29 Comments
User's avatar
Kalan's avatar

Thank you as always for the recaps Tim, and happy belated birthday! Hope you get some well earned R&R now.

Tim Edwards's avatar

Hey Kalan, thanks - I appreciate that! A little bit of rest, yeah, but I've got 22 days and counting until I'm free from school!

Dave Y. (aka Knobby Buckles)'s avatar

Thanks for the great recaps, Tim! I really appreciate your thoughtful analysis of each day. Good luck in the final stretch of school work!

Tim Edwards's avatar

Hey Dave, always good to see you in here. Thanks, man. See in the Discord!

Elisabeth M's avatar

aww another bobby knuckles tragic! (me too)

JAMES's avatar

Thanks Tim, it’s lovely to have these every day!

Tim Edwards's avatar

Hey James, glad you dig them. Were you happy with how the tournament ended up?

JAMES's avatar

Mostly! Just sad it ended and we have 6 long weeks ahead

JAMES's avatar

As a sumo 初心者 I really appreciate the daily analysis , and with embedded video too 😊

Tim Edwards's avatar

I'm glad! The JSA's YouTube channel is a great resource, if you don't mind no commentary or replays.

Ken France's avatar

Thanks Tim. A great tournament for all except Aonishiki. He will have the pressure come May. Great recap of all the action. Much appreciated.

Tim Edwards's avatar

Thanks for reading along Ken, glad you enjoyed it. Were you rooting for Aonishiki in this one?

Ken France's avatar

Yes. However I’m happy Kirishima won. Sumo has a tendency to get a bit too heavy but weeds itself out fine. Aonishiki is a tad young and needs more experience. He’ll be back. Onosato too.

Tim Edwards's avatar

I agree. Feels impossible that, at only 22, that this was Aonishiki's last shot at being a yokozuna.

Dj sto's avatar

Haha Mr insufferable isn’t so Insufferable now !!!

Tim Edwards's avatar

He had a good run.

Elisabeth M's avatar

anyone else think getting the fighting spirit prize for a henka win was pretty funny? made me chuckle.

Elisabeth M's avatar

shouldn't the henka counter (kotoshoho) as well as the gyoji bump counter (tobizaru) go up by 1?

Tim Edwards's avatar

You're right on the henka, but I think Tobi just hit a judge.

Elisabeth M's avatar

ah yes, i didn't make that distinction. i thought i remembered someone hitting a sitting judge and that being counted, but it might have been the next referee.

Oliver Bateman Does the Work's avatar

Really need Nabatame to get up to the big leagues. Kazuma and Fujiryoga have their charms, but they don’t have that fine pelt that distinguishes Nabatame

Tim Edwards's avatar

I really want to see Nabatame in the top division, too. He's so much fun.

Whoopdy Do's avatar

Thanks for another great commentary, Tim!

Tim Edwards's avatar

Thank you for reading and getting in the comments as much as you do. I'm sure you're happy Wakatakakage is going to land in the san'yaku again. Let's just hope that injury isn't too serious.

Whoopdy Do's avatar

Amen. I think he has all the talent and physicality to go even higher, but alas, injuries just seem to work against him.

Dj sto's avatar

Well today’s final bouts were I admit a bit underwhelming

But it was rather amusing to see finally some get up and go in Kotazakura who let’s face it has been doing just enough to keep him in Ozeki and no more than that !!

Yesterday he helped Kirishima secure his title and then today he worked extremely diligently to make sure Kirishima knew whose top dog in the Ozeki ring.

Hoshuryu disappointed me , he really really needed this win! But week two he just kept floundering on and off, what the JSA will now be thinking about his future is anyone’s guess.

With the big Paris tour coming in may I feel the JSA thought they would have Aonishiki in place to really ramp that position up. Let’s face neither Yokozuna right now is particularly impressive.

Takayasu and Takanosho sadly just didn’t have the stamina this time round

Kotoshoho had it all and honestly by Friday of week 1 he was looking like the third contender, alas it was not to be but 11-4 was a good finish.

So before we head to well you know of whom I speak ?

Two Rikishi to mention for very different reasons

Tamawashi 5-10 does anyone else feel like me sometimes enough is enough and you have to let it go? I have felt worried a couple of times when Tamawashi has been thrown out of the Ring , a couple times he landed with such a thud, I thought will he get up! I know 41 is not old, but sometimes this is the time to go with dignity

Ura, 5-10 is probably, definitely the most popular Rikishi, everyone loves him, I love him, but he needs to start winning, I fear he’s turning into the ring jester, I think the fans wouldn’t care if he never won anything because his antics and humour is just loved 🥰 but if he goes on like this he’s going to plummet out of M2 East

Can he start competing properly?

So now and you all know of whom I speak! So proud of Atamifuji 9-6 if everyone put in a good word for him, I thank you ! 🙏

Let’s hope he keeps travelling upward

Tim Edwards's avatar

Tamawashi broke the record for top division bouts during this tournament. That might have been something he was sticking around for. Physically, I think he's still got a few tournaments in him. I'd love to see him as a stable master, though.

Dj sto's avatar

I agree he will be an amazing Stable Master

I am just worried he might get really hurt just clinging on

Does Tamawashi meet all the requirements to become a Stable Master?

Tim Edwards's avatar

Providing that he takes Japanese citizenship, he meets the requirements to be an elder. The requirements for stable master are just that another stable master will let you inherit his stock. His current stablemaster, the former Tamakasuga, is 54. So there's 11 years until he retires (unless he chooses early retirement). The JSA have allowed elders to branch off of stable to create new ones. Kakuryu, for example, was permitted to establish the Otowayama stable (where Kirishima is now).