Author: Admin

Here are the quick results from today’s Day 14 of the January 2023 Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo:
Key: M-Maegashira, K-Komusubi, S-Sekiwake, O-Ozeki, J-Juryo

Makuuchi (Top Tier):
Tsurugisho (M15) beat Kinbozan (J5)
Ichiyamamoto (M14) beat Azumaryu (M14)
Hiradoumi (M10) beat Kotoeko (M13)
Mitoryu (M15) beat Takanosho (M9)
Takarafuji (M16) beat Hokutofuji (M6)
Ryuden (M5) beat Chiyoshoma (M11)
NIshikigi (M5) beat Aoiyama (M10)
Oho (M8) beat Nishikifuji (M4)
Sadanoumi (M4) beat Chiyomaru (M16)
Endo (M9) beat Abi (M3)
Mitakeumi (M2) beat Ura (M7)
Tobizaru (M1) beat Kagayaki (M12)
Kotoshoho (M13) beat Daieisho (M1)
Kiribayama (K) beat Onosho (M8)
Wakamotoharu (K) beat Tamawashi (M2)
Myogiryu (M6) beat Meisei (K)
Kotonowaka (K) beat Midorifuji (M3)
Wakatakakage (S) beat Shodai (S)
Takakeisho (O) beat Hoshoryu (S)
Leader: Takakeisho, Kotoshoho (11-3)
Of note: And The Final Is Set! Will Kotoshoho extend the recent Maegashira Championship streak to 4 or is this perhaps the moment Takakeisho becomes Yokozuna? If Takakeisho emerges victorious it will be his 3rd Emperor’s Cup while Kotoshoho is going for his first. It’s all about Takakeisho and Yokozuna consideration though, because a loss would mean a second straight runner-up finish. Last time it was enough wins to equal a championship because of a playoff, this time a loss means runner-up. So in reality Takakeisho must win.
As far as the rest of Sanyaku, Wakatakakage saved his Sekiwake rank today with win 8 and will stay there for the 7th straight tournament in March. But Ozeki is all but out of reach in March unless he can win the championship, remember he did win his first title in March of last year though. If he wins his final match tomorrow he’ll need 13 wins in March to meet the criteria, otherwise it’s 14 so it’ll be more about trying to set himself up for a better chance in May. With his 4th straight loss today (including an absent), Hoshoryu is now in danger of losing his Sekiwake rank and starting over to reach Ozeki, but maybe it’s better to and recover from the sprained ankle that cost him the last few days. It’ll be tough tomorrow as his final opponent is Onosho. The loss today means Shodai is demoted from Sekiwake and virtually guarantees Kiribayama finally gets promoted there in March, and there could be two Wakas at Sekiwake too-Wakamotoharu got his 8th win as Shin Komusubi today, a 9th win should give him a chance to join his younger brother at the 3rd highest rank. Kotonowaka will stay at Komusubi if he can beat Hokutofuji while Meisei will be demoted. In the lower rank, the post-championship curse seems to be continuing as Abi started hot again but has now slumped to needing to win tomorrow to get promotion-a loss means demotion. He started 5-0 but is 2-7 since.
Key match tomorrow: Takakeisho-Kotoshoho for the Emperor’s Cup. Final Match.
Reminder: NHK World Japan will have 90 minutes of LIVE top tier coverage, including the final matches, championship ceremony and champion’s interview, beginning tonight at 11:30 PM PT/2:30 AM ET. I may try and do live results for the broadcast portion If I can manage watching this, Pro Wrestling NOAH and New Japan Pro Wrestling all live at the same time (between a laptop, smart TV, tablet and mobile phone it’s doable).

