January 2021: Roundup

With the 2021 January Sumo Tournament now concluded, sumo fans can reminisce
over the dramatic twists and turns of the year’s first Sumo event that left fans full of awe
and admiration for the participating competitors.

The Basho commences

After the heart-rendering news that the two Yokozuna competitors – Hakuho and Kakuryu –
had withdrawn from the Basho due to ill health, all eyes fell on November’s Makuuchi
Division Champion, Takakeisho, to take the place as favourite for the Yusho at the January
event. However, success did not favour the East Ozeki wrestler; after 9 days of bouts, 24-year-old Takakeisho had little to show for it with an unsatisfactory 2:7 win record. By the tenth day of the event, Takakeisho had been withdrawn from the tournament with a
purported ankle injury which he had apparently picked up during bout with the lower ranked Hokotufuji (Maegashira #1).

There are some who may question Takakeisho’s abrupt exit from the Basho; with his bid for promotion to the highly acclaimed Yokozuna rank now in tatters, there appeared little reason for Takakeisho to continue competing in the tournament.

Despite Takakeisho’s disappointing departure from the January Sumo competition, fans
were not left despondent for long; there arose a new favourite for the January Yūshō: the
Maegashira #1 ranked wrestler, Daieisho.

Following recent promotion to the highest echelon of the Maegashira rank, Daieisho was
overflowing with confidence as he began his conquest for the title. After three successful
bouts versus the top Ozeki competitors of the event – Takakeisho, Asanoyama and Shodai –
27 -year-old Daieisho was looking in top form. As the days progressed, Daieisho would go on to sport an undisturbed 9:0 record, creating a gap between himself and his rivals that would prove unsurpassable towards the latter stages of the Basho.

Much to our excitement, Daieisho was not the only competitor whose sights were set on the Yūshō; in fact, trailing just behind him were three other top fighters – the strongest looking of this trio was none other than the fearless Ozeki wrestler, Shodai. Although suffering from an early upset versus Daieisho on the third day of the January Basho, Shodai was quick to recover his cool and managed to secure a fierce 7:2 win-to-loss ratio, which in turn would undoubtedly make him one of the biggest threats to Daieisho going into the closing stages of the tournament.

Joining Shodai’s ambitious resurgence was Asanoyama and Yūshō underdog,
Akiseyama (Maegashira #16) – who, by this point, was displaying a level of Sumo few
expected to witness from the Basho’s lowest ranked competitor. The two wrestlers
entered the tenth day of the competition with a competent 6:3 record under their belt.
However, it was only Asanoyama who was able to continue the charge alongside Shodai and Daieisho for the Yusho: sadly, Akiseyama fell short to a bitterly long spell of poor results that would remove him from the title race. With just three competitors left to face off for the Yusho, we enter the most exciting stage of the tournament: the final two days!

Closing stages

By this point, Asanoyama’s winning record (9:4) was simply too meagre (in comparision to his two rivals) for him to be declared a serious threat in the pursuit for first place at the
competition. As a result, one thing became abundantly clear: the eventual champion of the
2021 January Sumo tournament could only be Daieisho or Shodai.

Entering the arena on the penultimate day of the Basho, Daieisho and Shodai both found
themselves levelled with equally spectacular 11:2 win records. It seemed that whoever was
to become the first Makuuchi division champion of the year must take extreme care to win
their remaining bouts – even one loss could prove pivotal!

Alas it was Shodai – not Daieisho – who succumbed to the wrath of both his final
two opponents, Terunofuji and Asanoyama. As a result, Daieisho made history by claiming his first ever Makuuchi division champion title and concluded his successful run in the Basho with an incredible 13:2 score line.

After an incredible Sumo event, we can hardly wait for more! Thankfully enough, the next
tournament will be staged in less than 2 months from now, so we won’t have to wait long
until we get the privilege of watching the world’s best Sumo Wrestlers take centre stage
once again!

2021 January Basho – Days 13-15: Review (Final Day)

Daieisho makes history as he wins the 2021 January Basho!

After 15 spectacular days of Sumo action, Daieisho of Saitama pref. made history after he was crowned Champion at the 2021 January Sumo Tournament; his first ever Makuuchi Division Yūshō!

