Autumn is a time of change for the Japanese. Summer clothes are put away and sightings of thicker, woollier garments become increasingly common. The mercury encounters a daily struggle to stay first above 20 degrees then above 10, and the country collectively takes its foot off the pedal.
Sumo largely follows suit as the sumotori, fans and general atmosphere surrounding the national sport seem to slip down a gear or two. Even the upcoming Kyushu Basho is seen by some fans as no more than an end-of-year wind-down, carrying little weight or importance (although let's not forget that it was the yokozuna's 2005 victory in Fukuoka that gave him a "six in one calendar year" run of yusho and assured him of a place in the history books).
So, before everyone's mind turns to plastic Christmas trees, strawberry-topped sponge cakes and KFC's very best fried chicken pretending to be turkey, on with the sumo -- or at least what there is of it right now.