Juryo:
Roga (J9) beat Chiyosakae (J11)
Hakuyozan (J14) beat Shimanoumi (J9)
Tsushimanada (J14) beat Kitanowaka (J8)
Asanoyama (J12) beat Chiyonokuni (J7). ASANOYAMA JURYO YUSHO! Because Kinbozan was in the top tier today, his loss clinched the championship for the former Ozeki. It’s Asanoyama’s 4th career championship overall.
Kaisho (J13) beat Churanoumi (J6)
Takakento (J12) beat Kotokuzan (J5)
Daishoho (J6) beat Tohakuryu (J4)
Shonannoumi (J13) beat Enho (J4)
Oshoma (J3) beat Shimazuumi (J11)
Hokuseiho (J2) beat Gonoyama (J10)
Daiamami (J2) beat Tochimusashi (J7)
Terutsuyoshi (J10) beat Akua (J1)
Bushozan (J1) beat Hidenoumi (J9)
CHAMPION: Asanoyama (13-1)
Of note: Now the only question is will 13, or potentially 14 wins if he wins tomorrow be enough to get Asanoyama from J12 to the top tier? If he ends at 14, it’s a coin flip, but either way I am leaning very slightly towards no. I think he’ll be at J1 in March, meaning a winning records gets him back in May. Bushozan & probably Hokuseiho are headed to the top tier and Kinbozan has a chance (even better if he can win his final match). And a big shout-out to Shonannoumi who will finish his Juryo debut with at least 11 wins, a very impressive performance. Terutsuyoshi may have saved his Juryo status and epic salt throws for March with his 5th win today, if he can win his finale I think he’s safe as it would drop him to J12 or J13. If he loses tomorrow it’s a toss-up between J14 and Makushita.
As is tradition on the Final Day there will be 2 Makushita men in Juryo tomorrow-Tsukahara, who is at Ms5 and comes in with a chance at promotion to Juryo with a 5-1 record so far. If he beats Takakento tomorrow Tsukahara should be Shin Juryo in March, but he still has a chance with a loss. Also up tomorrow is November Makushita Champion Tamashoho, he’s 3-3 so a win gets him from Ms1 to Juryo. He’s got Terutsuyoshi. As for Kinbozan, he’s got a tough potential final step to the top tier tomorrow-Shonannoumi. That match will be for the runner-up finish. Asanoyama will go for 14-1 against Hokuseiho. If Asanoyama wins, he will be on an incredible 33-3 run since returning from a one-year suspension. If he loses, it’s still a just-as-incredible 32-4 mark since with 2 championships.

Here are the quick results from today’s Day 13-Championship Day in the lower tiers-of the January 2023 Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo:
Key: M-Maegashira, K-Komusubi, S-Sekiwake, O-Ozeki, J-Juryo, Ms-Makushita, Sd-Sandanme, Jd-Jonidan, Jk-Jonokuchi

Makuuchi (Top Tier):
Enho (J4) beat Mitoryu (M15)
Ichiyamamoto (M14) beat Kagayaki (J12)
Azumaryu (M14) beat Chiyoshoma (M11)
Aoiyama (M19) beat Endo (M9)
Takanosho (M9) beat Chiyomaru (M16)
Kotoeko (M13) beat Ura (M7)
Tsurugisho (M15) beat Myogiryu (M6)
Nishikigi (M5) beat Takarafuji (M16)
Oho (M8) beat Sadanoumi (M4)
Kotoshoho (M13) beat Abi (M3)
Daieisho (M1) beat Hiradoumi (M14)
Tobizaru (M1) beat Mitakeumi (M2)
Wakamotoharu (K) beat Hokutofuji (M6)
Nishikifuji (M4) beat Meisei (K)
Kotonowaka (K) beat Tamawashi (M2)
Kiribayama (K) beat Midorifuji (M3)
Wakatakakage (S) beat Hoshoryu (S)
Ryuden (M5) beat Shodai (S)
Takakeisho (O) beat Onosho (M8)
Leader: Takakeisho, Onosho, Kotoshoho (10-3)
Of note: Once again it’s wide open! Back to a 3-way tie for the lead and 3 are just one win back…and how about Azumaryu? First top tier winning record in his career yesterday and he’s still in the yusho race! What a story that would be if he wins! At this point Takakeisho needs to win his last 2 matches to remain in Yokozuna contention-a championship should be enough but a runner-up finish could also do it as it would be a second straight (the criteria on the performance side are consecutive championships OR wins equal to consecutive runner-up finishes). At worst he needs to be part of another potential playoff. Fortunately for Takakeisho he gets the injured Hoshoryu tomorrow, nothing is a given but that could help Takakeisho’s cause.
Key matches tomorrow: Kotoshoho-Daieisho, Onosho-Kiribayama, Takakeisho-Hoshoryu. It’s not impossible to have a 6-way tie going into the final day!
Reminder: NHK World Japan will have 50 minutes of LIVE top tier coverage/beginning tomorrow at 12:10 AM PT/3:10 AM ET and 90 minutes of Final Day coverage beginning tomorrow at 11:30 PM PT, to include the first part of the awards ceremony and champion’s interview.