The Maegashira #1 Sumo wrestler first sparked interest in the event after his initial victories against the tournament’s highest ranked Ozeki competitors: Asanoyama, Takakeisho and Shodai. Daieisho’s fantastic run of success didn’t stop there: by the end of the 8th day of the Basho, he managed to amass an incredible, rank defying, 8-0 win streak. 

Despite his sensational start to the tournament, Daieisho’s pathway to the Yūshō was far from simple; towards the latter stages of the event, he was met by the growing threat of the Ozeki ranked wrestler, Shodai, who by that point had begun to find strong form in the first Basho of the year. However, Daieisho kept his cool to the end and proved his mettle by finishing the event with a breath-taking 13:2 win record – a result that proved to be unsurpassable by his Ozeki counterpart who failed to win a single bout in the final 2 days of the tournament!

If the Makuuchi Division Yūshō wasn’t enough for the Maegashira ranked fighter, Daieisho was met with two further awards as a result of his strong performance in this Basho: the Shukun-sho (Outstanding Performance Award) and the Gino-sho(Technique Prize) – the latter being yet another career-first for 27-year-old Daieisho!

With the next Sumo Basho taking place in March, Sumo fans will have to wait the best part of two months before they see the likes of Daieisho and Shodai take centre stage once again. One begs the question: will Daieisho’s form continue through to the 2021 March event, or will another competitor successfully challenge him for the Yūshō? We will have to wait and see!

2021 January Basho – Days 9-12: Review

Shodai levels with Daieisho as the January basho approaches its final day

As the 12th day of the 2021 January Basho has now concluded, it’s fair to say that the first Sumo event of the year has been nothing short of a thrilling spectacle! Day 11 marked a pinnacle point in the basho for fans of the Ozeki ranked wrestler, Shodai. After having trailed behind Daieisho since the initial rounds of the tournament, 29 year-old Shodai of the Tokitsukaze Stable, managed to close the sizeable gap between him and the Maegashira #1 fighter, as they both concluded Day 12 with impressive 10:2 win records.

With Shodai and Daieisho clearly leading the charge for the yūshō, other rikishi who previously seemed to be in with a chance of challenging for the title, find themselves falling behind the duo of championship contenders.

Despite his slow start to the event, Ozeki Asanoyama had been producing some fine wins in recent days. Due to this, Asanoyama was becoming the biggest threat to Daieisho and Shodai’s leadership in the event. However, after suffering a tough defeat to Terunofuji of Sekiwake rank, it seems that Asanoyama will have to unleash a miracle if he wants to challenge for the yūshō.

Although it is tough to predict who will become the eventual victor at the 2021 January event, Sumo enthusiasts may now have their bets placed on the experienced Ozeki Shodai, who has been looking in incredible form these last three days. Not only does his high ranking display his level of expertise as a professional Sumo wrestler, but his additional years of experience he has over his younger counterpart Daieisho will also give him an edge over the Maegashira #1 title hopeful.

In contrast to Daieisho’s lacking results over the last few days, Shodai has displayed utter dominance in his recent bouts; the Ozeki competitor has now secured four consecutive wins since his last defeat (Mitakeumi of the Komusabi rank, Day 8). Such a winning streak can only help to bolster Shodai’s confidence and in turn, damage Daieisho’s prospects of a perfect end to the basho. On the other hand, Daieisho’s spectacular start to the competition proves that the Maegashira wrestler is more than capable of claiming the first title of 2021; after having destroyed all-three of the top participating Ozeki competitors – including Shodai – in his initial bouts, any head-to-head competitive advantage between the two challengers lay with Daieisho.

2021 January Basho – Days 6-9: Review

Daieisho suffers first shocking defeat – Shodai is hot on his heels!

With the 2021 January Basho drawing nearer to its latter stages, all attention is on the leader of the conquest for the Juryo, Daieisho. 

After having marched his way through the first eight days of the event without a single loss, the Maegashira #1 wrestler, Daieisho, was in seemingly unbreakable form. Day 9, however, brought new challenges for the yūshō hopeful marking his first defeat in the tournament, losing out to the lower-ranked Takarafuji (Maegashira #2). Despite the unfortunate upset, Daieisho’s 8-1 win record still appears tough for any of his fellow competitors to overcome. That being said, the loss will certainly add unwanted pressure on the Maegashira #1 wrestler, which will make life harder for him as he pursues the first championship of 2021.  

