The relocated 2021 Spring Grand Sumo Tournament will get underway Sunday in an unseasonably warm Tokyo that is set to experience a full cherry blossom bloom before the 15-day meet concludes.
It’s now been 12 months since a basho took place outside the capital, and in that time there have been five straight 13-2 championships — with two more names added to a growing list of debutant winners.
Even the return of the sport's current king is unlikely to alter sumo's current state of flux, and the stage is set for yet another roller-coaster ride, with half the top division in contention for the title.