Report card: 2024 Natsu Basho Part 7 - San'yaku
The following post was first published on Sumo Stomp! on June 29 2024.
Welcome to the last of my report cards regarding the 2024 summer tournament. I tried to get them all done before the Nagoya banzuke dropped. However, I just missed the deadline. If you’ve been here a while now you know this is pretty standard for me!
Onosato
Rank: Komusubi 1 East
Record: 12-3 (yusho, Outstanding Performance Prize, Technique Prize)
Grade: A+
I’ll be doing a deep dive on Onosato’s tournament, since he was out spotlight rikishi. Needless to say, though, he aced this one.
Asanoyama
Rank: Komusubi 1 West
Record: 0-0-15
Grade: Ungraded
Asanoyama sat out the tournament due to injury. He took a big demotion, but he should be in fighting shape for Nagoya.
Abi
Rank: Sekiwake 1 West
Record: 10-5
Grade: A
Abi came to play in May. In 2023 Abi was a little under the radar, failing to capitalize on his first and only yusho in November 2022. Between that Kyushu win and this most recent tournament he didn’t register double-digit wins or losses and only had a losing record on two occasions.
In May, though, Abi followed up on a strong March (9-6 as komusubi) to look as threatening as he did early in his makuuchi career.
Abi’s game is predictable. But it’s also very violent. So much so that advanced knowledge of what he’s going to do can only go so far. Everyone knows he’s going to launch himself at your throat (unless he pulls off a perfectly timed henka). This puts the pressure on the opponent to block and/or withstand that assault and find a way to win despite being made to feel very uncomfortable.
The best way to defend against Abi is to brush his thrusts aside and either push back or find his belt when he is turned off centre. That’s easier said then done, though, thanks to Abi’s size, reach and growing expertise at these techniques.
Abi is so good at his style of fighting that if you miss your first chance to block him, it’s usually a wrap. That’s what happened to Hoshoryu below, on Day 1.
It looked to me that Hoshoryu was planning to seize on Abi’s arm for a pull down or a dragging push out. However, Abi was just too fast and powerful off the blocks for that to work. Before Hoshoryu knew what was happening his heels were on the straw.
Abi’s best win of the tournament was over Kotozakura. In that bout Kotozakura did a great job of defending the opening thrusts. He deflected them with his hands a little, but he also just grit his teeth and refused to move his head out of danger. That showed a lot of toughness (not usually the first thing I compliment Kotozakura for).
When Abi felt his heels touch the straw he sprung into plan B, which for Abi is always “the straw is lava”. In this instance Abi perfectly timed his escape to snatch up Kotozakura’s arm and pull him off balance to set up the eventual push out.
It was a bit of a surprise to me when we got to the last few days of the basho and realized that Abi was still in with a shot of winning this thing. On the final day he needed to beat Onosato to force a play-off. However, Onosato was just too good that day/month and wouldn’t be denied his first (of many) yusho.
Onosato’s defense on Abi was similar to Kotozakura’s. He blocked the thrusts, but also rolled with them and kept moving instead of digging his heels. When Abi’s heels hit the straw this time he again looked for an escape route. Because Onosato had his arms around Abi, and wasn’t thrusting like Kotozakura was, Abi found himself blocked off from both sides.
Without being able to squirt out of the way, Abi instead turned and I think considered a shitatenage on the right side before accepting that the bout was lost.
Despite that loss, though, this was an amazing tournament for Abi and he is now on an ozeki run!
Wakamotoharu
Rank: Sekiwake 1 East
Record: 4-8-3
Grade: D
This was a disappointing tournament for Wakamotoharu. He was 3-3 after losing to Daieisho on Day 6. In that bout Wakamotoharu injured his toe and that would take him out of action for four days. He came back on Day 11 to try and rescue a kachi-koshi. However, a loss to Hiradoumi ruined that.
He started the tournament off with a loss to Takayasu, but then beat Tobizaru (narrowly) and Gonoyama. On Day 4 he fought Onosato for the second time in his career. The first time they met Onosato was able to force Wakamotoharu out right off the tachiai.
In May he was able to halt Onosato’s progress sooner and lock in his favoured hidari-yotsu grip (left underhook, right overhook). From that position Wakamotoharu was able to move Onosato back (because he’s as strong an ox). However, Onosato had the intelligence to use that grip against Wakamotoharu, exploiting Wakamotoharu’s overhook for leverage and the takedown.
Wakamotoharu’s make-koshi claiming loss to Hiradoumi happened because he wasn’t able to establish his hidari-yotsu. Hiradoumi gave him half of it off the tachiai, but kept his other arm close and used it to push Wakamotoharu. Wakamotoharu twice tried to throw Hiradoumi off that right overhook. But Hiradoumi’s base was just too strong and he was able to use his underhook to execute the crush out when defending the second attempt.
Wakamotoharu was bounced from the san’yaku thanks to this record. If he’s healthy in Nagoya, though, he should be able to bounce right back.
Kirishima
Rank: Ozeki 2 West
Record: 1-6-8
Grade: F
Kirishima’s yips from March carried over into May and he continued to look nothing like the wrestler who took 2023 by storm. The upheaval at his stable was over by this point, but a nagging neck injury may be most to blame for his inability to get wins in this tournament…
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