September 2023 Grand Sumo Tournament, Day 4 (Wednesday 13 September 2023)

(Looking for a different day? Try the master list!)

Compiled from: JSA's postings for makuuchi, juryo, makushita, sandanme, jonidan and jonokuchi; JSA's absence list, JSA's tournament leader list, JSA's tournament champions list and JSA's Day 4 program in Japanese.

There are 160 bouts listed on the schedule today. It's an even-numbered day which means the west side is first to get called.

Check the appendices at the end of the schedule for more useful information!

What our fave toriteki are doing today

If you want a toriteki (non-salaried rikishi from divisions 3 to 6) added to this watch list, get in touch!

Appearing on day 4: Asakiryu, Dainichido, Furanshisu, Hanafusa, Hokuyozan, Kaihiryu, Kaiseijo, Kamito, Kanzaki, Kawamura, Kazeeidai, Kazeyuki, Kenho, Kitanosho, Koki, Kokiryu, Kotokuzan, Kototebakari, Miyagi, Najima, Nikko, Obara, Onosato, Raiho, Satonofuji, Satsumao, Sawayaka, Sazanami, Shunkaku, Shunrai, Souga, Suyama, Takeuchi, Tanji, Terutsuyoshi, Tsukubayama, Tsushimanada, Wakatakamoto, Yukiamami

Having a rest on day 4: Akiseyama, Amakaze, Arise, Asanowaka, Asasorai, Asonoyama, Baraki, Chikureisen, Dewanojo, Hagane, Hayashiryu, Hogasho, Ikazuchido, Itadaki, Ito, Kazekeno, Kazuto, Kiryuko, Kitadaichi, Kokuryunami, Kyokutaisei, Maikeru, Mineyaiba, Mogamizakura, Moriurara, Nakashima, Otani, Rao, Rinko, Shoketsu, Shoran, Taiga, Takerufuji, Tatsuosho, Urutora, Wakaikari, Yago, Yamato, Yoshii, Yuki, Yuma, Zuiko

Kyujo on day 4: Akenonami, Byakuen, Chiyooga, Enho, Fujiseiun, Taranami, Tochimaru, Tokushoryu

Note: Each division also has its own mini-report for who's on the schedule and who's kyujo!

Kyujo rikishi

The following rikishi are kyujo on day 4: Akenonami, Amao, Anzai, Byakuen, Chiyodaigo, Chiyooga, Daishoryu, Dewataikai, Enho, Fujihara, Fujikensho, Fujiseiun, Ginseizan, Hakuoho, Hamasaki, Hatooka, Hayatefuji, Higonoumi, Ienoshima, Iitsuka, Kamitani, Kinseiryu, Kiryu, Kyokushori, Makio, Miyabi, Nishikinoryu, Oginohama, Ryuo, Sadanojo, Setonoumi, Soseizan, Takabaho, Taranami, Terunofuji, Tochimaru, Tokushoryu, Wakaarata, Wakaikki, Wakakaneko, Wakatakakage, Yoshino, Yoshinofuji

Salary promotions and demotions

Tokihayate, Onosato, Takahashi, Tenshoho (formerly Mukainakano) and Asakoryu (formerly Ishizaki) are up in juryo now. As sekitori they'll be bouting all 15 days, so they're not on the watch ist anymore. Congratulations to all of them on earning their salary

Fujiseiun, Tsushimanada, and Yuma have dropped back to makushita and will reappear on the watch list for September. Hidenoumi and Chiyonoumi have also dropped back to makushita.

Retirements

Akiseyama retired on 10 August and will use the Izutsu elder stock. Yusho-winner Tokushoryu retired mid-tournament on Day 2 and will use the newly-vacated Sendagawa elder stock.

All the best to Anzai, Byakuen, Makio, Tokinishiki, Yusui, Sano and anyone else who has retired since the July tournament. Gaia is previously reported to have departed grand sumo under other circumstances.

