DaveMarch 2026 basho
This one is more impressive when you understand how agile Wakatakakage is, despite getting hoodwinked by Hoshoryu's sudden head-stuffing
Good sumo from both rikishi. Atamifuji knew he had to block Kirishima from taking the inside left, and Kirishima managed to take the initiative anyway and risked it all to attack with what I notice Atamifuji has fallen prey to before, the retreating turning underhook throw
Asakoryu's shitatenage belt throw caught my eye, but on re-play it's his defensive footwork that impresses. Avoids Oshoumi's leg hook counter and blocks his belt grip attempts too.
Far more impressed by Fujinokawa's loss here to ozeki Aonishiki than his recent wins over both (!!!) yokozuna. Against Hoshoryu he got lucky with the timing of a pull/slap. Onosato is still dealing with a separated shoulder and has since withdrawn. Here he planned and executed well, and just lost.
John Gunning is too critical of Funinokawa's odd-looking tachi-ai. Getting under Aonishiki and lifting him is exactly what the Ukrainian's opponents need to do. Fujinokawa's foot sweep was a good idea, too, and well executed. He's just fighting a skilled, strong(er?), larger opponent in a sport with narrow margins and a heavy element of luck.
Hoshoryu has a slick throw this judoka can't assign to a taxon any narrower than "te-waza", but it's actually his distance management and pummeling earlier in the match that really impressed me.
Churanoumi is on the verge of establishing maemitsu front grip — the yokozuna takes it away with a perfectly calibrated sliding retreat.
Later, Hoshoryu tricks his way into the match-winning underhook with a straight-arm prop/push followed by perfect eel pressure while he gets chest-to-chest. Exquisite.
Asakoryu's throw looks cool but check out his defense on the tawara: maintaining forward pressure in a deep back arch and forcefully parrying Fujiryoga's thrust.
Deserved a replay.
Aonishiki forced by injury to his B-game, when he makes it work, is in a way more fun to watch than his standard forehead-in the-chest strategy.
Good scrambling pummel to find the second belt grip.
If I still had my copy of Aikido: The Dynamic Circle I could name-drop this specific technique. The most explosive, physical combat sport proves the efficacy of techniques of the gentlest martial art.
I'm reminded of an old judo teammate, some sort of LEO, who was a far more diligent aikido student than he was a judoka. Former near-pro American footballer, built like a brick shithouse, tremendously fast and grip like a vise. I asked his experience applying aikido and I didn't understand the answer. I get it now. Ineffective in the hands of non-athletes, incredibly useful as one tactic of many.
Wakatakakage handles Fujinokawa's double underhooks nicely. Absorb and turn, press with the overhook, stay low and under and drive.
Sumo-specific pummeling (absorbing and shucking then torso shimmying to find the underhook then the belt, and propping at the tachiai) and an exquisite trip from Oshoumi against Fujiryoga
Belt-throw duel between Kirishima and Hoshoryu condenses quite a bit of ringcraft nuance into a few seconds. 1/2
Hoshoryu's bid for the outside hook turned out to be the wrong timing, and Kirishima repeatedly blocks any play for the inside space — including with that beautiful pivot on the ropes. 2/2
Hoshoryu is wise from the get-go that Aonishiki wants the outside leg hook. He steps out of the first attempt then baits Ao to go for it again. Ao still sees it as a viable counter to Hoshoryu's turning overhook throw. Hoshoryu attacks knowing Ao's counter and recounters for the win.
Hoshoryu's parry at the tachiai also threw Ao way off his game.
Tobizaru uses the leg-kick-like foot sweep almost like an MMA clinch-break elbow, throwing it preemptively before he could know if the timing will work out.
Fun throw from Fujinokawa after absorbing Hiradoumi's headbutt at the tachiai. Good example of sumo's fundamentally weird strategic dynamics.