After suffering only one defeat as of the end of play on Day 9, Daieisho is coming under increasing pressure from rikishi who got off to a slow start in January but have since rekindled their strength: specifically, Ozeki Shodai.

After an early withdrawal from the November Basho due to a left ankle injury, questions were raised as to whether Shodai would recover in time to participate in the 2021 event. However, the newly promoted Ozeki wrestler looks to be back in good physical shape with no signs of pain, as he managed to secure a 7-2 win-to-loss record before heading into Day 10 of the January Sumo Tournament. On the other hand though, 29-year-old Shodai will have his work cut-out for him if he is to successfully challenge Daieisho for the yūshō; having suffered two surprising defeats to Mitakeumi and top-dog Daieisho respectively, it’s difficult to say whether Shodai’s form is consistent enough to compete for the January title.

Trailing just behind his fellow Ozeki competitor is none other than the yorikiri specialist from Toyama, Asanoyama, who currently boasts a formidable 6:3 win record. Despite his slow start to the tournament, 26-year-old Asanoyama picked up the pace with three consecutive strong wins – one of which was against the fearless Komusubi ranked wrestler, Takayasu – showing that he could just be capable of competing against Daieisho and Shodai for the title. We will have to wait and see how he performs over the course of the next few days! 

Asanoyama is not alone in playing catch-up to the two leaders of the January Basho; he is joined by 9 other fighters who all find themselves tied on a 6-3 record after nine days of play. Of particular note in the group, is the Mongolian competitor: Terunofuji.

With spectacular performances in the Sumo events that took place in 2020, Terunofuji has proved time and time again just how deserving he is of his Sekiwake title. However, tomorrow will be a major test for Terunofuji and his bid for the yūshō, as he is matched up against neighbouring Sekiwake ranked wrestler, Takanosho – a bout that avid Sumo fans will be watching with keen interest. If Terunofuji can defeat Takanosho, he will become yet another new threat for the title, so make sure to keep an eye out for the Mongolian born competitor!

2021 January Basho – Days 3-6: Review

Daieisho and Akiseyama lead the yūshō charge with a 6:0 win record!

The sixth day of Sumo bouts at the 2021 January Sumo Tournament has now concluded, with two wrestlers on the opposite side of the ranking spectrum deadlocked on perfect win-to-loss records. Those fighters are none other than: the formidable Daieisho (Maegashira #1) and the underdog for the title, Akiseyama (Maegashira #16).

Daieisho looks to be in the form of his life in the 2021 January event. After having
begun his conquest for the yūshō with three spectacular victories against the top-ranked Ozeki fighters (Takakeisho, Asanoyama and Shodai), Daieisho has displayed his desire to be crowned victor at the first Sumo event of the year. However, he must keep his cool if he wants to continue with his perfect streak, as tomorrow he must face the talented Sekiwake fighter, Takanosho, who currently holds a respectable 4:2 score in this basho.

As mentioned above, Daieisho is not alone in his bid for first place at the Championship – he is joined by his much lower-ranked counterpart, Akiseyama.

Although his Maegashira #16 ranking is lacking compared to his new rival – Daieisho -Akiseyama has proved himself to be a powerful and fearless competitor. With his most successful kimarite being the Yorikiri (frontal force out), 35-year-old Akiseyama has managed to defeat all of his opponents, manoeuvring his way through the event perfectly as of the end of play on Day 6. That being said, Akiseyama is yet to fight an Ozeki, so we must await his toughest bouts of the tournament with keen interest if we are to truly gauge the Maegashira #16’s winning potential!

As Daieisho and Akiseyama find themselves neck-and-neck with each other in yūshō contention, there is a growing threat close on their heels; leading the trailing campaign group, is none other than Ozeki Shodai, who currently boasts a 5:1 record.

