Author: Admin

Here are the quick results from today’s Day 6 of the January 2023 Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo:
Key: M-Maegashira, K-Komusubi, S-Sekiwake, O-Ozeki, J-Juryo, Ms-Makushita

Makuuchi (Top Tier):
Chiyomaru (M16) beat Akua (J1)
Azumaryu (M14) beat Tsurugisho (M15)
Takarafuji (M16) beat Kotoshoho (M13)
Kotoeko (M13) beat Ichiyamamoto (M14)
Mitoryu (M15) beat Okinoumi (M12) by default/withdrawal
Chiyoshoma (M11) beat Takanosho (M9) by foul/DQ…HANSOKU! Takanosho originally won but got caught for pulling the topknot of his opponent, which is illegal regardless of if it’s intentional or not. Judges conference (Mono-ii) was held and the decision was reversed.
Endo (M9) beat Kagayaki (M12)
Onosho (M9) beat Aoiyama (M10)
Hiradoumi (M10) beat Oho (M8)
Myogiryu (M6) beat Hokutofuji (M6)
Ryuden (M5) beat NIshikigi (M5)
Ura (M7) beat Sadanoumi (M4)
Mitakeumi (M2) beat Nishikifuji (M4)
Daieisho (M1) beat Kiribayama (K)
Kotonowaka (K) beat Meisei (K)
Wakatakakage (S) beat Tamawashi (M2)
Shodai (S) beat Tobizaru (M1)
Wakamotoharu (K) beat Takayasu (S) by default/withdrawal
Midorifuji (M3) beat Hoshoryu (S)
Takakeisho (O) beat Abi (M3)
Leader: EIGHT (!) at 5-1
WITHDRAWALS: Takayasu (S), Okinoumi (M12). Takayasu out due to a right shin bone injury (but has also been bothered by a neck injury suffered in the November 2022 playoff), Okinoumi unspecified but believed to be a leg injury but he has now RETIRED.

Juryo:
Tamashoho (Ms1) beat Hakuyozan (J14)
Takakento (J12) beat Chiyosakae (J11)
Shimazuumi (J11) beat Tsuhsimanada (J14)
Gonoyama (J10) beat Shonannoumi (J13)
Asanoyama (J12) beat Roga (J9)
Kaisho (J13) beat Hidenoumi (J9)
Shimanoumi (J8) beat Terutsuyoshi (J10)
Chiyonokuni (J7) beat Churanoumi (J5)
Daishoho (J6) beat Kitanowaka (J8)
Kotokuzan (J5) beat Tochimusashi (J7)
Kinbozan (J5) beat Enho (J4)
Hokuseiho (J2) beat Oshoma (J3)
Atamifuji (J3) beat Daiamami (J2)
Tohakuryu (J4) beat Bushozan (J1)
Leader: Asanoyama (6-0)
Of note: Asanoyama-Roga lived up to the billing. Great match with the former Ozeki pulling it out to stay unbeaten and the sole leader. 2 wins to a 5th straight promotion. Tomorrow’s scheduled opponent is Shimazuumi (4-2). Ishizaki, a popular “muscle boy” at Makushita 1, is tomorrow’s Makushita man in Juryo, he’s 1-2 and gets Tsushimanada (3-3). Bushozan gets his Juryo man turn in the top tier and will face Takarafuji.

Breaking sumo news-according to the Japanese version of Yahoo Sports, veteran rikishi Okinoumi, who withdrew from the January Tournament today on Day 6, will retire effective immediately. According to a translation of the article, the lingering effects of a leg injury suffered during the November 2022 Tournament is the reason. Okinoumi, ranked at Maegashira 12, was 0-5 coming into today.

Okinoumi (real name Ayumi Fukuoka), 37, debuted in March 2005 and reached a highest rank of Sekiwake during his career. He won one Makushita championship, 5 Special Prizes and 4 Kinboshi (Gold Star Victories, awarded when a Maegashira defeats a Yokozuna). His career record with today’s withdrawal leaves him with a 674-675-33 (win-loss-absent) record.

This will mark the second straight tournament with a retirement during the tournament, following Chiyotairyu in November 2022.

More as it becomes available. Today’s Day 6 results will be posted later tonight.

