Author: Admin

Here are the quick results from today’s Day 11 of the July 2023 Grand Sumo Tournament in Nagoya:
Key: M-Maegashira, K-Komusubi, S-Sekiwake, O-Ozeki, J-Juryo, Ms-Makushita

Makuuchi (Top tier):
Ryuden (M15) beat Daishoho (M14)
Bushozan (M16) beat Chiyoshoma (M12)
Aoiyama (M17) beat Tsurugisho (M11)
Kotoshoho (M13) beat Kinbozan (M10)
Kotoeko (M11) beat Sadanoumi (M8)
Hakuoho (M17) beat Takayasu (M7)
Hokuseiho (M6) beat Myogiryu (M10)
Onosho (M5) beat Gonoyama (M13)
Takanosho (M9) beat Hiradoumi (M5)
Ura (M4) beat Nishikifuji (M8)
Oho (M8) beat Midorifuji (M3)
Shodai (M2) beat Mitakeumi (M2)
Tobizaru (M1) beat Meisei (M3)
Nishikigi (M1) beat Endo (M3)
Takarafuji (M15) beat Abi (K)
Kotonowaka (K) beat Shonannoumi (M14)
Hoshoryu (S) beat Tamawashi (M7)
Wakamotoharu (S) beat Hokutofuji (M9)
Kirishima (O) beat Daieisho (S)
Leader: Nishikigi (10-1)
RE–ENTRY: Asanoyama (M4). Will return tomorrow after missing 4 days (was expected to be out 4 weeks). He will be the equivalent of 4-7, meaning he can still clinch a promotion by winning his last 4 matches, but one loss means demotion.

Of note: It’s down to one at the top as Nishikigi is first to 10 wins this tournament as he all but knocks Endo out of title contention in a group 2 back at 8-3, which includes Hakuoho after the super-rookie clinched promotion in his top tier debut. Hokutofuji was knocked out of the lead by Wakamotoharu and sits tied for second with Hoshoryu at 9-2. And while it’s probably too little too late for title contention after an 0-4 start, that’s 7 straight wins for Ryuden and he is on the verge of promotion. Meanwhile, Midorifuji will again be demoted after today and despite a win today, Bushozan is all but headed back to Juryo. Even winning out only gets him to 7-8, at best that would keep him at his current rank. Kirishima also picked up his 5th win, meaning he now needs to finish 3-1 to have a winning record despite missing the first 3 days and being in what was a 2-6 hole at halfway.

Ozeki Watch: 2 of 3 win today as Hoshoryu gets to 9 wins and Wakamotoharu protects his rank with 8, but Daieisho lost to Kirishima. That means Hoshoryu now is 3 wins away from the magic number, Daieisho remains at 3 and Wakamotoharu must win his last 4. Wakamotoharu gets his chance at Kirishima tomorrow, Hoshoryu has a critical match against Hokutofuji where the loser could all but be out of the championship race, and Daieisho has Tamawashi.
Also of note, Hakuoho gets a Sanyaku sampler tomorrow as he will face Abi. Asanoyama will return from injury after 4 days and will face Tobizaru.

Juryo:
Yuma (J14) beat Hidenoumi (J12)
Takahashi (Ms4) beat Tsushimanada (J11)
Shiden (J13) beat Chiyosakae (J10)
Akua (J8) beat Kiho (J13)
Kitanowaka (J5) beat Chiyomaru (J11)
Tamashoho (J5) beat Daiamami (J9)
Shishi (J12) beat Tohakuryu (J4)
Tomokaze (J9) beat Oshoma (J4)
Shimazuumi (J3) beat Shimanoumi (J10)
Ichiyamamoto (J3) beat Chiyonoumi (J14)
Mitoryu (J2) beat Takakento (J8)
Roga (J2) beat Churanoumi (J7)
Atamifuji (J1) beat Hakuyozan (J7)
Kagayaki (J1) beat Azumaryu (J6)
Leader: Tomokaze (9-2)
Of note: With Daiamami now fading after being dominant early, Tomokaze has pulled one clear of a group of 4 including Kagayaki & Atamifuji, who clinched promotions back to the top tier today. At the bottom, Chiyonoumi’s return to Juryo after 2+ years will be short as he will be demoted to Makushita after taking an 8th loss at J14. Teushimanada and Shimanoumi are in danger of demotion if they keep losing while Yuma holds on again with a win today, but any more losses send him back to Makushita. Tomorrow Tomokaze faces Tamashoho in a match that could result in another logjam at the top.

