With all eyes on the shenanigans surrounding Asashoryu in recent weeks, Hakuho’s elaborate wedding celebrations in various locations around the country, and a new nationality rule in sumo that essentially limits a stable to one foreign-born rikishi at a time (even if the rikishi does later change his nationality), few have really given any thought as to what might happen down in Osaka starting the end of next week.
Admittedly the possibility of Asashoryu, the winner of the January Hatsu Basho being pulled in for questioning by police over allegations of "less than gentlemanly conduct" with? Joe Public/a club barman/a member of his own staff (depends on the version) could derail coverage of the tourney proper, but for now, it's on with the show — and the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium is the facility putting on that show.
The Haru Basho is the second basho of the year and traditionally marks the coming of spring. As many fans will tell you, the Haru Basho can often produce surprises. Only men in the yokozuna rank have won the past six basho in Japan's second city. However, earlier in the decade two ozeki — the now-retired Chiyotaikai and the still-active Kaio — did win earlier, as did Takatori in March 2000. This is where Osaka earned its reputation as a place for surprises, sine Takatori was maegashira 14 at the time. Even then, a closer look shows the former Futagoyama Beya man to have benefited significantly from the presence in his stable of three of the top rikishi in the sport at the time: Takanohana, Wakanohana and Tankanonami. These were therefore men he would never go against unless for a rare play-off on the final day, and thanks to his rank, he never even faced the serving ozeki during the basho.