Musashikuni Mamu finished his basho performance on Day 14, and he was so close to making me look like a fortune teller. Before the basho, I predicted that Musashikuni would finish with a 4-3 record. He actually finished with a 3-4 record, but was only inches away from a fourth victory. So close!
This was a solid showing my Musashikuni, although he fell a little short in the end. The mid- to upper-makushita ranks can be a real dogfight, so Musashikuni was fighting with his back to the wall from the makushita 36 position.
Others have reported that Musashikuni is still nursing an ankle injury, and he is nowhere close to 100%. Musashikuni’s strength in his matches makes this a little difficult to discern, but he does often have his ankle heavily taped. Nevertheless, his skill and power makes him a formidable competitor in the makushita division. He has proven that he belongs at the mid- to low-makushita level. I think that when he gets 100% healthy, he can prove that he belongs in the high-makushita level and beyond. . .But, as sumo seems to go, it may take awhile before he is 100% healthy for a basho.
Below is a table that summarizes Musashikuni Mamu’s Hatsu Basho 2019 performance, followed by gifs of his matches. I provide some commentary after the gifs, and I provide links to the matches at the bottom of the page. If you would like to see anything else involving Musashikuni’s performance in the Hatsu Basho 2019, please contact me at NorthAmericanSumo@Gmail.com.
|
Opponent |
Ranking |
Current Record |
Result |
Method |
|
35 West |
4-3 |
Loss |
Oshidashi |
|
|
34 West |
3-4 |
Loss |
Watashikomi |
|
|
38 West |
3-4 |
Loss |
Yoritaoshi |
|
|
30 West |
1-6 |
Win! |
Yorikiri |
|
|
37 East |
2-5 |
Win! |
Yorikiri |
|
|
41 West |
3-4 |
Win! |
Uwatenage |
|
|
39 West |
4-3 |
Loss |
Yoritaoshi |
Musashikuni Mamu Match 1 Gif – Hatsu Basho 2019
I was surprised that Musashikuni lost this match. He is so much bigger than Kototsubasa, and I thought for sure that he was going to steamroll this match. Not everything turns out how you expect, though!
Musashikuni Mamu Match 2 Gif – Hatsu Basho 2019
Musashikuni’s tachiai wasn’t effective, but he had a really solid push to start the match. Again, I thought he was going to grab the victory, but he allowed himself to get pushed around a little too much again.
Musashikuni Mamu Match 3 Gif – Hatsu Basho 2019
Again, the tachiai waasn’t effective, which put Musashikuni on the defensive in this match. This was his third loss of the basho, putting his record at 0-3.
Musashikuni Mamu Match 4 Gif – Hatsu Basho 2019
Woo! This was the performance that I expected in the first match. His tachiai was so effective, leaving no question to who was going to win.
Musashikuni Mamu Match 5 Gif – Hatsu Basho 2019
Musashikuni showed a lot of tenacity in this fight. He was in a bad position, not one but twice, and he still came back for the win. Make that two wins for Musashikuni!
Musashikuni Mamu Match 6 Gif – Hatsu Basho 2019
Such balance and power! Musashikuni planted himself firmly and lifted for the win. Make that three wins for Musashikuni!
Musashikuni Mamu Match 7 Gif – Hatsu Basho 2019
Such a close match. I really feel for Musashikuni. If he was able to get another 1/4th of a rotation, he would have had the victory and the kachi-koshi. But, he wasn’t able to do so, giving him the loss.
Musashikuni finished the Hatsu Basho 2019 with a 3-4 record, and he was only inches away from a kachi-koshi. . .but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. Musashikuni will drop a few spots from his make-koshi (losing record), probably falling from Ms36 to Ms45-ish. They may not seem like a lot, but it is quite a bummer to think he would be in the low 20s if he won his final match. Sumo is fickle like that sometimes. Regardless of where he may be ranked, though, we will always root for him at NorthAmericanSumo.com! I have a feeling that he’ll have more good days ahead than bad.
North American Sumo 
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