Start at 9:20AM

Maezumo 前相撲

Maezumo is for unranked rikishi who are debuting in sumo or have been absent so long they've fallen off the banzuke. Maezumo involves a series of lightning quick matches over a few days. The results of these matches are used to determine their starter ranks for the next tournament.

Maezumo competitors are not listed on the program.

Jonokuchi 序ノ口 (Division 6)

Official JSA fixtures, results and winning techniques for jonokuchi

Coming up: Kenho, Satonofuji, Takeuchi

Shimpan are Tatekawa (sekiwake Tosanoumi) facing us left, Hanaregoma (sekiwake Tamanoshima) facing us right, Futagoyama (ozeki Miyabiyama) right of dohyo, Tanigawa (sekiwake Hokutoriki) facing away on mic, Ajigawa (sekiwake Aminishiki) left of dohyo

Yobidashi is Akitaka; Gyoji is Shikimori Kazenosuke

Jonidan 序二段 (Division 5)

Official JSA fixtures, results and winning techniques for jonidan

Coming up: Furanshisu, Hokuyozan, Kazeyuki, Kitanosho, Koki, Kokiryu, Najima, Nikko, Satsumao, Sawayaka, Shunkaku, Souga, Tsukubayama, Yukiamami

Gyoji is Shikimori Tomokimi

Gyoji is Shikimori Komei

Gyoji is Kimura Shunta

Shimpan shift change

Shimpan are Urakaze (maegashira 1 Shikishima) facing us left, Takenawa (sekiwake Tochinonada) facing us right, Oshima (sekiwake Kyokutenho) right of dohyo, Takasago (sekiwake Asasekiryu) facing away on mic, Nishonoseki (yokozuna Kisenosato) left of dohyo

Gyoji is Kimura Ryunosuke

Gyoji is Kimura Keitaro

Gyoji is Kimura Katsunosuke

Gyoji is Kimura Narimasa

Sandanme 三段目 (Division 4)

Official JSA fixtures, results and winning techniques for sandanme

Coming up: Asakiryu, Kaihiryu, Kawamura, Kazeeidai, Suyama, Tanji

Shimpan shift change

Shimpan are Onaruto (ozeki Dejima) facing us left, Edagawa (maegashira 1 Aogiyama) facing us right, Jinmaku (maegashira 1 Fujinoshin) right of dohyo, Asahiyama (sekiwake Kotonishiki) facing away on mic, Naruto (ozeki Kotooshu) left of dohyo

Gyoji is Shikimori Kainosuke

Gyoji is Shikimori Tatsunosuke

Gyoji is Shikimori Seisuke

Gyoji is Kimura Sakuranosuke

Gyoji is Shikimori Seiichiro

Gyoji is Kimura Kintaro

Gyoji is Kimura Kazuma

Shimpan shift change

Shimpan are Kataonami (sekiwake Tamakasuga) facing us left, Tamagaki (komusubi Tomonohana) facing us right, Azumazeki (komusubi Takamisakari) right of dohyo, Tokitsukaze (maegashira 1 Tosayutaka) facing away on mic, Ikazuchi (komusubi Kakizoe) left of dohyo

Gyoji is Shikimori Kinosuke

Makushita 幕下 (Division 3)

Official JSA fixtures, results and winning techniques for makushita

Coming up: Dainichido, Hanafusa, Kaiseijo, Kanzaki, Miyagi, Obara, Raiho, Sazanami, Shunrai, Wakatakamoto

Gyoji is Shikimori Tomokazu

Gyoji is Kimura Ennosuke

Yobidashi is Soichi; Gyoji is Kimura Satoshi

Yobidashi is Yohei

Yobidashi is Keisuke; Gyoji is Shikimori Kazuki

Yobidashi is Fujio

Yobidashi is Shigetaro; Gyoji is Kimura Kozaburo

Yobidashi is Tasuke; Gyoji is Kimura Zennosuke

Yobidashi is Satoru; Gyoji is Kimura Chishu

Yobidashi is Masao; Gyoji is Kimura KANKURO

Juryo dohyo-iri at 2:15PM

Makushita Joi 幕下上位 (Division 3)