With Shodai’s victory at the 2020 September Sumo Tournament – which resulted in the then Sekiwake ranked rikishi from Kumamoto prefecture being awarded the kanto-sho ‘Fighting Spirit’ award for the second consecutive time and secured his promotion to Ozeki – he has shown his inner strength in competition of late and is looking to secure his first yūshō as an Ozeki. However, winning the January tournament will not be an easy task for Shodai: trailing the top two wrestlers by a victory and possibly still nursing his ankle injury from November, it will be difficult for the Ozeki to maintain such pressure on Daieisho and Akiseyama throughout the next 9 Days.

Sharing Shodai’s strong win-to-loss ratio are the two Maegashira competitors – Meisei
(Maegashira #7) and Kotonowaka (Maegashira #15).

With wins over the higher ranked Maegashira rikishi (Ryuden and Kagayaki) Meisei has shown his mettle so far in the January Sumo event. Known for his fairly consistent results throughout 2020, Meisei looks set to score another kachi-koshi (more wins than losses), in this basho, signifying a strong and successful start to his 2021 season. Tomorrow, Meisei will face his toughest opponent of the event so far: Maegashira #3, Endo. If he can overcome Endo, then Meisei may just have what it takes to compete for the January yūshō!

Maegashira #15 Kotonowaka joins the yūshō trailing group along with Meisei and Shodai’s, scoring a defiant 5:1 record so far. After enjoying consistent success in recent events and with his strong start so far in the 2021 Season, Kotonowaka will be looking for a promotion to the upper Maegashira ranks in the near future. Tomorrow the young wrestler will be facing a tough Midorifuji; we can’t wait to see how he fares against his higher-ranked Maegashira #14 rival!

2021 January Basho – Days 1-3: Review

After three thrilling days of exciting sumo bouts and in keeping with the excellent 2020 season, the 2021 January event has got off to a suitably unpredictable start!


With the top two Yokozuna wrestlers (Hakuho and Kakuryu) having withdrawn from the
tournament prior to its start, Sumo fans across the world would have
been forgiven for predicting that one of the three Ozeki rikishi would lead the results list going into the opening few days. However, January’s top ranked wrestlers have so-far been beaten to the top spot after just three short days by their lower-ranked Maegashira rivals.


One of the new favourites for the Yūshō is none other than Daieisho, a Maegashira #1
ranked competitor with a current 3:0 win-to-loss ratio. Having achieved a career-high rank of Sekiwake, Daieisho has proved himself to be a fearless fighter on numerous occasions over the years: having collected a number of kinboshi gold stars and outstanding performance awards from previous tournaments. It is then perhaps not so much of a surprise to see the 27-year-old perform so well in the January event.


The biggest surprise in the 2021 January Sumo Tournament has without-a-doubt been the Maegashira #16 wrestler, Akiseyama. With a perfect record so far in the event, Akiseyama now stands in stark contrast to the top Ozeki Takakeisho – who was hopeful for Yokozuna promotion prior to the commencement of this basho, but is now suffering from a 0:3 record! Nevertheless, the Maegashira #16 rikishi will have his work cut-out for him if he wants to aim for the title; there are three further competitors with a perfect record as of the end of play on Day 3: Meisei, Midorifuji and Onosho.


Meisei (Maegashira #7), is a tough nut to crack even for the best of fighters. Most commonly using the oshidashi (‘frontal push-out’) technique to overcome his opponents, avid Sumo fans should keep a keen eye on the 25-year-old as the tournament progresses – he could be one of the top contenders for the title!


Making his Makuuchi debut, Midorifuji (Maegashira #14) will be highly motivated to unleash his best Sumo throughout the event, in an effort to make his claim for the upper echelons of Maegashira. Midorifuji, is a competent wrestler whom the other Yūshō contenders will have to watch-out for!

Onosho (Maegashira #3) is yet another rikishi with a promising basho ahead of him – having scored a perfect 3-0 record after his opening bouts. It was not long ago that Onosho’s Sumo abilities were called into question, after suffering an astonishing 13 losses and just 2 wins back in July 2020. However, his fighting spirit appears to have been reinvigorated in 2021, by firmly defeating three of the best in his opening bouts: Takayasu (Komusubi), Terunofuji (Sekiwake) and Takakeisho (Ozeki).

