Harumafuji Secures Promotion

Harumafuji has reached the ultimate goal of every wrestler- Yokozuna promotion. After 2 undefeated tournaments he has risen to the highest rank in sumo.

Harumafuji: The Comeback Kid

 29 years ago, Yokozuna's Chyonofuji and Takanosato went into day 15 undefeated. It would be the last time two rikishi would meet undefeated on day 15 until just a few days ago.

 Ozeki Harumafuji stunned the Sumo world with a perfect 15 and 0 performance, beating a seemingly weak Hakuho on day 15.

 After going 8-7 in the May basho, few people would have guessed that Harumafuji would have done better than a 9 or 10 win Basho.

 "I believed in myself and put my heart and soul into it until the last fight" he said. 


 He will be shooting for Yokozuna promotion in September. 

Cinderella Man, Kyokutenho takes Title

 In a show of great determination and great sumo Meagashira #7, 37 year old Kyokutenho wowed sumo fans with a unforgettable performance.

 "This is an unbelievable feeling" he said of his victory. He became the oldest man ever to win a basho passing Toyokuni who won in 1929 at the age of 35.

"I didn't know what to expect on this final day but everything came together. I was just focused on my sumo," said Kyokutenho. 


 He has been promoted to the rank of Meagashira #1 for the basho in July. I am very excited to see what he can do. He's truly one of the steady men of Sumo and will always be remembered for his cinderella tournament win. 

May Basho Day 10

6 Ozeki is probably the best thing that could have happened to Sumo at this point. This has been the weirdest and most exciting tournament I have witnessed. Hakuho is losing with a 6-4 record. He has fractured his index finger and is not at full strength. Of course reporters are saying maybe he will never be dominate again. I think he will continue to win but I think 6 Ozeki are really shaking things up.

Here is the Ozeki standings.

1. Kisenosato 9-1
2. Baruto 7-3
2. Kakuryu 7-3
2. Kotoshogiku 7-3
4. Harumafuji 6-4
4. Kotooshu 6-4

Kisenosato has been really wrestling well. Great sumo from him.

Here are the day 10 highlights.

May Basho Day 3

BARUTO! He is off to a good start. I really think this tournament will see an Ozeki win again or one of the lower Rikishi. Hakuho seems a little out of sync. Not sure why. He just doesn't seem like he's on top of his game. It will be interesting to see what happens.

On another note, there was a very controversial call that the Gyoji made during Kotooshu's match against Toyohibiki. Here is the match. Please comment and give your thoughts. I think Kotooshu won. They should have discussed this further and probably had a rematch.



Here are the day 3 highlight.

May Basho Day 2

This is shaping up to be an exciting one. 3 Ozeki went down today. Harumafuji went down to Gagamaru. Kakury was blasted out by Myougiryuu and Kotooshu lost a close one to Goueido.

Baruto has stayed perfect as well as Kotoshogiku and Kisenasato.

Yokozuna Hakuho redeemed himself against Aran to even his record at 1-1. Tomorrow he faces M#1 Takayasu who is 0-2.

The Fighting Man of Japan

Today I picked up a copy of "The Fighting Man of Japan". Written by F.J. Norman, a former cavalryman who served as an instructor at Japan's leading military colleges. In this book he covers Japan's military history, the education of Japan's military and naval officers, Kenjutsu or Japanese fencing, and Japanese wrestling-Sumo and Jujitsu.

I am really excited to begin reading this book. Just what I have skimmed through looks really great.

You can purchase it on amazon here.

http://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Japan-Book-F-J-Norman/dp/B001WX5HC0/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1336359484&sr=8-9

May Basho Day 1

  What a day. Not only did all the Ozeki win on the first day, but the Yokozuna was defeated. In a thrilling match Aminishiki sidestepped the Yokozuna and then pushed the off balance champion out of the ring. The purple seats flew down as the crowd cheered. It was very exciting to watch. Tomorrow the Yokozuna faces Aran who lost on day 1. Kakuryu in his Ozeki debut beat Gagamaru in a very exciting bout. It looks like it's going to be a good tournament.

 Here is the Hakuho vs Aminishiki bout. Enjoy!

A New Challenger

Chiyotairyu is making his top division debut tomorrow at the rank of Meagashira #10. I just recently watched all his bouts from his 2 Juryo tournaments and I must say I am REALLY impressed. He's not the most graceful but he gets the job done. And the interesting this is he has had only one losing basho since making his debut back in 2011. Here is how his record stands. 

Makushita 2011 May: 0-3-4  

Makushita 2011  July: 6-1-0

Makushita 2011 September: 6-1-0

Makushita 2011 November: 4-3-0

Juryo #13 2012 January: 13-2 Yusho

Juryo #1 2012 March: 11-4-0

Career record: 40 wins, 14 losses and 4 absent

Pretty impressive for this young newcomer. I am really excited to see what he can do tomorrow and the rest of the tournament. 

 

Sumo at 17 Months

So I couldn't be more excited. My daughter Emmelynn, 17 months, is starting to Sumo. Not because I am really pushing her. But being around me and my little hobby of sumo she has started taking as much of an interest as a 17th month old can. It started when I was in my sumo stance. I looked at her and said "Get in your stance". She imitated me, crouching down in a low squat.

Then we wrestled. At this point she doesn't understand the concept of pushing, but she hangs on.

Emmelynn has a pretty good stance. Nice and low. What will she do next?

She takes dad down! Good job Emmelynn!

Now we see her hard at her studies. She has become really fascinated at thumbing through my new Sumo book.

I really hope that she grows to love sumo as I do and that she has fun learning it.

Sumo Archive 1: Ozeki Toyokuni

Toyokuni was born August 26th, 1893. He made his Sumo debut in 1915. After going 4-1 in his first tournament competing he quickly rose with a Yusho win in 1917. In 1926 he made it to the rank of Komusubi with an 8-3 record. As a Komusubi he went 9-2 and rose to Sekiwake. As a Sekiwake he shined, finishing 2nd in two out of the three as Sekiwake, and defeating Yokozuna Tsunenohana. After sitting out his first tournament as Ozeki he went on to have 9 consecutive winning tournaments and won 2 Championships. A great wrestler who was just shy of being a Yokozuna.

CAREER STATS
40 Basho
Makuuchi Record: 162-87-30
Career Record: 208-101-36
Yusho 2

6 Ozeki for May Basho

For the first time in the history of Sumo there will be 6 Ozeki on the Banzuke. Kakuryu is the newest Ozeki after his brilliant March Tournament where he and Hakuho took it to the wire and finished in a dramatic playoff. Kakuryu seems at ease with the promotion stating "My first goal is to secure a winning record, but I'll make sure I put my best effort in each bout and try to pump up sumo fans." Sumo fans could use some pumping up. It has felt like forever since some one challenged Hakuho on a serious level. This year has seen Baruto win a Basho and Kakuryu give Hakuho a run for his money. This has been a thrill to experience. Hakuho is shooting for his 23rd Yusho of his career that would send him into sole possession of 5th place on the all-time list passing Takanohana. This will be a GREAT tournament! Look for the Ozeki to shine.

Kakuryu Shines in March Basho

In a great display of technique and ability, Sekiwake Kakuryu seriously challenged Hakuho for the Emperors Cup. It was great to watch. The Yokozuna has been so dominant the last several years. We may now see the challengers we have been longing to see. With Baruto winning in January, and Harumafuji's recent tournament win, the Yokozuna no longer seems as invincible as he once was thought to be.

This was a great tournament. I don't know yet, but we may see Kakuryu as an Ozeki next tournament.