Lower tier notes: The Makushita Chanpionship is set for Day 13, it will be Tokihayate vs. Tochiseiryu. Tokihayate is returning to Juryo in September as he is at Ms1 while Tochiseiryu would move up to the middle of Makushita with a title. The Sandanme has 3 at 6-0 so there is a chance a playoff will be needed. The Jonidan also has 3 at 6-0 so same there. In the Jonokuchi, Anosho won the match of the last 2 5-0s today so he is alone at 6-0 and only needs to win his last match for the championship, but a loss could force a playoff

Here are the quick results from today’s Day 10 of the July 2023 Grand Sumo Tournament in Nagoya:
Key: M-Maegashira, K-Komusubi, S-Sekiwake, O-Ozeki, J-Juryo, Ms-Makushita

Makuuchi (Top tier):
Shonannoumi (M14) beat Bushozan (M16)
Gonoyama (M13) beat Takarafuji (M15)
Aoiyama (M17) beat Kotoshoho (M13)
Endo (M16) beat Chiyoshoma (M12)
Hakuoho (M17) beat Kotoeko (M11)
Ryuden (M15) beat Myogiryu (M10)
Takanosho (M9) beat Daishoho (M14)
Tsurugisho (M11) beat Sadanoumi (M8)
Kinbozan (M10) beat Takayasu (M7)
Hokutofuji (M9) beat Tamawashi (M7)
Nishikifuji (M8) beat Oho (M6)
Shodai (M2) beat Hokuseiho (M6)
Nishikigi (M1) beat Meisei (M3)
Midorifuji (M3) beat Tobizaru (M1)
Mitakeumi (M2) beat Abi (K)
Onosho (M5) beat Wakamotoharu (S)
Daieisho (S) beat Hiradoumi (M5)
Kotonowaka (K) beat Hoshoryu (S)
Kirishima (O) beat Ura (M4)
Leader: Nishikigi, Hokutofuji (9-1)
Of note: It’s looking likely we’ll have a new first-time champion as among the 5 with 8-9 wins only Daieisho has a top tier title. Nishikigi is having a career-best run while Hokutofuji has been here before although he faded down the stretch. Endo has nicely bounced back from a May injury. Konotowaka beating Hoshoryu was a huge upset as Hoshoryu had won 10 straight in their series (Kotonowaka’s only win before was in their first ever meeting). In streaking, Ryuden has now won 6 straight since an 0-4 start while Takayasu has lost 5 straight since a 5-0 start. Also a side note on Mitakeumi-his father died shortly before this tournament began so that may clearly be affecting his performance. He did win today although he will be demoted. Kirishima picked up win 4 in a tough match against Ura, pilling roughly even since a late start due to injury but still needing to go 4-1 or better for a winning record.
Ozeki Watch: Only Daieisho won today, so the magic number for Daieisho is now 4. Hoshoryu also remains at 4 while Wakamotoharu is still at 5 but now must win out to have any chance at promotion this time as that would get him to exactly 33.
Lots of big matches tomorrow that will shake up the leaderboards: Nishikigi-Endo, Hokutofuji-Wakamotoharu, and Daieisho-Kirishima. Hoshoryu gets Tamawashi.
As for the rookies, Hakuoho & Shonannoumi go for promotions tomorrow as both improved to 7-3. Hakuoho gets Takayasu, maybe catching the slumping former Ozeki at a good time. Shonannoumi gets a taste of Sanyaku as he will face Kotonowaka.

Juryo:
Shishi (J12) beat Kotokuzan (Ms4)
Yuma (J14) beat Chiyomaru (J11)
Hidenoumi (J12) beat Chiyosakae (J10)
Kiho (J13) beat Daiamami (J9)
Tomokaze (J9) beat Shiden (J13)
Takakento (J8) beat Tsushimanada (J11)
Akua (J8) beat Chiyonoumi (J14)
Tohakuryu (J4) beat Shimanoumi (J10)
Ichiyamamoto (J3) beat Churanoumi (J7)
Hakuyozan (J7) beat Shimazuumi (J3)
Roga (J2) beat Oshoma (J4)
Azumaryu (J6) beat Mitoryu (J2)
Kagayaki (J1) beat Kitanowaka (J5)
Atamifuji (J1) beat Tamashoho (J5)
Leader: Daiamami, Tomokzae (8-2)
Of note: Tomokaze clinched promotion today with a win, as he tries to get back to the top tier for the first time since 2019, when he reached M3 before he was demoted all the way to Jonidan after being out for more than a year. He has had only 2 losing tournaments since and now has 8 wins in 3 straight tournaments. He finished 8-7 the last 2 times. 4 are at 7-3 including Kagayaki & Atamifuji, who both are now a win away from returning to the top tier. Juryo rookie Kiho (Kawazoe) is also on the verge of staying in Juryo as he is also 7-3. But the 3:10 to Yuma may be departing tomorrow as rookie Yuma is at 3-7, staving off demotion back to Makushita with a win today but he must go 5-0 to stay Juryo. Tsushimanada also will be demoted with 8 losses now. Ichiyamamoto won again to go to the equivalent of 2-8 so he now almost certainly is staying in Juryo despite demotion from J3 after missing the first week due to injury.