Juryo:
Shimazuumi (J11) beat Shimanoumi (J8)
Takakento (J12) beat Tochimusashi (J7)
Chiyonokuni (J7) beat Hakuyozan (J14)
Shonannoumi (J13) beat Daishoho (J6)
Chiyosakae (J11) beat Churanoumi (J6)
Kotokuzan (J5) beat Terutsuyoshi (J10)
Asanoyama (J12) beat Kinbozan (J5)
Tsushimanada (J14) beat Tohakuryu (J4)
Hidenoumi (J9) beat Oshoma (J3)
Daiamami (J2) beat Kaisho (J13)
Hokuseiho (J2) beat Roga (J2)
Gonoyama (J10) beat Bushozan (J1)
Kitanowaka (J8) beat Akua (J1)
Leader: Asanoyama (12-1)
Of note: We may have to wait tomorrow to find out if we have a champion after Asanoyama took the sole lead by beating Kinbozan. That is because Kinbozan will be the guest in the top tier tomorrow so no Juryo match. So if Asanoyama wins tomorrow we have to wait a couple hours. If Asanoyama loses, we could be looking at a playoff rematch. Kinbozan has a good chance of being promoted to the top tier in March (I think it’s definite with one more win) so tomorrow could be a preview of what is to come. If Asanoyama wins tomorrow and Kinbozan loses, it’s over and both will go for solidifying top tier promotion cases Sunday.
Key matches tomorrow: Asanoyama-Chiyonokuni, Kinbozan-Tsurugisho (in top tier)

Makushita:
Ochiai (Ms15) beat Kazekeno (Ms40). OCHIAI MAKUSHITA YUSHO! Champion in his debut tournament! That could quite possibly get him into Juryo in record time as the Makushita champion usually moves up 30 spots in the rankings.

Sandanme:
Kaizen (Sd74) beat Wakanosho (Sd13). KAIZEN SANDANME YUSHO! His first career championship should get him promoted back to Makushita after he was demoted to Jonidan after being absent for 3 straight tournaments last year (May, July, September). Wakanosho will likeiy get a second chance at Makushita in his 7th career tournament in March, he was demoted back to Sandanme after a 2-5 November record.

Jonidan:
Asakoga (Jd46) beat Ikazuchido (Jd73)
Takerufuji (Jd11) beat Daiseizan (Jd4). TAKERUFUJI JONIDAN YUSHO! 2nd championship in just 2 career tournaments. No playoff because Ikazuchido lost before the second match meaning the latter was for the championship.
Of note: Satonofuji, the likely oldest active rikishi at 45 who is seen performing the closing ceremony every day during tournaments, finished with a 4-3 record at Jd91 and will move up a couple spots in March. He has never promoted above the Sandanme in his career that I know of (which dates back to at least 2010). He performs the ceremony as the choice of the stable/beya the current Yokozuna originates from, which is Isegahama Beya. Usually it’s a Makushita ranked wrestler but this is an exception.

Jonokuchi:
Kazenoumi (Jk11) beat Okano (Jk12). Okano would have been champion with a win but now there could be a 3-way playoff with 3 at 6-1.

Here are the quick results from today’s Day 12 of the January 2023 Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo:
Key: M-Maegashira, K-Komusubi, S-Sekiwake, O-Ozeki, J-Juryo

