For purists, the ideal sumo tournament will always be one in which a pair of yokozuna go unbeaten across the two weeks, before deciding the destination of the Emperor’s Cup in a titanic clash on the final day.

The sport’s ranking and match scheduling systems are set up to produce a gradual building of excitement over the course of 15 days that reaches a crescendo in the tournament’s concluding bout.

Unlike in video games or Hollywood blockbusters, however, that anticipated final showdown between heavyweights often fails to materialize.

Hakuho defeating Terunofuji in July of last year is the closest we have come to something similar in recent times, but even then the latter man wasn’t promoted to the rank of grand champion until three days after the meet.

The overall parity of the top division that has been evident for some time is on full display in the Kokugikan this month.

All top 10-ranked rikishi competing in the summer meet dropped at least one bout in the tournament’s opening two days.

Records seem to indicate that this is the first time in history where none of the wrestlers in sumo’s top four ranks have made it through Day 2 unbeaten.

The number of championships won with a 12-3 record has also spiked in recent years, with three of them taking place since last March and two others occurring in 2019. That’s the most in a short span since a burst at the end of the 1990s.

Championships earned after three losses generally aren’t something most fans of the sport want to see, as they are often an indicator of widespread injury and sloppy sumo.

While less impressive title-winning records and a lack of dueling yokozuna may not be ideal, the openness sumo is experiencing right now brings its own benefits.

For one, the higher-than-normal likelihood of a 12-3 record resulting in a championship means no rikishi at 0-3 is out of the running yet. During Hakuho’s dominant phase, even a single loss by a contender to another rikishi in the first week felt fatal, as it almost inevitably meant they would have to beat the yokozuna twice to lift the title — an almost impossible task.

That led to less exciting tournaments where the championship race was essentially a procession from early on.

Conversely, among the five leaders of the current tournament after Day 3, only Tamawashi has ever won a yūshō — and his was one of the more surprising of recent years.

A second title for the 37-year-old would be a stunning outcome, but with three days of action in the books, the destination of the Emperor’s Cup is still anyone’s guess.

The current state of flux won’t last, though, and there are already signs that the next generation of stars is starting to step up and take over.

One of those hopefuls — Kotonowaka — has been the story of the May tournament so far.

The Sadogatake stable man opened up with three straight wins over ozeki opponents and, regardless of the outcome of his Day 4 match against Terunofuji, has put himself in a strong position to contend for the title.

After consecutive 11-4 runner-up performances in January and March that both earned fighting spirit prizes, Kotonowaka has raised his sumo to another level and is finally capitalizing on the potential that has been evident for years.

The 24-year-old’s rise isn’t a surprise to veteran sumo watchers, as he comes from a family with several generations of rikishi and has been well known to sumo fans since a small child.

Photos and videos of the future Kotonowaka perched on his father’s or grandfather’s lap at regional tours and training sessions were commonplace in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Those family links in the sport are still active, with his father, the current Sadogatake stablemaster, being the ringside chief judge that — correctly — overruled a decision on Day 3 and gave his son the win against Mitakeumi.

Kotonowaka’s grandfather, who passed away in 2007, was the previous stablemaster.

He was also a yokozuna who fought under the shikona (ring name) of Kotozakura.

It’s widely expected that Kotonowaka will switch from his father’s shikona to that of his grandfather if he makes it to the rank of ozeki.

Regardless of how well his career goes, however, he’ll probably never have as many people see him do sumo.

Kotozakura was one of the wrestlers in the bout watched by Sean Connery in the James Bond movie "You Only Live Twice."

The two Kotonowakas did feature together on one of the rarest items of sumo merchandise ever produced — a 2019 double-autographed trading card of which only five were made.

Kotonowaka’s lineage is a strong one, something that both he and his father clearly take pride in.

It’s commonplace to see them holding up photos of Kotozakura when interviewed, and both are normally willing to speak freely about the former yokozuna and the influence he had on them.

It’s very early in the summer meet and the landscape could be very different by the time we reach the halfway point.

Despite his strong start, several opponents with title-winning experience still stand between Kotonowaka and a first championship.

Whether the May tournament brings a first championship to his family since 1973 remains to be seen, but either way Kotonowaka appears to be on an upward trajectory and glory shouldn’t be too far off.