looking forward to possible Yokozuna matches for him in the future.
Osunaarashi - A 10-5 is pretty good and he may get to Makushita next tournament. However, he is a work in progress and another round or two of Juryo would do him good. I'm worried he's going to get beaten up early in Makushita and he will get discouraged. This is due to his reliance on power. He's one of the stronger guys now but he will be middle of the pack in power in Makushita. At least we will get some fresh matches in Makushita and he will get experience in the top division. I'm predicting that he will get a losing record the first time around, but that's okay. He needs time and he will stay in Makushita once he figures it all out. I'd like to see him nail his opponents more with shots as he hits really hard. He got a few wins due to some power slaps.
Takanoyama - Eh. We knew it was coming. He is resorting to cheap tricks these days and not the technique he has. Everyone has figured him out and he has to be discouraged. He needs to find ways to gain weight and he needs to start using all of the different techniques he knows. He should be able to get out of the 3rd division in one try and I hope he uses this demotion to fire him up in the future. He's one of the best when he puts his mind to it but he's been a bit lazy tactically.
Note - Sorry for the lack of pictures/gifs from this basho. Youtube is screwed up for me and there isn't a thing I can do about it.
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