Makuuchi (Top Tier):
Tohakuryu (J4) beat Chiyomaru (M16) by foul/judges reversal…HANSOKU!!! Over very quickly but replays show Chiyomaru clearly grabbed and pulled the Juryo man’s topknot in winning, which is illegal and thus a DQ.
Kagayaki (M12) beat Takarafuji (M16)
Aoiyama (M10) beat Kotoeko (M13)
Azumaryu (M14) beat Hiradoumi (M10)
Tsurugisho (M15) beat Takanosho (M9)
Endo (M9) beat Ichiyamamoto (M14)
Mitoryu (M15) beat Oho (M8)
Hokutofuji (M6) beat Chiyoshoma (M11)
Kotoshoho (M13) beat Nishikigi (M5)
Abi (M3) beat Ura (M7)
Onosho (M8) beat Tamawashi (M2)
Tobizaru (M1) beat Myogiryu (M6)
Daieisho (M1) beat Mitakeumi (M2)
Sadanoumi (M4) beat Meisei (K)
Midorifuji (M3) beat Wakamotoharu (K)
Wakatakakage (S) beat Kotonowaka (K)
Shodai (S) beat Nishikifuji (M4)
Ryuden (M5) beat Hoshoryu (S)
Kirobayama (K) beat Takakeisho (O)
Leader: Onosho (10-2)
Of note: FINALLY!!! The happiest man today undoubtedly is Azumaryu, who has finally clinched a winning record in a top tier tournament on his TENTH try! The prior 9 ended in demotion with a losing record but not this time, he will be promoted in March and he still isn’t out of the yusho race. As for that, Takakeisho taking a second straight loss hands the lead to high school rival Onosho ahead of their meeting tomorrow. At this point Takakeisho almost certainly needs to win his last 3 matches to remain in Yokozuna consideration. And all Ozeki promotion discussions this time are now over as his loss today takes Hoshoryu out of it-he needed at least 11 wins but now can only finish with 10, but first he must manage one more win to maintain his Sekiwake ranking. Not easy on a sprained ankle. If he did finish with 10 wins the magic number in March to be in consideration for promotion is 9, but 10 is ideal. As long as he gets one more win worst-case is 11 again. Tomorrow he has a Sekiwake Showdown against Wakatakakage, who despite a win today is struggling at 6-6. And while it’s too late to mean more than pride and protecting his rank, Shodai is back to THE Shodai these last few days-since his troublesome 2-6 start he now has won 4 straight. Elsewhere his win today against Takakeisho should FINALLY get Kiribayama to Sekiwake in March with Takayasu being demoted. I could only see it not happening if he loses out and finishes with 8 wins and Daieisho wins out. Meisei will also be demoted from Sanyaku after an 8th loss today. Despite a nice turnaround after an 0-4 start, consecutive losses have Shin Komusubi Kotonowaka on the brink of demotion as well at 5-7. He’ll definitely be back up though.
Key match tomorrow: Onosho-Takakeisho. Final match of the day. Could be for the championship and Yokozuna hopes for Takakeisho.

Juryo:
Asanoyama (J12) beat Shonannoumi (J13)
Tsushimanada (J14) beat Chiyosakae (J11)
Gonoyama (J10) beat Takakento (J12)
Hakuyozan (J14) beat Kitanowaka (J8)
Tochimusashi (J7) beat Kaisho (J13)
Kinbozan (J5) beat Roga (J9)
Hidenoumi (J9) beat Kotokuzan (J5)
Shimazuumi (J11) beat Enho (J4)
Chiyonokuni (J7) beat Oshoma (J3)
Hokuseiho (J2) beat Churanoumi (J6)
Terutsuyoshi (J10) beat Daiamami (J2)
Akua (J1) beat Shimanoumi (J8)
Daishoho (J6) beat Bushozan (J1)
Leader: Asanoyama, Kinbozan (11-1)
Of note: Asanoyama bounced back today from his first loss with another win against Shonannoumi, who despite the loss fought well today and is doing great as Shin Juryo with a promotion already secured and he’s not out of the yusho race yet. Terutsuyoshi is starting to get it together and possibly save his Juryo standing, but he probably needs at least one more win to be certain for March. Enho will be in the top tier tomorrow as he tries to break out of a 2-5 skid that has him at 6-6 following a 4 match winning streak after an opening loss. Today, like a couple of the losses, was a tough one as it was too close to call and was decided by the judges after both wrestlers appeared to go down at the same time.
Key match tomorrow: Asanoyama-Kinbozan. This may decide the championship. If Kinbozan wins this, or at least one more of his last 3 matches, he should make his top tier debut in March. 2 wins and I think it’s definite. If Asanoyama wins he should be at no lower than J2 in March. J1 maybe but he may be too far down for top tier. Oshoma’s top tier hopes after his November championship are gone for now, he needs to finish 3-0 just to avoid demotion. At the bottom, Kaisho will be demoted back to Makushita in March. Takakento may be as well and Chiyosakae is in danger of demotion too.

Lower tier notes: Tomorrow on Day 13 is Championship Day as we will have the Makushita championship match between Ochiai and Kazekeno, and the Sandanme championship match between Wakanosho & Kaizen. In the Jonidan, co-leader Ikazuchido is up early and if he wins his match there will be a playoff against the Takerufuji-Daiseizan winner for the championship, probably on Day 15. If Ikazuchido loses, that second match is for the championship. In the Jonokuchi, Okano is the champion if he wins the opening match tomorrow, otherwise a playoff would be needed unless they declare co-champions.