With a small handful of fierce-looking fighters taking centre stage since the offset of the 2021 January Sumo Tournament, fans of Sumo will be wondering which of the competitors will be able to continue their win-streaks. We will just have to wait and see!

Sumo 2021 – January Tournament Preview

Happy New Year!

With a hopeful and brighter 2021 replacing the gruelling year that was 2020, it’s fair to say that fans of Sumo around the world will be immensely looking forward to the first Sumo tournament of the year. The world’s best wrestlers will fight it out in the ring for the chance of being crowned champion at the 2021 January Sumo Competition.

Hakuho Test’s Positive for Covid-19

Fans of the world-famous Mongolian born Yokozuna wrestler, Hakuho, were met with sad news earlier this week, as the thirty-five-year-old tested positive for Covid-19, forcing him to withdraw from the January tourney. 

Still yet to post any update on Social Media as to how he is faring, we can only hope and pray for his quick recovery; the team at My-Dohyo is with you, Yokozuna Hakuho!

Kakuryu Pulled Out From The event With Lower-Back Problems

Hakuho’s withdrawal from tomorrow’s tourney wasn’t the only upset for sumo fans across the globe, as yet another Yokozuna has been plagued with misfortune; this time it is the injury-prone Kakuryu who was pulled out of the upcoming tournament earlier this week by his stable-master Michinoku, since he is suffering with lower-back pain. 

Kakuryu, who last won a Sumo tournament one and a half years ago (July 2019 was his last yūshō), had hoped to be fit for the January event. However, continued lower-back pain – in addition to an elbow problem – have shattered those hopes for the Mongolian competitor. 

The thirty-five-year-old wrestler is said to be pinning “his career on the line at the next tournament (in March) and is working to regain his fitness so he can resume training as early as possible,” – stablemaster Michinoku

Favourites for the yūshō!

With the two Yokozuna ranked sumo wrestlers unable to participate in tomorrow’s basho, the title will surely be keenly looked-upon by the next highest-ranked rikishi, the three Ozeki wrestlers: Takakeisho, Shodai and Asanoyama. 

Having been crowned Makuuchi division champion in the 2020 November tourney, finishing the competition with an outstanding win-record of 13-2, it is the twenty-four-year-old Takakeisho who is perhaps the favourite for the January Championships. His outstanding career record of 288-150-30 certainly boosts his winning expectations heading into tomorrow!

Close on Takakeisho’s heels is the twenty-nine-year-old Shodai. Five years Takakeisho’s senior, the Kumamoto born Ozeki, Shodai, certainly has an advantage in terms of experience over his younger fellow wrestler. After having been awarded the 2020 September Makuuchi Division Champion Shukun-sho (Outstanding Performance Award), as well as the Kanto-sho (Fighting Spirit Prize), the newly-found favourite Takakeisho will have to keep a close and watchful eye on the powerful Shodai!

With regards to Asanoyama, questions are raised as to how competitive he will prove to be in January: with poor results in the recent Sumo competitions, such as the 2020 November tournament where he finished with a lowly win record of 1-2-12, Asanoyama will have to be on top-form if he wants to prove a challenge for the other two dominant Ozeki fighters. 

Bouts You Need to Watch!

From the long list of Makuuchi Division bouts ready to take place tomorrow in Japan’s capital, the attention must be on the three Ozeki bouts:

  • Asanoyama (Ozeki) VS Daeisho (Maegashira #1)
  • Hokutofuji (Maegashira #1) VS Shodai (Ozeki)
  • Takakeisho (Ozkei) VS Mitakeumi (Komusubi).

After these three bouts have concluded, we will have more of an understanding of the level of Sumo the top ranked wrestlers are bringing into the new year. 

Bring on the Sumo!

My-Dohyo on Social Media!

My-Dohyo is now on Social Media!

It goes without saying that 2020 has been a tough year for all sumo-loving fans around the world. However, the strength of the sumo world has by no means been broken – on the contrary, it is growing stronger: fans were allowed to attend live sumo in September for the first time since March in a limited capacity, with spectatorship expanded for the spectacular season finale at half capacity in November.

