Kisenosato's retirement, while both inevitable and expected, casts a pall over the ongoing tournament.
The veteran yokozuna has been one of sumo's most popular wrestlers over the past decade and a half.
Initially a bright young talent whose rapid rise was catnip to a Japanese public that idolizes teenage sporting heroes, Kisenosato came to embody the phrase "fall seven times and stand up eight" in the latter part of his career.