SUMO! The May Basho Es Muy Loco!

For the first ten days of the May basho in Japanese professional Sumo, I hated everything. The Sanyaku (the three ranks below Yokozuna) were absolutely pitiful. The sumo itself was pretty boring. Fan favorites like Hokutofuji and Takarafuji were obviously hurt, and it showed in their abysmal performances. 

Worst of all, were the judge's errors. The Gyoji, the kabuki-theater-fellow-reffing-inside-the-ring, got a lot wrong, and the ringside judges got other things wrong. There were at least five calls that were blatantly offensive to my delicate sensibilities. In sumo, that usually means that the wrong wrestler was awarded the win, even though he touched out or down first. 

Each time, it seemed to hurt my favorite wrestlers and help the ones I loathed. 

But the judges must have gotten the message, as they cleaned up their act. Then, some magical performances from Ura and that amazing showdown between Terunofuji and Takakeisho turned everything around. Check out that bout between the Yokozuna Terunofuji and Ozeki Takakeisho here:

Did you see that clap from Takakeisho? 

I almost fell down laughing I loved it so much. The big boys were really showing their "Fighting Spirit" in this one. That clap reminded me of something Hulk Hogan would do. Or, maybe Curly from The Three Stooges. 

It has all come down to this, the last day of the basho, and Terunofuji (pictured at top and in the video above) is leading the way with a 13-1 record. He is tied with Takanosho, also pictured at the top, who upset him earlier in the tournament. I will soon find out how it ends, as this is the just-uploaded video of the final day:

I haven't watched it yet. Today, I get the IRTC at the WTTs and the final day of the May basho. Life is good. 

Photo Credit: Japan Forward