Haru 2023 Day Fourteen

Public League Leaderboard

Scores from Fantasizr.

Yusho Arasoi

12 Wins

08 Komusubi #2 East Daieisho

11 Wins

05 Sekiwake #2 East Kiribayama

Notable Maneuvers

Fusensho. Wakatakakage apparently injured himself on Day Thirteen against Kotonowaka. That handed Kiribayama a crucial free win that keeps him in the yusho race.

Match of the Day

38 Maegashira #15 East Hokuseiho versus 27 Maegashira #9 West Hiradoumi

Hokuseiho hasn't steamrolled the Maegashira ranks, but the gigantic newcomer has presented unique challenges all through Haru. Hiradoumi looked like he had solved it, by pushing the much larger man straight up. Instead, Hokuseiho held his place at the edge, wrapped a left arm around Hiradoumi's right arm to put it straight in the air. That gave Hokuseiho the chance for a powerful sukuinage.

Recap

The yusho race is now incredibly simple. On Day Fifteen, 12-2 Komusubi Daieisho will see 11-3 Sekiwake Kiribayama in the musubi no ichiban. If Daieisho wins, he gets the yusho. If Kiribayama wins, then the last match won't be the last match because they'll need a playoff match to decide who lifts the Emperor's Cup. No one else can win the yusho.

Kiribayama does get the chance after a freebie win, although he was probably still favored against even a resurgent Wakatakakage. He's been locked in and won with eight different kimarite (excluding today's fusen), and he will enter the final day on a 7 match winning streak. Daieisho has been the best and most consistent rikishi this March, and his emphatic demolition of contender Midorifuji on Day Fourteen emphasized his quality. Now these two are squaring off for the championship.

In a basho where the only Yokozuna didn't start it and the only Ozeki left early, a strong Sekiwake-Komusubi battle for all the marbles isn't bad. In fact, the Sanyaku did the job usually expected of Ozeki over the last few days. Hoshoryu, who will end the basho as the highest-ranked wrestler still competing, has 10 wins. That includes important wins over Endo, Midorifuji, and Wakamotoharu that knocked them out of the yusho race. Komusubi duo Kotonowaka and Wakamotoharu were credible contenders at times in this basho.

Only Kiribayama has a squint-and-you-can-make-it-out chance at an Ozeki promotion for May, and that would require a yusho. Daieisho already has the first legs of one, so he'll be fighting for an Ozeki shot at Natsu. Hoshoryu has been fighting like an Ozeki when healthy recently. Kotonowaka seems to be developing his own best form. Wakamotoharu has been keeping pace, although like Daieisho he is already 29 and needs to make his Ozeki shot sooner rather than later. This is an exciting clutch of high-ranked rikishi that have made the Haru basho fun.

The lower Maegashira have also produced some intrigue. Five rikishi are still fighting for a winning record on Day Fifteen, although we get just one all 7-7 matchup between Hokutofuji and Takarafuji. Crucially, Mitoryu, Tsurugisho, and Oho all need one more win to guarantee they won't drop to Juryo. Special Prizes are also still available for many rikishi as well. And we can see all of that interest as a preview for the main event between Kiribayama and Daieisho for all the marbles.