The Natsu Basho is shaping up as a three-man struggle among yokozuna Takanohana, yokozuna Akebono and sekiwake Miyabiyama, with two other would-be favorites, yokozuna Musashimaru and new ozeki Musoyama, nursing injuries and unable to compete this time around.
Each of the three joint favorites has his own special reason for wanting this yusho: Takanohana to finally take his 21st yusho -- and first championship since September 1998, Akebono to reach his elusive 10th title (his ninth yusho was in May 1997) and Miyabiyama to capture his first top-division yusho and reach the next plateau in his incredible climb up the ladder of professional sumo by clinching promotion to ozeki.
What about the other three ozeki, the two sekiwake and the two komusubi, or the always-hopeful crowd of maegashira all anxious to reproduce Takatoriki's amazing yusho in March? Although there were back-to-back yusho by maegashira nearly 10 years ago in 1991 when No. 13 maegashira Kotofuji took the Aki Basho yusho in September and No. 5 Kotonishiki followed up with the Kyushu Basho championship in November, the odds are exceedingly long that history will repeat itself in May.