Lower tier notes: Makushita is down to the Final 4 at 5-0, so tomorrow’s matches should set up the Championship match on Day 13. Tokihayate is among them at Ms1 so he’ll look to head to Juryo as champion and maybe a bigger move up the rankings. The Sandanme has 5 at 5-0 and may need a playoff depending on how things play out. The Jonidan has 6 at 5-0 and also may require a playoff. The 2 remaining 5-0 in Jonokuchi will face off tomorrow meaning the winner only needs to win his final match to be champion while the loser still has a chance for a playoff rematch. Only 4 others still have a chance for a playoff at 4-1. (A look at the standings also shows that, even though he retired, Ishiura was still ranked at Jonokuchi 15 this time. He would have dropped off the rankings after this due to being absent)

Side note: It will he interesting to see if there is a day-end closing ceremony with the bow-twirling performance the rest of the way because Satonofuji, the wrestler who performs it every day, has withdrawn from the tournament starting tomorrow (Day 11). Performance-wise, he was just demoted and being near the bottom of the Jonidan could see the 46-year-old demoted to Jonokuchi as he will finish the equivalent of 1-6. For the curious, he has never made it above the Sandanme in his 27-year career.

Here are the quick results from today’s Day 9 of the July 2023 Grand Sumo Tournament in Nagoya:
Key: M-Maegashira, K-Komusubi, S-Sekiwake, O-Ozeki, J-Juryo, Ms-Makushita

Makuuchi (Top Tier):
Bushozan (M16) beat Takarafuji (M15)
Daishoho (M14) beat Hakuoho (M17)
Endo (M16) beat Gonoyama (M13)
Aoiyama (M17) beat Chiyoshoma (M12)
Ryuden (M15) beat Tsurugisho (M11)
Shonannoumi (M14) beat Kotoeko (M11)
Myogiryu (M10) beat Kotoshoho (M13)
Kinbozan (M10) beat Tamawashi (M7)
Sadanoumi (M8) beat Takayasu (M7)
Hokutofuji (M9) beat Oho (M6)
Takanosho (M9) beat Hokuseiho (M6)
Onosho (M5) beat Nishikifuji (M8)
Shodai (M2) beat Midorifuji (M3)
Nishikigi (M1) beat Mitakeumi (M2)
Tobizaru (M1) beat Kotonowaka (K)
Daieisho (S) beat Abi (K)
Hoshoryu (S) beat Hiradoumi (M5)
Wakamotoharu (S) beat Ura (M4)
Kirishima (O) beat Meisei (M3)
Leader: Hoshoryu, Nishikigi, Hokutofuji (8-1)
Of note: The first promotions and winning records of the tournament were clinched today by the leaders-that’s 10 straight winning tournaments for Hoshoryu and likely a Sanyaku debut for Nishikigi next time out. And also today was the first demotion as Mitakeumi is the first to 8 losses, meaning a losing record. 2 of the 3 rookies lost today as Shonannoumi was the only winner while Hakuoho & Gonoyama lost. Shonannoumi & Hakuoho are at 6-3 while Gonoyama is 5-4 and has now lost 4 straight. So has Takayasu, who started 5-0 but is now 5-4. Several others are on the verge of demotion at 2-7 while Endo can earn promotion tomorrow sitting at 7-2.
Ozeki Watch: Hoshoryu & Daieisho now are 4 wins away from the magic number with Walamotoharu now at 5 after all won again. Hoshoryu has protected his rank with 8 wins and the others now are just one win away. A mixed bag on tap tomorrow-Hoshoryu has Kotonowaka, Daieisho gets Hiradoumi while Wakamotoharu has Onosho. That means if we have the traditional Sekiwake Showdowns they’ll be in the final days and could ultimately decides who may-and may not-be promoted.
Kirishima managed a win today against Meisei, his 3rd so far, and gets Ura tomorrow. He’ll go to the equivalent of 4-6 with a win, but a loss leaves the new Ozeki on the verge of kadoban status.

Juryo:
Mukainakano (Ms3) beat Hidenoumi (J12)
Shishi (J12) beat Chiyomaru (J11)
Shimanoumi (J10) beat Tsushimanada (J11)
Kiho (J13) beat Chiyosakae (J10)
Tomokaze (J9) beat Chiyonoumi (J14)
Akua (J8) beat Yuma (J14)
Shiden (J13) beat Takakento (J8)
Daiamami (J9) beat Churanoumi (J7)
Oshoma (J4) beat Hakuyozan (J7)
Azumaryu (J6) beat Shimazuumi (J3)
Mitoryu (J2) beat Tohakuryu (J4)
Ichiyamamoto (J3) beat Roga (J2)
Kitanowaka (J5) beat Atamifuji (J1)
Tamashoho (J5) beat Kagayaki (J1)
Leader: Daiamami (8-1)
Of note: Daiamami is the first in Juryo to claim promotion as he tries to climb back up to the top tier. Only 2 more can get there tomorrow. On the other end, Ichiyamamoto winning today should keep him in Juryo even if he loses the rest of the way following being absent 2 days after an 0-8 start and pending demotion. 0-15 would’ve been a toss-up based on what happened after May, but I think this win keeps him in Juryo. Another win would be insurance though.

Lower tier notes:
The Makushita is down to 3 unbeatens at 5-0 with 2 more at 4-0 competing tomorrow. So that will leave between 3 & 5 still in championship contention. The Sandanme is down to 5 at 5-0, leaving the potential of a final day playoff open. The Jonidan is at 6 at 5-0 while Jonokuchi is down to just 2 with neither competing again until Day 11 at the earliest.