The commencement of the Grand Sumo Spring Tournament brings a welcome distraction from the troubles of the planet, if only for two weeks. The current tourney is in Osaka, the same prefectural gymnasium I attended in 2006. That occasion remains vivid for me and confirmed my feelings for the sport, ones that I hold to this day. That same day a young rikishi named Hakuho was just starting to make a name for himself. Of course, the rest is history.

At Day 4, the field is wide open though Shin-Ozeki (the second highest rank) Mitakeumi is looking impressive after his promotion. He is famously known for being inconsistent in Week 2 but clearly someone has been working hard on his psychological outlook.

The same can't be said for fellow Ozeki Shodai, who at 0-4 looks like a lost sheep in the ring. Despite his size and obvious strength, he is being out-muscled, out-thought and out-wrestled by opponents he should be beating, nine times out of ten. He appears to have no injuries, so something is going on inside his head. Or not.

The venue.