Friday, May 13, 2022

The May Tournament of Grand Sumo has begun at Tokyo's Kokugikan. With worries about Covid receding (whether we like it or not), the legal crowd capacity is up to about 80%. The added atmosphere obviously benefits some wrestlers more than others and a few rikishi make the most of it with prefight habits, such as throwing a huge handful of salt (I'm looking at you Terutsuyoshi) or beating their chests or bodies in an aggressive manner. Hakuho, the greatest ever sumo champion, had a habit of turning in a menacing fashion before returning to his side of the dohyo. He left no-one in doubt that he meant business.

At Day 5 the field is looking rather topsy-turvy. Rank and filers (maegashira)  occupy the top three spots with Terunofuji breathing down their necks. The troika of ozeki have thus far been underperforming and will need to lift their games, especially the slow-starting Shodai.

I think it will be an exciting tourney with the Emperor's Cup up for grabs. A number of wrestlers could be in the hunt for the prized trophy. The screenshot below is from Day 3 and features the mysterious lady in yellow.




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