Sumo took a backseat to slapstick on this day of the tournament. One of the referees, or gyoji, stole the spotlight after he slipped and ate the mat while trying to dodge the action. The fall was awkward and hard, with the ref smacking his head and trying to play it cool like nothing happened. The crowd caught on quick, with one wrestler even laughing and pointing. A backup ref offered help, but the gyoji waved him off and tried to handle it like a pro, blood or no blood. He still announced the winner and brushed it off, though his pride seemed more bruised than his face.
As for the actual match, the guy in purple improved to five wins and one loss, looking strong so far through six days. The video also took a moment to question why these refs wear slippers when they have to move so quickly around the ring, clearly a risky combination when the surface is that unforgiving. A cameraman nearby kept snapping shots throughout, no doubt preserving the ref’s bad moment for years to come. Strategy-wise, there was a bit of analysis on grabbing the opponent’s elbow and spinning them around using the mawashi—the traditional belt worn during matches. It’s unclear how official that strategy is, but it worked well enough this time.