Report card: 2024 Natsu Basho Part 4 - Shodai, Tamawashi, Takanosho, Kotoshoho, Mitakeumi and Nishikigi.

More grades for the rikishi who threw down at the Kokugikan in May.

The Nagoya basho is fast approaching (the banzuke will be out in less than two weeks!). But there is still time for an audit of what we saw go down on the dohyo in May. The 2024 natsu basho was a very memorable tournament filled with some great, and surprising, performances.

In this fourth instalment of my report card series I’ll be focusing on a mixed bag of wrestlers. Some did quite well in May, while others were pretty disappointing. This group is comprised of Shodai, Tamawashi, Kotoshoho, Mitakeumi and Nishikigi.

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Shodai

Rank: Maegashira 9 West
Record: 7-8
Grade: D

This result in May made it seven make-koshi in the last ten tournaments for the former ozeki. This was another tournament where Shodai looked slow, unimaginative and tepid. In much of his bouts he seemed to have a lack of fight and appeared to stop trying well before the bout was truly decided.

See below how easily Takanosho was able to move Shodai to the straw.

In this bout Takanosho didn’t do anything special. He’s a strong wrestler, but Shodai offers such little resistance, and movement, that Takanosho barely had to break a sweat here.

Below you can see Sadanoumi take the fight to Shodai and get him out quickly. The defeat on Shodai’s face (in both these examples) reads as someone who doesn’t believe he can win these bouts.

Other than his record in March (where he went 8-7 as M10), this M9 ranking is Shodai’s lowest ranking since 2019. Taking so many losses from this position in the banzuke certainly points to Shodai being well past his peak, despite being only 32-years-old.

Physically and technically, I think he has the tools he needs to improve his ranking. Though, I doubt he can get back to the san’yaku. However, if his demeanour, which seems so defeated, doesn’t change anytime soon I have a sinking feeling we might see him in juryo sometime this year.

Tamawashi

Rank: Maegashira 9 East
Record: 7-8
Grade: D+

Tamawashi struggled in May. However, unlike Shodai, he looked down for a scrap in every bout and fought until the very end each time.

After a dreadful stretch where he lost six bouts in a row, the oldest man in the division was able to regroup and reel off five straight wins to give himself a Darwin Match on Day 15.

He met Ichiyamamoto for that contest, check out what happened below:

Tamawashi was able to defend from Ichiyamamoto’s opening rush well, brushing his thrusting hands to the side to provide an opening for his responding push. On the push back, Tamawashi was able to exploit his strength advantage over Ichiyamamoto. However, as he so often does, on route to trying to complete the finish, Tamawashi over committed on his final push. In the above instance, he failed to recognize Ichiyamamoto’s side-step and that resulted in him going face first into the clay.

Something similar happened against Shonannoumi (below). Tamawashi again defended well off the tachiai and was able to reverse the momentum in the bout. However, this time his opponent pulled off an escape a lot quicker, and fooled Tamawashi into another head first plunge.

Torpedoing himself into an opponent to try and complete a push out does work some of the time. See against Oho below. This worked mostly because Oho is one of the slower rikishi in the division. He tried to side-step Tamawashi, but it was far too late.

So a losing record for Tamawashi, but he gets a little credit on his grade for the effort and energy he put into his sumo despite being about to turn 40.

Kotoshoho

Rank: Maegashira 8 West
Record: 8-7
Grade: C

Kotoshoho now has earned kachi-koshi in three straight makuuchi tournaments since his return from juryo (where he spent one tournament and won the yusho). This is the second time he’s done this in his career. The first time was when he was first promoted to the makuuchi back in 2020.

I have enjoyed watching Kotoshoho since his return to the top division. Prior to his demotion he looked really wild and anxious, but this time around he seems far more deliberate and composed. This version of Kotoshoho is as active as the previous one, but he doesn’t run himself into trouble nearly as much. Instead he’s able to brawl and then pull out an intelligent move to end the match. Before, he would brawl with no end in sight and often end up flopping onto the ground.

But see how he fought Ura, below:

Kotoshoho looked well prepared for Ura. He knew Ura would come in low (as he always does), so he decided to step backwards and brace himself for the impact. After he nullified Ura’s opening charge, he started striking. Ura closed distance really well after that. But Kotoshoho’s response was excellent. With Ura pushing him backwards, Kotoshoho had the composure to circle away from the boundary while securing an arm lock on Ura’s left arm. His movement, with that lock, allowed him to toss Ura on the ground (and he threw in a little foot sweep for good measure, too).

This move wasn’t a fluke. Kotoshoho did something very similar to Sadanoumi. See that below.