Official JSA fixtures, results and winning techniques for makushita

Coming up: Kamito, Kotokuzan, Kototebakari, Terutsuyoshi

Shimpan are Asakayama (ozeki Kaio) facing away on mic, Urakaze (maegashira 1 Shikishima), Takenawa (sekiwake Tochinonada), Takasago (sekiwake Asasekiryu), Nishonoseki (yokozuna Kisenosato)

Yobidashi is Rokuro; Gyoji is Kimura Kichijiro

Yobidashi is Hiroyuki; Gyoji is Shikimori Shinnosuke

Juryo 十両 (Division 2)

Official JSA fixtures, results and winning techniques for juryo

Coming up: Onosato, Tsushimanada

Yobidashi is Matsuo; Gyoji is Kimura Yukihiro

Yobidashi is Kunio; Gyoji is Kimura Mitsunosuke

Yobidashi is Mitsuaki; Gyoji is Kimura Takao

Yobidashi is Rikinojo; Gyoji is Kimura Asanosuke

Yobidashi is Koji; Gyoji is Shikimori Kiichiro

Yobidashi is Teruki; Gyoji is ❤️ Kimura Yonosuke ❤️

Yobidashi is Daikichi; Gyoji is Kimura Ginjiro

Intermission at 3:40PM: Makuuchi dohyo-iri

Makuuchi 幕内 (Division 1)

Official JSA fixtures, results and winning techniques for makuuchi

Shimpan are Kumegawa (komusubi Kotoinazuma) facing away on mic, Onaruto (ozeki Dejima), Edagawa (maegashira 1 Aogiyama), Asahiyama (sekiwake Kotonishiki), Naruto (ozeki Kotooshu)

Yobidashi is Kotoyoshi; Gyoji is Shikimori Kindayu

Yobidashi is Kotozo; Gyoji is Kimura Akijiro

Yobidashi is Ryuji; Gyoji is Kimura Motoki

Yobidashi is Akira; Gyoji is Shikimori Kandayu

Yobidashi is Kokichi; Gyoji is Kimura Hisanosuke

Shimpan shift change

Shimpan are Sadogatake (sekiwake Kotonowaka I) facing away on mic, Kataonami (sekiwake Tamakasuga), Tamagaki (komusubi Tomonohana), Tokitsukaze (maegashira 1 Tosayutaka), Ikazuchi (komusubi Kakizoe)

Yobidashi is Goro; Gyoji is Kimura Konosuke

Yobidashi is Shigeo; Gyoji is Kimura Shotaro

Yobidashi is Shiro; Gyoji is Kimura Yodo

Yobidashi is Katsuyuki; Gyoji is Kimura Tamajiro

Yobidashi is Jiro; Gyoji is Shikimori Inosuke

Bow-twirling with Yuki

Appendices

General knowledge

Wikipedia has a list of winning techniques like oshidashi, yorikiri, etc and a sumo glossary, the heaviest grand sumo competitors ever, and an English-language page for just about every sekitori there is or was.

SumoDB has the entire banzuke in both Japanese and English. SumoDB also contains information about historical results and head to head matchups.

Nihon Sumo Kyokai (Japan Sumo Association) links: current rankings Japanese/English; yobidashi (ushers & attendants) Japanese/English; gyoji (referees) Japanese/English; oyakata (coaches) Japanese/English; heya (training stables) Japanese/English. NSK homepage in English; retirees - Japanese only but only requires hiragana knowledge

Fred Pinkerton's promotion/demotion charts show who's moving where in top division.