Here are the quick results from today’s Day 5 of the January 2023 Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo:
Key: M-Maegashira, K-Komusubi, S-Sekiwake, O-Ozeki, J-Juryo

Makuuchi (Top Tier):
Ichiyamamoto (M14) beat Tsurugisho (M15)
Kotoeko (M13) beat Chiyomaru (M16)
Kotoshoho (M13) beat Mitoryu (M15)
Azumaryu (M14) beat Okinoumi (M12)
Takarafuji (M16) beat Tochinoshin (M11) by default/withdrawal
Hiradoumi (M10) beat Kagayaki (M12)
Endo (M9) beat Chiyoshoma (M11)
Aoiyama (M10) beat Oho (M8)
Takanosho (M9) beat Ura (M7)
Ryuden (M5) beat Onosho (M8)
Sadanoumi (M4) beat Hokutofuji (M6)
NIshikigi (M5) beat Nishikifuji (M4)
Midorifuji (M3) beat Myogiryu (M6). The winning technique, uchimuso, (watch NHK World Japan’s Day 5 replay for translation) is a very rare one that reportedly hasn’t been seen in nearly a decade!
Wakamotoharu (K) beat Mitakeumi (M2)
Tobizaru (M1) beat Kiribayama (K)
Meisei (K) beat Shodai (S)
Kotonowaka (K) beat Takayasu (S)
Daieisho (M1) beat Hoshoryu (S)
Abi (M3) beat Wakatakakage (S)
Takakeisho (O) beat Tamawashi (M2)
WITHDRAWAL: Tochinoshin (M11). Dislocated shoulder. Expected to be out 2 weeks, which would mean the rest of the tournament. That puts the Georgian (country in Europe, not US state) in a dilemma-sit out and risk dropping to Juryo at the equivalent of 2-13, try to rush back to get some late wins to avoid that, or if it’s bad enough consider retirement? Tochinoshin is a former Ozeki and top-tier mainstay so if he was going to fall to Juryo at this point I’d imagine he’d pull a Kaisei and retire. He’s also 35, which in sumo is old and he has around 15 years of wear & tear on him. We’ll see. It does mean we’ll have a Juryo man each day in the top tier starting tomorrow, and on Day 6 it’s Akua, currently at Juryo 1 but 0-5 so far. Also watch Takarafuji as he suffered an apparent hand/finger injury on Day 4 but came back to get a free win today. Probably will try to fight through it as he is 4-1 and withdrawal means certain demotion to Juryo without 8 wins.
Leader: Abi, Aoiyama, Kotoshoho (5-0)
Key match tomorrow: Abi-Takakeisho. It’s the last bout of the day and while it’s still early, Takakeisho probably needs this one to stay in yusho and perhaps Yokozuna contention. It’s also a rematch of the November 2022 playoff that Abi won for his first top-tier championship.

Juryo:
Asanoyama (J12) beat Kaisho (J13)
Tsushimanada (J14) beat Takakento (J12)
Hakuyozan (J14) beat Shimazuumi (J12)
Shonannoumi (J13) beat Terutsuyoshi (J10)
Chiyosakae (J11) beat Hidenoumi (J8)
Kitanowaka (J8) beat Gonoyama (J10)
Shimanoumi (J8) beat Daishoho (J6)
Roga (J9) beat Churanoumi (J6)
Chiyonokuni (J7) beat Kotokuzan (J5)
Kinbozan (J5) beat Tochimusashi (J7)
Enho (J4) beat Daiamami (J2)
Tohakuryu (J4) beat Hokuseiho (J2)
Oshoma (J3) beat Bushozan (J1)
Atamifuji (J3) beat Akua (J1)
Leader: Asanoyama, Roga (5-0)
Of note: Although there were a couple of scares when it looked like he might go down, Asanoyama pulled out another win somehow and that’s his 4th straight 5-0 start. Only at the 1/3 mark but in the last 2 tournaments his 6th match of 7 resulted in his first and only loss. It’s not too early to begin wondering if he can go 15-0, although it almost certainly would not get him back to the top tier from J12. I think he projects to be between J2-J5 should he manage at least 12 wins, recent history suggests winning the championship with that win total or more would vault him up to J3, putting the top tier within reach for May. The Russian Roga continues to have his best tournament to date and looks to be a strong contender. Starting tomorrow we’ll see a Makushita man each day as a Juryo man goes to the top tier. Tomorrow it’ll be November Makushita Champion Tamashoho, who sits at Makushita 1 and is 2-1 so far. He gets to come up to face Hakuyozan.
Key matches tomorrow: Asanoyama-Roga, Kinbozan-Enho. There still will be 9 days left but the winner of the 5-0 matchup will undoubtedly be the yusho favorite as the only unbeaten. A playoff rematch would not be a surprise. The winner of the second match will stay one off the pace. Fan favorite Enho took the sound advice of stablemaster Miyagino, the former Yokozuna Hakuho, and has put on about 11-12 pounds of extra weight for this tournament and it’s had a positive impact on his results so far. He’s still the smallest man in Juryo at roughly 231 pounds, and the only man in the top 2 tiers that may be smaller (but not by very much) is Midorifuji. At this pace Enho could finally make his long-awaited return to the top tier (his career best rank is Maegashira 2).

