Public League Leaderboard
Scores from Fantasizr.
Yusho Arasoi
8 Wins
05 Sekiwake #1 West Onosato
7 Wins
06 Sekiwake #2 East Kirishima
6 Wins
02 Ozeki East Kotozakura
22 Maegashira #7 East Wakatakakage
24 Maegashira #8 East Endo
27 Maegashira #9 West Oshoma
34 Maegashira #13 East Hokutofuji
35 Maegashira #13 West Nishikigi
38 Maegashira #15 East Takayasu
Notable Maneuvers
Kubinage. Apparently, THAT Hoshoryu is back after a rough first week. Hoss beat Wakamotoharu with a head lock throw after the Arashio-man had him moving backwards and sideways.
Match of the Day
Ura, as is his wont, wanted to try something different against Kirishima. That meant Kirishima began this match playing defense. He pushed away Ura's grasping hands, kept his feet wide, and his hips bent. This then played out again and again and again. The two men never got into a grapple, but still had a fascintaing tactical battle. They even had a stalemate of sorts, when Ura realized he stood no chance of getting sideways to or grabbing hold of Kirishima. Kirishima just kept pushing on him until his strength was too much for Ura.
Recap
Onosato got his kachi-koshi on Day Eight. A winning record is always nice, and Onosato will be a Sekiwake once again in November even if he loses from here on out. But that isn't what Onosato is going for this basho, and he gets the call-out for his kachi-koshi because he is the only undefeated rikishi after eight matches. Mitakeumi at least slowed him down slightly in their match, although once Onosato got his feet after a middling tachiai it was done. He overwhelmed the former Ozeki.
Keeping pace with Onosato is Kirishima, who remains the only rikishi with one loss for Aki. He had more of a challenge, but he beat Ura in an odd but pleasing match. Kirishima also looked more like the man who made Ozeki than the one who recently lost it. His strength and power are enhancing his skill and craft. Although he is not dominating like Onosato (NOTE: no one is even in individual matches), he is winning convincingly. He will get the chance to take Onosato down in a head-to-head matchup later this basho, almost certainly in the final days.
The bigger question will be if any of the 7 rikishi at 6-2 can make a difference. The Maegashira with that record all have big question marks about their ultimate contention to Day Fifteen. Wakatakakage is in his second basho back from a serious injury. Endo is recently back from a Juryo sojourn and is not getting younger. Oshoma is still establishing his Makuuchi bona fides. Hokutofuji and Nishikigi are veterans rikishi who came into the basho looking to stave off the Juryo demotion. Takayasu is clearly stiff from a hurt lower back, even when he is winning.
That does make Ozeki Kotozakura as the best threat to either Onosato or Kirishima among the two-loss group. He is the highest-ranked rikishi still competing. That means he gets Onosato and Kirishima as opponents, likely in the last three days. (Barring injury, Kotozakura and Hoshoryu should be final day opponents.) He is also very good, a fundamental master who has size and strength to go with his technical abilities. Yet he has a tendency to drop matches he shouldn't, and beating Onosato or Kirishima in this form will require his very best. Fellow Ozeki Hoshoryu, more inconsistent but also more lethal at his best, may have a better chance of putting dirt on either leader.
Those high-profile matchups are still a few days in the future, and Onosato, Kirishima, and Kotozakura all need to keep winning to make them matter as much as they should. Onosato faces the dangerous Wakamotoharu on Day Nine. Kirishima will get Shonannoumi, a desperate giant trying to turn his basho around. Kotozakura will see the tricky Ura. They all win, and we have the same situation tomorrow, but with more evidence. Any of them lose, and we rest everything. That's why every day matters.
Comments