January 2014 Banzuke

[martybegan]

So the Banzuke is out for the January 2014 sumo tournament.

Kotooshu is down to Seikewake, he needs 10 wins to get his Ozeki status back. Will he retire? I remains to be seen.

Kotoshogiku is facing Kadoban, he needs 8-7 or the Ozeki ranks will continue to be thinned out.

Osunaarashi treads water, and stays in the top divison. Endo drops 3 down to Mag #10.

Another interesting note:

＊Tochinoshin - Tochinoshin is the 38th former sanyaku ranked rikishi to be demoted into the Makushita Division post WWII, following Kakizoe in the 2011 September Grand Sumo Tournament.

 

[Unkotare]

Kotooshu is sekiwake now regardless. He blew his shot last tournament to regain Ozeki status. At this point he would have to earn promotion to Ozeki just like any other sekiwake. He'll probably go the way of Deijima or Chiotaikai and settle in to a long career as a former Ozeki. Lots of yen to be made that way.

 

[Unkotare]

Kotoshogiku is clearly still hurting from that pec tear. I doubt he'll make it through the tournament.

 

[Unkotare]

The big story this tournament is Kisenosato's bid to make Yokozuna. So far it doesn't look like he'll pull it off.

 

[martybegan]

Kotooshu is sekiwake now regardless. He blew his shot last tournament to regain Ozeki status. At this point he would have to earn promotion to Ozeki just like any other sekiwake. He'll probably go the way of Deijima or Chiotaikai and settle in to a long career as a former Ozeki. Lots of yen to be made that way.

Doesnt he have one chance to get it back by winning 10 bouts this tournament?

 

[martybegan]

The big story this tournament is Kisenosato's bid to make Yokozuna. So far it doesn't look like he'll pull it off.

He does have one less yokozuna to worry about.

 

[Unkotare]

Kotooshu is sekiwake now regardless. He blew his shot last tournament to regain Ozeki status. At this point he would have to earn promotion to Ozeki just like any other sekiwake. He'll probably go the way of Deijima or Chiotaikai and settle in to a long career as a former Ozeki. Lots of yen to be made that way.

Doesnt he have one chance to get it back by winning 10 bouts this tournament?

He had that chance during the last tournament.

 

[Unkotare]

Kotooshu is sekiwake now regardless. He blew his shot last tournament to regain Ozeki status. At this point he would have to earn promotion to Ozeki just like any other sekiwake. He'll probably go the way of Deijima or Chiotaikai and settle in to a long career as a former Ozeki. Lots of yen to be made that way.

Doesnt he have one chance to get it back by winning 10 bouts this tournament?

You know what? I was mistaken. If he gets 10 wins this tournament he will regain Ozeki status. My mistake. Mea culpa.

 

[Unkotare]

Looks like Kotoshogiku isn't going to make it through the tournament.

 

[martybegan]

Looks like Kotoshogiku isn't going to make it through the tournament.

Sumo certainly is brutal when it comes to how injuries are not taken into account much for the banzuke.

The Ozeki drain started with Baruto and is continuing.

 

[Unkotare]

Looks like Kotoshogiku isn't going to make it through the tournament.

Sumo certainly is brutal when it comes to how injuries are not taken into account much for the banzuke.

The Ozeki drain started with Baruto and is continuing.

That's a good thing, in my book. There were too many and they haven't been worthy of the rank.

 

[martybegan]

On another note the former free live stream on the website is now $120 for the tournament or $10 a day ($15 for the last day). I guess my evenings of watching minor division sumo are a thing of the past unless they go back to free.

Are they kidding with those prices?

 

[Unkotare]

Wow, expensive.

 

[Unkotare]

A very interesting match today between Tokitenku vs Satonofuji. The two rikishi were locked in a mawashi battle (each with a grip on the other's belt) when Satonofuji's mawashi started to come undone. This very rarely happens. A wrestler's attendants are responsible for tying the mawashi, and not doing it well has serious consequences. However, some wrestlers prefer their mawashi tied tighter or looser depending on their strategy for the match. It doesn't happen often, but the referee has the authority to stop the match to address such issues as a mawashi coming loose. Basically the wrestlers have to freeze in whatever position they were in when the ref stopped the match, unless the stoppage is so long that the ref lets them stand at ease until ready to resume at which point they have to get back into the exact position as when the action was paused. In this case, Satonofuji's mawashi was unraveling so much that the ref had to stop the match three times to try and retie the thing. The mawashi are thick bolts of silk and not so easy to tie, especially for the ref who is typically an older fella. At one point Yoshikaze, whose match was up next, hopped up on the dohyo to offer the ref some muscle in trying to get the gear back together, but the ref (probably out of wounded pride) waved him off. Sure enough, when they started again Satonofuji's mawashi started to come undone again. The possibility of 'overexposure' was pretty high, but fortunately Tokitenku forced him out of the ring before the full moon arrived.

All in all a pretty long, unusual, and humorous match.

 

[martybegan]

Not going to be able to see the matches anymore because they killed the live free stream, and they took down airiberia's page on Youtube due to copyright infringement

There is no way in hell I am paying $120 a tournament to watch Sumo, so I guess thats it.

What a bunch of greedy fucking wankers.

 

[Unkotare]

Bummer.

 

[Unkotare]

New-comer Otsunaarashi (the first man ever from the African continent thus far to make it to the top pro ranks) has won 5 in a row to bring his record up to 7-2. A very impressive showing thus far for the new up and comer from Egypt. He's a fan favorite because of his novelty, but also because he is a very amiable young man who always has a nod and a smile for the fans cheering him on as he makes his way down the hanamichi. The kind of rikishi who's good for the sport.

 

[Unkotare]

One of the most enjoyable parts about watching Sumo is that amid all the ritual and studied stoicism, the wrestlers tend to show so much good sportsmanship despite how violent the sport is. Humility and consideration are still valued and demonstrated. You can't say that about all pro sports.

 

[Unkotare]

Just now (literally just now) wardrobe malfunction causing a mid-match pause in the action. This time it took forever to get the men back into the exact same position they had been in previously to restart the match.

Very unusual. I don't think this happened even once all last year and now it has happened twice in one tournament so far. I think some attendants in charge of their rikishi's mawashi are going to get a good ass-kicking for this.

 

[martybegan]

New-comer Otsunaarashi (the first man ever from the African continent thus far to make it to the top pro ranks) has won 5 in a row to bring his record up to 7-2. A very impressive showing thus far for the new up and comer from Egypt. He's a fan favorite because of his novelty, but also because he is a very amiable young man who always has a nod and a smile for the fans cheering him on as he makes his way down the hanamichi. The kind of rikishi who's good for the sport.

I was able to see his Day 8 match because Jason in Japan had extended videos due to the weekend.

He is improving his sumo as time goes on, and that is crucial in the higher rankings, as brute force can win you matches in Juryo, but often cannot do it in Magashira/sanyaku matches.