This season has provided a mixed bag of emotions, with the cancellation of the April tournament and the tragic death of sandanme rikishi Shobushi, after contracting the novel coronavirus in May. Conversely, strong performances from Maegashira #17 wrestlers Tokushoryu and Terunofuji to win the January and July tournaments respectively, set the tone for the class of sumo to expect from the 2020 season. Later victories from Shodai and Takakeisho promoted the former to Ozeki and provided a solid platform for the latter to seek Yokozuna promotion at the start of next season.

As a result of the pandemic struggles that have impacted the entire sporting-world, social media has been a great way for sumo fans to continue sharing their support and engaging with professional sumo. Therefore, it is our pleasure to announce that My-Dohyo is now available on Social Media platforms!

As a My-Dohyo follower on Instagram and Twitter, you will be able to see the latest and greatest news from the world of sumo, engage with the My-Dohyo social media family, as well as having the opportunity to share your love of sumo with all of your social media friends.

With the 2021 season of sumo wrestling starting in January, there is no better time than the present to become part of the My-Dohyo social media family – you really don’t want to miss the sumo-fun!

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We wish you a very (Sumo) Christmas and New Year!

Stay safe!

November 2020: Days 12 to 15 (5/5)

Welcome back to the fifth and final installment of our 3-Day review series of November’s Sumo basho! In this review, we shall be looking at the closing stages of the November meet and assessing the yusho winner

Too little too late for Enho

It was a poor tournament for the Maegashira #11 and fan favourite, Enho; after suffering a win drought from Day 1 through to Day 8, the young rikishi clawed back some impressive victories against Aoiyama (6-9) and Chiyotairyu (9-6) on Days 9 and 10, only to once again relapse into a losing streak until Day 15 (final day), where he overcame Tobizaru (6-9) in an extraordinary bout!

Enho’s recent lack of form appears to be linked with the relagation of his stablemate, Ishiura, from Maegashira #13 to Juryo #3 in November, in addition to the loss of another high-class practice partner in Yokozuna Hakuho – who was absent from this tournament since he is still recovering from an injury.

Enho is reportedly being relagated down to Juryo, along with Kotoyuki (source: Tachiai.org)

A consolation for Enho will be that his relagated stablemate Ishiura has put in a strong performance for promotion within Juryo, finishing with an 8 win and 7 losses record and should therefore be representative of the top Juryo standard and be perfect for Enho to train with.

Enho ends the tournament with a 3 win and 12 losses make-koshi (more losses than wins).

Decent Basho for top Maegashira rikishi

Hokutofuji (Maegashira #4) had an excellent tournament this November, finishing with 11 wins and 4 losses. Hokutofuji has fought well against top rikishi, defeating the likes of Komusubi Takayasu (8-7) and Maegashira #2 Daieisho (10-5) and marking his highest scoring tournament since January – where he also achieved a tournament record of 11-4 (ranked Maegashira #2).

Maegashira #10 Ryuden and Maegashira #7 Tochinoshin both enjoyed a well-deserved 9 wins and 6 losses kachi-koshi (more wins than losses) tournament record. Ryuden, after losing his opening bout against Maegashira #9 Kotoeko (6-9), scored a 5 Day winning streak, suffered another defeat against Maegashira #16 Akua and then finished winning 4 out of the final 8. For Tochinoshin, November was his second highest scoring tournament of 2020, with the July basho being the only tournament where he scored more wins (10 wins and 5 losses). Both rikishi will be pleased with their kachi-koshi records and will be hoping to carry their forms through to the January meet.

November Delight for Takakeisho – Tough Defeat for Terunofuji

November’s two top yusho contenders, Ozeki Takakeisho and Komusubi Terunofuji faced off in the final bout of Day 15: both rikishi had a close bout, with Takakeisho seeming to have had the early momentum over his lower ranked challenger, however, a resurgent Terunofuji struck back against the Ozeki, got him on the back foot and took him down to win by abisetaoshi (backward force down)!

Terunofuji’s win in the final bout on Day 15 against Takakeisho placed both rikishi on an equal tournament record of (13-2), forcing the pair to replay the bout in a final “play-off”: this time around Takakeisho had a much better tachiai (initial charge) and got Terunofuji onto the backfoot from the onset. It was a relatively simple task for the Ozeki to force his opponent out of the ring thereafter and he won the play-off by oshidashi (frontal force out) to take the yusho.

