#oshitaoshi

[blackmawashi]

January 2016, Day 13, Mitakeumi v Tamawashi.

Mitakeumi missed two days due to injury, so his record of 5-6-2 on Day 13 means he can’t get more than 7 wins, and will be demoted next tournament. But I see nothing but upside to his recent performance. He’s received valuable experience against some solid wrestlers in only his sixth-ever professional tournament. Today against Tamawashi he shows good mobility and footwork, good balance against the attempted sokubiotoshi, and good focused aggression with the mighty shove at the end to bowl over Tamawashi. He’s one to watch.

[blackmawashi]

January 2016, Day 2, Endo v Mitakeumi.

Endo’s woes continue. If he wants to live up to the hype of being the next great Japanese hope, he’d better start soon. Today, he gets manhandled by Mitakeumi, who is in only his sixth (!) ever tournament. Mitakeumi is so fresh, he hasn’t even had time to grow out his hair into a proper chonmage. Mitakeumi lifts Endo up by the throat and deposits him with authority on the dohyo for the oshitaoshi victory, and the way Endo landed on his tailbone on the tawara, we’ll have to watch and see how he looks in the coming days - last tournament he looked really physically weak. Hey, the upside is, if Mitakeumi keeps performing like this, he can replace Endo as the next great Japanese hope.

[blackmawashi]

January 2016, Day 2, Takekaze v Shodai.

Lotta good stuff on Day 2. Let’s start waaaay down the banzuke with a couple of guys ranked 13 and 12, respectively. Takekaze uses his smaller stature to good effect, staying low and underneath Shodai the entire bout. He keeps the taller man off-balance and upright with nodowa and tsuppari, and gets a hand in his armpit at the edge to push him down and out for the oshitaoshi win. Former wrestler Dejima, seated ringside as a judge, thought they might have landed at the same time. You can see Dejima raise his hand at the end of the video calling for the judges to come together and discuss it. They decided in Takekaze’s favor.

[blackmawashi]

January 2016, Day 1, Kisenosato v Aminishiki.

Old man wiliness works even better when you have speed and strength to back it up. Aminishiki (37 years old) pulls off a picture-perfect bullfighter move on Kisenosato, and when the Ozeki goes roaring by, he’s in perfect position to follow up with a devastating throat push with all his momentum behind it. Good footwork, acceleration, and timing. Official technique is oshitaoshi (front push down), which sounds less exciting than Aminishiki makes it look.

[blackmawashi]

November 2015, Day 14. Yoshikaze v Goeido.

Oh, Goeido, you should not have done that. Look, I know you desperately need that 8th win, and no one wants to go into the last day with a 7-7 record. But that hard harite (face slap on the tachi-ai) to Yoshikaze's head just angered him. You jump-started him into hyper-drive, and weren't prepared for the consequences. You think about that as you pull yourself up off the dohyo. How do you say, "You're making me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry" in Japanese?

[blackmawashi]

November 2015, Day 1. Kotoyuki v Sadanoumi.

Solid showing from two men in the middle of the top division. Sadanoumi weathers the initial charge of the larger and more aggressive Kotoyuki. With a great move at the edge of the dohyo, he manages to stay alive. But in doing so he turns too far sideways and gives up his right arm, giving Kotoyuki control of his balance. Kotoyuki doesn't fail to take advantage.

[blackmawashi]

November 2015, Day 1. Daieisho v Toyohibiki.

Day 1 is in the books. 21 bouts in the top division, out of 167 bouts in total, all the way down the ranks. And six of those top division bouts were pretty great, and worth sharing. Overall, all four Ozeki were in fine form, but the three Yokozuna, all back from injuries of one kind or another, were more shaky. This bout shows the no-nonsense Toyohibiki taking it to Daieisho. Both men are near the bottom of the top division. If he keeps performing like this, Toyohibiki should expect to climb back up closer to where he belongs.