July 21, 2019 — that’s the date of the most recent bout between two yokozuna with spectators in attendance.

Thanks to a global pandemic — which forced the March 2020 tournament to be held behind closed doors — and the inevitable injury absences that come to all wrestlers with age, there hasn’t been another clash between yokozuna in the intervening six years.

That long drought should finally come to an end later this month, after back-to-back championships in March and May saw Onosato being promoted to sumo’s highest rank.