SUMO - 2017 Hatsu Basho (Jan. 8th - Jan. 22nd)

[NHB7]

Man. What a brutal tournament. By that I mean holy shit everyone at or near the top has been awful, or has had terrible luck. Credit to Kisenosato, I'm not a fan but he's the only one who stayed healthy and he delivered. But damn, so many poor performances. Perhaps the changing of the guard.

I love Kisenosato! This has been my happiest basho since I started watching. But I agree with you that this has felt like a big example of changing of the guard. There were some exciting stories to follow.

1). Ura about to go to makuuchi. Guy looks like Neo from the matrix. The most dynamic game I've personally ever seen in sumo. It looks like he is about to lose nearly every time and then "Nope, fuck you I win!"

2) Speaking of dynamic, I've never very even noticed Takekaze until this basho. He was flipping bitches left and right.

3) Kotoshigiku = sad

4) Ichinojou are you for real or not?

5) Ishiura what the hell was that?

 

[Okajima]

It's hard enough to get tickets on weekends these days. If Kisenosato get a promotion (I don't think he should yet TBH), forget about it. Sumo seems to have gotten more popular over the last few years. A Japanese Yokozuno will push it even more, especially with all three other Yokozuno clearly on the decline. Interesting times!

 

[josh from md]

Kisenosato will get the promotion. He found the perfect opportunity to stay hot and attain the yokozuna rank. Good on him.

 

[Fork]

what a way to start the year.

quite a few guys unexpectedly turned up for this tournament.

• my man Sokokurai had the tournament of his life, and i couldn't be happier for him. his career was essentially over but he fought his way back and i'm always thrilled to see him succeed, but this was phenomenal. getting a special prize and the jun-yusho second place... what a tournament.

• Takanoiwa also did really well and like i said i can see some asashoryu in him.

• Ichinojo has been struggling for what seems like ages as well, and finally came back with pretty good form this tournament. i'm not going to get so excited about him having a great tournament at M13 but it's something anyway.

• like NHB7 i was really impressed with Takekaze this tournament. i've always associated him with pulling henkas when he didn't need to and not putting on any great fights, but he showed his skill as the oldest man in the top division this tournament and i hope he keeps this up.

• Arawashi may have ended with a losing record, but man did he have some huge wins. he's coming off a great tournament in november as well which bumped him way up the rankings, so a losing record this tournament isn't bad at all and those wins should give him some real confidence in march.

• Mitakeumi had a great tournament, and as one of the young guys coming up he's someone to watch for sure.

• i continue to be impressed with Tamawashi, as he looks really dangerous these days.

• great tournament for Takayasu that should push him back up to sekiwake and give him another launching point for ozeki promotion.

• and of course Kisenosato with the yusho. as i said i would give him the promotion even with a 13-2 record if he had lost on the final day, but surely it's inevitable now. it's too bad the top rankings were so decimated with injuries so kisenosato had to win his tournament with two yokozuna and one ozeki sitting out and the other two ozeki barely present. it's also too bad this has come so late in his career, but at someone who has avoided the major injuries that plague the rest of the top-rankers he should have a longer shelf life than his peers.

as far as the guys who stumbled...

• pretty much everyone at the top apart from Kisenosato had an awful tournament. that's no fun. i don't think it's the end for Harumafuji or Kakuryu yet, but they need to come back with a strong tournament. and unfortunately it looks like Hakuho wasn't just having a couple bad tournaments but really is starting to lose his aura of invincibility.

• Tochiozan isn't looking good at all, and i remember him being talked about in the same breath as Goeido and Kisenosato.

• Endo didn't have a disastrous tournament, but falling at the final hurdle isn't good for someone that people have such high hopes for. and presumably there will be a lot of discussion of up-and-coming japanese rikishi after this tournament and although i'm sure Endo will be in the conversation, his position would have been much better with a kachikoshi here.

• and unfortunately Osunaarashi seems to be struggling with chronic injuries.