Terunofuji will be looking for Ozeki promotion in January, whilst Takakeisho has been touted as the next Yokozuna, so long as he fights well at the next tournament.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this series of review and that you will join us again when Sumo resumes in January!

November 2020: Days 10 to 12 (4/5)

Welcome back for MyDohyo’s fourth installment in our November review series, where we’ll provide another update on the yusho in addition to the significant highlights from the previous 3-Days of action.

Disappointing basho for Enho and Kiribayama

Well, it’s been a frustrating tournament for Maegashira #11 Enho and Maegashira #1 Kiribayama, with both men scoring at the very bottom of the Makuuchi leaderboard, with 2 wins and 10 losses (as of Day 12).

As covered in our previous installment of the 3-Day review series, Enho managed to secure his first victory of the basho against Aoiyama on Day 9. In our review, we outlined that Enho would need to capitalise on that victory if he was to have any hope of achieving a more respectable make-koshi (losing record) than finishing bottom of the division. Despite his best efforts in defeating Chiyotairyu on Day 10, Enho’s form has not returned and he lost subsequent bouts against Sadanoumi (3-9) and Ichinojo (5-7) on Days 11 and 12.

Ichinojo is still fighting to secure a kachi-koshi (winning record), with tough bouts to come against Kotoeko (6-6) and Aoiyama (4-8) on Days 13 and 14. A victory in both of these bouts would draw the Mongolian rikishi to an even 7 wins and 7 losses tournament record, meaning that his make-koshi or kachi-koshi deciding bout would come down to the final day.

Maegashira #1, Kiribayama is another rikishi at the bottom of the November leaderboard, with only 2 wins and 10 losses as of the end of play on Day 12. His first victory was scored on Day 4 against Sekiwake Mitakeumi and showed signs of early promise, however, a subsequent 7 Day losing streak had left the top Maegashira with a disappointing make-koshi losing record. There is some consolation for Kiribayama, as Day 12 saw him overcome Maegashira #11 Sadanoumi and post his second win of the basho.

Both Kiribayama and Enho are on the same 2-10 tournament record as of the end of play on Day 12. Enho is currently on a 2 Day losing streak and is looking unlikely to improve his tournament record over the next 3 Days. Kiribayama on the other hand, showed some promise in his Day 12 bout against Sadanoumi and contrary to Enho, has some momentum to capitalise on going forwards. As things stand, it is looking likely that Enho will finish bottom of the leaderboard in November.

Title fight intensifies between Ozeki and Maegashira #17

We mentioned the extraordinary nature of this season’s tournament winners in our November 2020 preview, however, the prospect of a third Maegashira #17 rikishi winning in November has us excited!

Maegashira #17 Shimanoumi (11-1) and Ozeki Takakeisho (11-1) have maintained their perfect records throughout the last 3-Days of play.

Shimanoumi overcame: Maegashira #14 Chiyonokuni (8-4), Maegashira #13 Hoshoryu (7-5) and Maegashira #10 Ryuden (9-3) on Days 10, 11 and 12 respectively.

Takakeisho – in a similar manner to Shimanoumi, although all Shimanoumi’s opponents were ranked higher than he was while all Takakeisho’s are ranked lower than him – won all his bouts since the last review against: Maegashira #5 Myogiryu (3-9), Maegashira #5 Kotoshoho (7-5) and Maegashira #6 Takarafuji (8-4).

Day 13 will prove pivotal to Maegashira #17, Shimanoumi’s title hopes, as he will face our last surviving Ozeki rikishi of the November basho (with both Shodai and Asanoyama out with injuries) in an all or nothing bout!

If both Shimanoumi and Takakeisho lose one game apiece during any of the final 3 Days, there could be a 3-way fight for the title between the Maegashira #13, Ozeki, and also Komusubi Terunofuji – who is closely following the leading pair with 10 wins and 2 losses as of Day 12.

Although this November tournament is entering its final stages of play, the yusho is still all to play for between the highest and lowest ranked rikishi, with the victor of Day 13’s bout – Takakeisho vs Shimanoumi – in pole position to take the yusho.