Hatsu 2022 Day Six

Torikumi

Banzuke

Yusho Arasoi

6 wins

S1e Mitakeumi

M6w Abi

5 wins

Y1e Terunofuji

M3e Tamawashi

Notable Maneuvers

Tsukite. Which means "hand touch down." Which means Bushozan, up from Juryo, did not have a maneuver done to him before hitting the ground. Which means that Kaisei did not have anything to do with winning because his back was to Bushozan when Bushozan went down.

Match of the Day

Yokozuna East Terunofuji versus Maegashira #3 East Tamawashi

It wasn't the greatest clash of the titans, but it may be Match of the Basho in terms of outcome. Terunofuji took a classic Tamawashi nodowa from the start and couldn't get a grip. He's been stood up at the tachiai all tournament, but he has recovered. Whether it was Tamawashi's raw power, good footwork, or sheer luck, Terunofuji never got his feet set again and went down with a mighty thrust to guarantee victory. Kinboshi for Tamawashi, and a slip from the leaderboard for Terunofuji.

Recap

The Yusho Arasoi sure got interesting looking on Day Six. The top is now just the undefeated duo of Mitakeumi and Abi. Terunofuji's loss put him one win behind. The man joining him is also the reason he has one loss, Tamawashi. And that's it. There are two rikishi with the best record, and then there are just two behind them. That's a thin top for just six days in.

As Day Six showed, anything can happen on any day of a basho. Yet the main consequences, apart from Tamawashi's victory, were from losses. In addition to the Yokozuna, Onosho, Takarafuji, Myogiryu, and Chiyomaru all lost on Day Six to move back one more win from the leaders. They are part of an eight rikishi grouping at four wins, chasing the men atop the leaderboard. Each day of a sumo tournament is supposed to narrow who has a realistic chance of winning, but this is happening fast for Hatsu.

And Day Seven is guaranteed to narrow it more. Mitakeumi and Tamawashi will clash tomorrow, and either Tamawashi joins the rikishi two wins back or Mitakeumi gets his first loss. Either way, things will be different after tomorrow's matches. Tamawashi is the underdog for that match, but he was the underdog against Terunofuji, too. Nothing is certain. Mitakeumi has looked solid, and he had no trouble taking care of Endo. More strikingly, he has a 25-3 career advantage over Tamawashi.

If Tamawashi does pull off the consecutive upsets, then Abi will be in the catbird seat. Of course, he has to beat Onosho first. Interestingly, Abi pulled a win despite getting beat at the tachiai on Day Six. Shimanoumi had Abi moving backward, and then Abi danced at the tawara. Abi was always nimble when in trouble, but against Shimanoumi he didn't wildly move but grabbed Shimanoumi and pulled as he danced. It was technically an uwatenage, and it's dangerous for anyone who gets Abi going backward.

The kinboshi will be the headline of Day Six, and rightly so. Yet it is foolish to isolate that as a blip. The upset of Terunofuji showed that each match could produce something thrilling, exciting, or just plain eventful.