 

[Fork]

for anyone who missed it all with english commentary, here's all of the stuff from the end of the day from the english NHK broadcast:


yusho parade with appearances by Wakanosato, and Takayasu:


interview the morning following the yusho (i think):


footage of an 18 year old Kisenosato training:

 

[Okajima]

I really disagree with this.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/...coming-first-japan-born-yokozuna-in-19-years/

 

[ChainFlow]

What a basho.

We have Takanoiwa, Takayasu and Tamawashi kicking ass like they've rarely done before. We have Mr. "I lose to everyone except Ozeki and Yokozuna, and them I make look silly" Arawashi. We have Sokokurai looking like a much younger rikishi blazing a path across the basho. Takekaze making sumo look easy at 37. Kotoshougiku going from looking like the best Ozeki to losing his rank in, what, two tournaments?

Ozeki looking like they don't deserve their rank, except one who gets promoted even though he maybe doesn't quite deserve it. An actual ipponzeoi. A whatever-the-hell Ura did (1st time ever in Makuuchi?). Mitkeumi looking to leapfrog Shoudai as the next Ozeki. Hokutofuji coming out of nowhere and angliing for the top ranks.

Yokozuna either stricken down with injury or stricken through their invincibility.

I don't even know which way is up anymore.

 

[s_o_c_a_r]

Weakest Yokozuna promotion since i started following sumo, especially considering the circumstances of the latest basho.

 

[Fork]

NHK report on kisenosato's promotion:


kisenosato's press conference:


and it's from a while ago, but a 2016 Year in Review sumo show from NHK World:

 

[Fork]

and i guess at the YDC meeting to consider his promotion they gave some statistics on winning percentages for the last four yokozuna in their six tournaments before promotion and

Kisenosato has 82%, Kakuryu 73%, Harumafuji 76%, Hakuho only 66% (with a 0-15 tournament that he sat out) and Asashoryu 80%

another graphic of those stats (shows different percentage for hakuho as it's not adding in his 0-15 record):

along with him having the most wins in 2016 it shows that the validity for his promotion was his consistency and i think that's reasonable. i actually think considering his consistency and his record over the whole year (even considering his entire record as an ozeki) is better than having an up and down record and getting a couple yusho. certainly a weaker promotion than some especially due to the decimated field this tournament, but i don't think it's that weak of a promotion at all.

 

[Fork]

 

[NHB7]

That was a badass basho!! I wish anyone I knew actually liked sumo, because it sucks to see something that awesome and not be able to tell anyone.

I know many are uncomfortable with Kisenosatos promotion, but I'm thrilled. The very first time I watched a Basho I did some research and I picked Kisenosato to win. He did not, but ever since then I've been waiting for that Yusho win and now for that to come with a promotion. Im pleased as pie.

Sadly, my favorite Rikishi, Chiyotairyu, got demoted back to Juryo. I'm guessing I'm the only one in the world, Japan included, who considers Chiyotairyu his favorite wrestler. But he looks like fat Elvis to me, and he fights using a lot of slaps. I guess sumo looks down on the overuse of slapping, but not me. I love it.

 

[Fork]

Sadly, my favorite Rikishi, Chiyotairyu, got demoted back to Juryo. I'm guessing I'm the only one in the world, Japan included, who considers Chiyotairyu his favorite wrestler. But he looks like fat Elvis to me, and he fights using a lot of slaps. I guess sumo looks down on the overuse of slapping, but not me. I love it.

i'm actually surprised to see chiyotairyu struggling so much. i woudn't say he's my favorite wrestler, but when he first got promoted to the top division i thought he would be an upper maegashira/sanyaku regular for sure. he went through the ranks really fast, got some kinboshi early in his makuuchi career, but he's been struggling since he dropped out of his komosubi debut tournament. i'm sure it's injuries, but the criticism against him that i've found true was that he pulls too much when his pushing game is so strong.