Here are the quick results from today’s Day 4 of the January 2023 Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo:
Key: M-Maegashira, Komusubi, S-Sekiwake, O-Ozeki, J-Juryo

Makuuchi (Top Tier):
Mitoryu (M15) beat Takarafuji (M16)
Azumaryu (M14) beat Chiyomaru (M16)
Kotoeko (M13) beat Tsurugisho (M15)
Ichiyamamoto (M14) beat Okinoumi (M12)
Kotoshoho (M13) beat Tochinoshin (M11)
Aoiyama (M10) beat Kagayaki (M12)
Hiradoumi (M10) beat Chiyoshoma (M11)
Onosho (M8) beat Endo (M9)
Takanosho (M9) beat Oho (M8)
Ryuden (M5) beat Ura (M7)
Nishikifuji (M4) beat Myogiryu (M6)
Nishikigi (M5) beat Sadanoumi (M4)
Hokutofuji (M6) beat Midorifuji (M3)
Kiribayama (K) beat Kotonowaka (K)
Wakamotoharu (K) beat Meisei (K)
Takayasu (S) beat Tobizaru (M1)
Hoshoryu (S) beat Tamawashi (M2)
Daieisho (M1) beat Wakatakakage (S)
Abi (M3) beat Shodai (S)
Takakeisho (O) beat Mitakeumi (M2)
Leader: Hoshoryu, Abi, Onosho, Aoiyama, Kotoshoho (4-0)
WITHDRAWAL: Tochinoshin (M11) is OUT heading into Day 5. Left elbow or shoulder injury, which he was favoring after his loss. This means Takarafuji, who seemed to injure his finger in his loss today, will get a free victory as long as he doesn’t withdraw. If Tochinoshin can’t return, he will finish with the equivalent of a 2-13 record, which could drop the Georgian & former Ozeki down to Juryo.

Juryo:
Hakuyozan (J14) beat Takakento (J12)
Asanoyama (J12) beat Tsushimanada (J14)
Kaisho (J13) beat Chiyosakae (J11)
Shonannoumi (J13) beat Shimazuumi (J11)
Terutsuyoshi (J10) beat Hiradoumi (J9)
Gonoyama (J10) beat Shimanoumi (J8)
Roga (J9) beat Tochimusashi (J7)
Kitanowaka (J8) beat Churanoumi (J6)
Daishoho (J6) beat Chiyonokuni (J7)
Enho (J4) beat Kotokuzan (J5)
Hokuseiho (J2) beat Kinbozan (J5)
Tohakuryu (J4) beat Daiamami (J2)
Oshoma (J3) beat Akua (J1)
Bushozan (J1) beat Atamifuji (J3)
Leader: Asanoyama, Roga (4-0)
Of note: Another relatively easy win for Asanoyama as the former Ozeki is off to a 4th straight 4-0 start. In the lower tiers that’s a promotion but we’re not even 1/3 of the way through Juryo although that does put him halfway to promotion and getting closer to the top tier. I don’t think 15-0 will be enough but who knows. Also, the long nightmare for Terutsuyoshi is over as he stopped his 19-match losing streak dating back to September 2022. Among those struggling still is Akua, back on the verge of the top tier but 0-4, and Shimanoumi, who is in “here we go again” mode out of the gate with another weak start also 0-4.
Asanoyama is up first on Day 5 and will face Kaisho. Roga has Churanoumi. And unless there is another top-tier withdrawal, we’ll start seeing a Juryo man in the top tier each day beginning on Day 6 which would also mean a top-ranking Makushita man appearing in Juryo.

In the lower tiers, there is one return from injury as Obara, a pre-tournament withdrawal at Sandanme 22, is back today for Day 5 after 2 missed matches.