In statistics alone, Asashoryu Akinori may go down as one of the greatest yokozuna of sumo in the modern era, but at the close of the Summer 2009 Grand Sumo Tournament, much of the talk was about when he would retire.

With his performance in the just-completed basho — a below average 12-3 score and only a trio of yusho (wins) in the past two years — Asashoryu is now having to depend on other results to go his way if he wants to reach the level of former Rijicho Kitanoumi, who ranks third place on the all-time list of yusho winners. Asa is currently stalled on 23 titles, with Kitanoumi the winner of 24 in the '70s and '80s.

Asashoryu’s fall from grace in sumo, however, coincides with what appears to be the dawning of a new era. It is an era that is likely to center, yet again, on two Mongolians, only this time, the name Asashoryu does not feature. The older of the two yokozuna could still perhaps continue to prowl, picking up the occasional championship or featuring in the yusho race by sometimes knocking off the contenders, but the days of this alpha male would appear to numbered.