Kotoshoho used his thrusts (which are pretty hefty) to unsettle Sadanoumi and create space for him grab onto his belt. However, his hand slipped off his belt, but he was able to snatch up an arm lock there and execute the throw down. Just like he did with Ura, in this bout, Kotoshoho circled away from the straw when he was getting pushed back, which gives him a great angle for his throw. With Sadanoumi, Kotoshoho also used his legs to help complete the finisher. This time he had his knee stuck on the outside of Sadanoumi and was able to pressure Sadanoumi’s outer thigh to help teeter Sadanoumi over.

At only 24 Kotoshoho could still improve and, though I think san’yaku might be out of reach, he could be a joi mainstay in the future.

Takanosho

Rank: Maegashira 8 East
Record: 8-7
Grade: C

Takanosho is a bull. What he lacks in creativity and variety he sure makes up for in brute strength and commitment. There’s not a ton of nuance to his game; his approach to every bout is simply push hard, plow forwards. And in May that approach succeeded more often than it failed (just).

Since showing early promise in his career, making sekiwake after seven top division appearances, Takanosho has regressed and become a filler wrestler. He’s no threat to win a tournament (he has no answers for the elites and their much more rounded skill sets) and he’s in no danger of being demoted from the division (he’s too strong and athletic for the lower ranked wrestlers).

I think Takanosho might be quite comfortable with this situation. If so, that could be why we don’t see him try to much else than what usually gets him 8-7 (or close to it) within this spot in the rankings.

In May he needed to get through a Darwin Match to secure that 8-7. I love Darwin Matches because they give you an opportunity to see what a wrestler thinks his best move is. Takanosho drew Atamifuji for this bout and below you can see his best move.

The ease at which Takanosho smashed through Atamifuji was a little surprising. I expected more from Atamifuji. But after disrupting him with a thrust off the tachiai, Takanosho was able to close distance, get a right underhook and just power him across the ring. Atamifuji tried to escape out the left side, but the underhook (and Takanosho’s footwork) prevented that.

This kachi-koshi will likely see Takanosho move up a spot in the rankings. I think he probably gets another 8-7 in Nagoya.

Mitakeumi

Rank: Maegashira 7 West
Record: 8-7
Grade: C+

Mitakeumi got off to a great start in May, winning his first five in a row. He was then paired against the other early surprise package, Ura, and lost via uwatedashinage. He then lost to Shodai before regrouping with this win over Shonannoumi (below).

Mitakeumi came up from that winning push out very slowly and looked pretty hampered for the remainder of the tournament. You could tell how hurt he was when he chose to avoid a clash with Kinbozan on the next day and instead executed a picture perfect henka (below).

After his leg got hurt (his left thigh based by the bandages we can see in the Kinbozan bout) Mitakeumi’s pushing power was greatly depleted. He would go 1-5 in the last six days of the basho, just barely getting kachi-koshi.

You can see how diminished Mitakeumi was late in the tournament with this loss to Daieisho below, which happened on Day 13. Daieisho, who was resurgent in this tournament, was able to move Mitakeumi back a good two to three feet on every thrust. That’s not typical. This win for Daieisho took their personal head to head record to 15-14 in favour of Mitakeumi.

Hopefully this isn’t an injury that affects Mitakeumi in Nagoya. The former ozeki has looked solid over the last twelve months. The last time he competed in Nagoya he went 3-12 (his worst ever tournament record). Mitakeumi’s father passed away on the eve of that tournament.

Nishikigi

Rank: Maegashira 7 East
Record: 5-10
Grade: D-

From one big man with a bum leg to another. Nishikigi, like Hokutofuji, has struggled since a breakout performance at last year’s Nagoya basho. A year ago he took a kinboshi and a Fighting Spirit prize along with a 10-5 record. A persistent calf injury has dogged him ever since. He’s gone 28-47 since then with just one kachi-koshi (8-7 in January). His 5-10 record here comes after a 3-12 record in March.

Without lower body strength Nishikigi can’t do what he’s best at; brace for impact, stop guys in their tracks, and then mercilessly march them across the ring and out.

The lack of power/stability in his legs also amplifies his fatal flaw — a tendency to lean too far forwards and then face plant whenever someone gets out the way (like Ura does below).

Nishikigi seems to have been in self preservation mode for much of this year, trying to do just enough to stay competitive while not engaging his muscles too hard for fear of doing further damage.

Against Onosho (below), you can see he opts for the safe option when he’s stuck on one leg and basically concedes the bout to his fitter and more aggressive opponent.

If Nishikigi is still not fully fit he may take another bad record in Nagoya. If that happens he could end up on the brink of a juryo demotion. That would be a real shame for a man who was quietly very good for the first half of 2023 leading up to that impressive Nagoya basho last year.

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Thanks for reading all!

Early next week I’ll be sending out the next of these. That report card will focus on Midorifuji, Onosho, Meisei, Ura and Oho.