News sources and blogs: Tachi-Ai sumo blog (in English); Japan Times sumo coverage (in English); Nikkan Sports sumo articles (in Japanese); Sponichi sumo articles (in Japanese); Chunichi sumo articles (in Japanese). Hochi.news sumo articles (in Japanese). Useful Japanese terms to search in the highlights page for: 休場 (kyujo, absence); コロナ (korona, COVID).

Japanese language resources: DeepL for translating entire articles; Jisho for looking up specific words and kanji; the 10ten extension for Firefox lets you mouse over particular Japanese text of interest on websites.

Curiosities: that time half a stable went AWOL because the stablemaster's wife was being too harsh on them; interview with a yobidashi

Videos

Miscellaneous

A comprehensive gallery featuring head shots and bios of rikishi, oyakata, gyoji, yobidashi and more (correct to the beginning of 2023). Pre-bout rituals explained; What do the gyoji say?

Sumo match announcements

  1. Yobidashi sings the names of the rikishi about to bout in turn, then rikishi ascend the dohyo
  2. Once rikishi are on the dohyo, gyoji hollers their names in turn while gesturing their way
  3. Announcer clearly announces each rikishi's starting side (nishi/higashi-gata rikishi), name, place of origin (-shusshin) and training stable (-beya) as they perform shikiri and throw salt
  4. Once timekeeper judge says to begin, gyoji commands rikishi into position, then officiates the match
  5. (optional) If the outcome is unclear or in dispute by a judge, a mono-ii is called and head judge reports on their findings; gyoji announces a rematch if that's what the judges want
  6. Gyoji announces winner's name turning to them and possibly giving them envelopes full of sponsor cash.
  7. Once winner is decided, announcer says who won and what the kimarite (deciding technique) was (technique de rikishi name no kachi) - this can be delayed by up to a few matches if the technique is hard to determine!

Understanding the judges' reports

Good news: mono-ii reports are very formulaic! They're usually a couple of long run-on sentences that go something like this:

  1. Now we're going to explain our conference. Tadaima wa kyogi ni tsuite setsumei itashimasu or similar
  2. The gyoji pointed (one way or another), but.. Gyoji gunbai wa higashigata/nishigata/(rikishi name) arimashita ga..
  3. We had a conference about (something that affects the outcome of the match), the result of that conference was.. (???) mono-ii ga tsuki, kyougi shita kekka..
  4. (The findings of that discussion) (???)-te ori/orazu
  5. (The outcome of that discussion and the rightful winner of the bout if one was determined.)

Matters for discussion and findings may include a touchout (te ga dete ori/orazu..), a simultaneous landing for both rikishi (doutai or ryousha), or even a disqualification (hansoku).

Helpful words to listen out for to get the gist of the report:

The outcome can go three ways:

Who's that shimpan (ringside judge)?

Click the name of the shimpan to see what they look like. (You may need to middle-click it to open the link in a new window.) Thanks to the maintainer of this page for providing these images!

Shimpan groups

Jinmaku has replaced Sendagawa in the Onaruto group and Kumegawa takes over for Fujishima in the senior shimpan rotation.

Stablemasters have * after their name; everyone else is a coach.

Senior shimpan

Members of this senior group join up with other shimpan groups to act as head shimpan after the juryo ring entrance ceremony & intermission.

Substitute shimpan

Expect to see one or more of these folks subbing in if someone doesn't make their shift: Hatachiyama (komusubi Tochinohana), Minato* (maegashira 2 Minatofuji), Shiranui (komusubi Wakakoyu), Takadagawa (sekiwake Akinoshima)

Who's that off-schedule yobidashi

The official program only lists sekitori yobidashi from Soichi onwards. Even after their match-calling shifts, these youngsters work throughout the day as attendants.

There's a slightly outdated gallery of yobidashi headshots with bios at Heyaaz - it's missing Kumajiro because he debuted during 2023.

To help spot them, here's links to screencaps of the non-sekitori yobidashi in their order of appearance, including onscreen bios in Japanese: