Ask and ye shall receive.

The Spring Grand Sumo Tournament is heading into its third act with its stormy reputation regained, and a conclusion that is shaping up to be one for the history books.

Whoever lifts the Emperor’s Cup in Edion Arena Osaka next Sunday will be celebrating an unprecedented victory, as the now-absent Terunofuji is the only wrestler on the banzuke ranking that has experience of winning a championship in Osaka.

With the yokozuna out, and six of the nine rikishi with best records through day ten never having previously tasted glory, the chances of a first-time title winner emerging in Kansai appear high.

The fact that none of the three men currently leading the way know what it’s like to lift silverware offers some hope to those lagging behind.

Dealing with the pressure of a title run is an additional factor that normally comes into play with less-experienced wrestlers.

That’s something one co-leader in Kansai knows all about.

Takayasu went undefeated over the first 10 days, but the veteran's loss to Wakatakakage evoked memories of past collapses over the final stretch.

Five years ago, almost to the day, the Taganoura stable wrestler was also 10-0 in Osaka and leading the pack, before three straight losses derailed his hopes of taking home his first Emperor’s Cup.

That implosion, and subsequent failures to take advantage of title chances, have left Takayasu with the unenviable stigma of being one of only two ozeki since 1981 never to win a championship.

In the past four decades, 24 wrestlers who didn’t subsequently go on to reach yokozuna have been promoted to sumo’s second-highest rank.

Takayasu and Miyabiyama are the only two without a top-division title to their names.

The latter man can be forgiven for his failures, however, as he came as close as is humanly possible without actually winning a championship in May 2006.

Going 14-1 against a slate that included four opponents who reached yokozuna and six that made ozeki, Miyabiyama narrowly missed out on title glory, only losing in a playoff to a man he had beaten earlier in the tournament: a young Mongolian named Hakuho.

That Emperor’s Cup was the first for Hakuho, who would add a record 44 more over the next 15 years and establish himself as one of the greatest to have competed in the sport.

Miyabiyama’s career also overlapped with wrestlers like Takanohana, Akebono and Asashoryu, meaning championship chances were few and far between, and his lack of a top-tier title win is understandable in that context.

Hakuho apart, Takayasu hasn’t had to deal with quite the same level of opponents during his time in sumo, making his failure to win silverware more noticeable and harder to defend.

Now, however, with Terunofuji having withdrawn from the ongoing tournament and the rest of the top-rankers in mixed-to-poor form, there will never be a better opportunity for the veteran to finally get the monkey off his back.

While a John Elway-esque late career championship would make a great redemption story and doubtless please Takayasu’s fanbase both domestically and internationally, it would be unlikely to have much of an impact on the sport as a whole.

If Takayasu does manage to finally lift the Emperor’s Cup in Osaka, it will more than likely be an achievement that will allow him to ride off into the sunset at peace, rather than a harbinger of things to come.

The 32-year-old has already been in sumo for 17 years, and while there's a possibility of a return to ozeki against the current weakened field, Takayasu isn’t going to have the kind of storybook ending that Terunofuji’s career has produced over the past two years.

For sumo’s wider fan base, it’s the two men chasing Takayasu in Osaka who really get the blood pumping.

Few things connect better with fans in Japan than youth and multi-generational sporting bloodlines.

When those overlap, as they did with Takahanada (Takanohana) and Wakahanada (Wakanohana) two decades ago, it can lead to a sport’s popularity going through the roof.

Evoking memories of those names is high-flying Wakatakakage, who beat Takayasu on Wednesday to earn a share of the lead. The newly promoted sekiwake is the grandson of a former komusubi and has two brothers that are also rikishi.

With a 10-1 start and a high-octane style, the 27-year-old is staking a claim to be both a fan favorite and a potential star over the next five years.

Having his brother Wakamotoharu also going strong at a career-high rank in the top division only helps that storyline.

Also on fire over the first 11 days, Kotonowaka looks a better bet to overtake Wakatakakage and Takayasu in the near future both in terms of media coverage and banzuke rankings.

At 24 years old, the son of Sadogatake stablemaster — who also fought in the top division as Kotonowaka — and grandson of yokozuna Kotozakura is just now coming into his own.

Size, youth and sumo lineage are all on his side, and even if he fails to capitalize on an outstanding start this time, Kotonowaka the younger is in a great position to succeed in the longer term.

Regardless of whether the 2022 Osaka Basho becomes a redemption tale for a former ozeki or marks the ascension of stars with a background in the sport stretching back generations, it’s good to see interesting and fresh storylines in Japan’s second city.

Long may the storminess continue.