Sumo is firing up preparations for the November tournament with a brand new ozeki in the ranks, as well as yet another newly crowned debutant winner of the Emperor’s Cup.
The tumult that has been sumo over the past year might have mirrored mayhem in the wider world, but as we prepare to wind things up in 2020, there are many aspects of Japan’s national sport that should give hope for the future.
Sumo’s newest ozeki, Shodai, may have taken the long way round with both his entry to ozumo and ascent to the sport’s second highest rank, but the Tokitsukaze stable man has been a changed wrestler over the past 12 months, and his recent emergence into the limelight has provided a boost.