Aki 2021 Day Eleven

Torikumi

Banzuke

Yusho Arasoi

10 wins

Y1w Terunofuji

9 wins

M10w Myogiryu

8 wins

O1e Shodai

S1e Mitakeumi

M6w Onosho

M8e Okinoumi

M11e Endo

M17e Chiyonokuni

Notable Maneuvers

Okuritaoshi. Look, sometimes exactly which kimarite is assigned a match can go a few ways. Tobizaru was flailing around so wildly that Chiyonokuni won by directing him out with a shove to the back. The okuritaoshi means "rear push down" and seems to emphasize how wildly Tobizaru flew out.

Match of the Day

Maegashira 8 East Okinoumi versus Maegashira 14 West Yutakayama

Yutakayama won the tachiai definitively, and looked like he was going to have an easy yorikiri. Then the veteran put on a clinic. Okinoumi never took one move to defeat Yutakayama, but slowly stopped his backwards momentum then switched grips and then wore the younger man down. After over a minute, Okinoumi finished with an easy yorikiri.

Recap

Terunofuji won again on Day Eleven to reach double-digit wins, but it was pretty ugly. For most of his very long match against Takayasu, Terunofuji was awkwardly leaning on Takayasu as the Tagonoura man was sideways to the Yokozuna. After a few attempts, Terunofuji finally really grabbed hold and began moving forward. Takayasu's ability to extend the match clearly frustrated Terunofuji, since the Yokozuna finished the match with one hard push.

A win is a win, especially in the yusho race. An ugly win could give other wrestlers hope. Myogiryu is still just one win back, and he seems to be avoiding Sanyaku opponents. He'll get 5-6 Maegashira 13 Kagayaki on Day Twelve. The way he beat Ichiyamamoto on Day Eleven suggests he's fighting at his best still this deep into Aki. He wouldn't be favored against a much higher ranked opponent, but it would be very interesting.

Of course, if Myogiryu wins out, it could still not matter for the yusho. Terunofuji just needs to win out, and the yusho is his. The math could mean that Myogiryu has no chance. As much as he needs to win the rest of his matches, he also needs someone to beat Terunofuji. Terunofuji has not been demolishing all comers, but his one loss to Daieisho on Day Nine seems fluky. The Yokozuna grabbed the sagari instead of the mawashi, and he never had a good way to initiate real offense.

His last four matches will be some of his toughest. He will face shin-Sekiwake Meisei on Day Twelve. Meisei is just 4-7, but has had his moments and made Sekiwake for a reason. Then Terunofuji's schedule gets much more daunting. He almost certainly will face Mitakeumi, then Takakeisho, and then Shodai in his last three matches. While they've all dropped matches they probably should have won, they also all looked extremely strong on Day Eleven. Takakeisho is also just one win from staying at Ozeki for November. He'll be fighting very hard the rest of the basho.

Terunofuji was a marked man when he received his Yokozuna promotion. Then Hakuho went kyujo for the Aki basho, and the target on his back got larger. Now the men who would most want to topple him are looming. The closing kick could feature some serious, hard-fought sumo. At the very least, Terunofuji has a task ahead of him to claim the Emperor's Cup.