J1 – Premier test réussi pour les ôzeki

Yokozuna Hakuho, gunning for his 33rd career championship title, led a winning run by all the top wrestlers on the opening day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Jan. 11.

Hakuho wasn’t on the top of his game, stumbling a bit after the face-off, but he came back with his usual flair and slapped komusubi Tochiozan off his feet to claim his first win of the 15-day tournament at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan.

If Hakuho can pull this tournament off, he will have sole possession of the all-time championships record, breaking his tie at 32 with sumo great Taiho.

Getting a bit of a scare, Kakuryu came out too low and was pulled off balance from the back of the neck by komusubi Takayasu.

The move sent Kakuryu stumbling, but Takayasu was too far away to do anything with it. By the time he rushed in, the junior yokozuna had recovered, and he convincingly thrust Takayasu out of the ring.

Yokozuna Harumafuji battered top maegashira Tochinoshin, then slipped around and drove him over the edge from behind. Harumafuji has an interesting mix of aggressive slaps and nimble body movements, and he used both to their full advantage.

Kisenosato, meanwhile, had a hard time with top maegashira Takarafuji, who warded off his forward drives with a lot of determination.

The ozeki had control throughout, since he had the superior position on the belt, but had to struggle to close the deal, which was a bit surprising.

Once again, Kisenosato has a heavy burden on his shoulders because he is the only Japanese-born wrestler who is seen as a serious contender for the title. Many fans are hoping that this time he will finally be able to break the Mongolian hold on the title.

Kotoshogiku, trying to avert demotion, had no problem blasting maegashira No. 2 Terunofuji out of the ring to start his year with a win. The ozeki flew out at his prey and pounded him back with a combination of strong footwork and good use of his arms and chest.

Also looking to regain some face after a losing record last time out, ozeki Goeido used a change-up at the outset but fought aggressively to defeat maegashira No. 2 Ikioi, keeping low and mobile until he had enouigh momentum to push Ikioi out with a two-handed shove to the chest.

Having finally attained ozeki ranking last September, Goeido is sure to fight hard to keep it by winning at least eight bouts this tournament.

In a crowd-pleasing showdown, sekiwake Ichinojo found himself outclassed by maegashira No. 3 Endo.

The big and powerful Mongolian, who is still rough around the edges, had a solid but slow start that allowed Endo to keep him away from the belt with a series of slaps. Endo capitalized on the opportunity to open up a path to get under his opponent’s defenses and drive him over the rim.

If nothing else, the loss demonstrates how much Ichinojo needs to develop a broader range of techniques if he is going to continue to rise up the ranks.

Sekiwake Aoiyama tossed maegashira No. 3 Aminishiki onto his back with a well-timed throw that compensated for what was a poor face-off.

Though far bigger–at 192 centimeters tall and weighing 195 kilograms–the Bulgarian was beaten into a retreat as soon as the two hit each other. He twisted away and saved himself as he was almost all the way to the edge.

Written by The Asahi Shimbun