Swami

Of the now four ozeki, despite still-troublesome knees, Terunofuji is probably the strongest yokozuna candidate right now. But he needs to show that he raise his level from 12-3 yusho to 14-1/zensho. I'm not sure that consecutive 12-3 yusho would carry much value. Plus he has to start dealing with a couple of his nemeses - Onosho and Takayasu, a potential yokozuna can't allow lower rankers to have a jinx on him, much in the same way that was one of the major factors (along with the fact that his yusho in 1991 and 1992 were non-consecutive) that counted against Konishiki being promoted, with Akinoshima being the bane of his life at that time. Swami

I remember that well, ex-Kirishima got measured up for suits at Savile Row, as I recall. Swami

Chiyonofuji only became a makunouchi regular after Kitanofuji became Kokonoe Oyakata, Chiyonoyana did recruit Chiyonofuji but Kitanofuji arguably had more contribution to Chiyonofuji’s rise. Isegahama as a coach - surely the whole Harumafuji debacle hasn’t been forgotten? In the debate about great coaches he falls along way short of Kitanofuji or Wakanohana I. Swami

Before that Hokutenyu, 11 wins (3rd place), 12 wins (jun-yusho) and 14 wins (yusho). Terunofuji's achievement is truly remarkable but I would be quite cautious in predicting the next couple of years for him, he is still fighting quite recklessly on occasion and another bad injury will probably spell the end. Plus of his three yusho, his best record is 13-2. He can't keep on expecting to win yusho with 12-3 indefinitely. Swami

A surprise only in terms of timing, but long overdue, at least a year overdue in my view.

Hearty salutations from the Swami! Swami

The whole thing reminds me of an article Mark Schilling wrote in Sumo World back in November 1985, topical at the time as it was not long after Kitanoumi's retirement. The article was generally a history of the yokozuna rank: "Yokozuna can, and do, drop out of tournaments for no better reason than to delay the inevitable, but face, though no longer the be-all and end-all it once was, still counts. A yokozuna's poor performance reflects on his oyakata, his heya, his fans and the whole sumo world. Some, like Sadanoyama and Tochinishiki, retire at the first sign of weakness. Others, Kitanoumi being the latest example, hang on long after everyone else has stopped hoping for a miracle, but no-one, as yet, has tried to turn the job into a lifetime sinecure". Fast forward 35 1/2 years and the last point could be argued of both Hakuho and Kakuryu. Swami

Hearty salutations from the Swami! Swami

Hearty congratulations from the Swami! Swami

I suppose one thing that is helping Hakuho and Kakuryu indirectly is that nobody is making a real move for yokozuna, I did think Asanoyama might have got there by now, but he hasn't really kicked on in the way I thought he might. I can't really see Takakeisho as a yokozuna, and I'm not convinced by Shodai either. If you look back to 1992, after four yokozuna retired in the space of a year, there were a few tournaments where different guys were taking turns winning yusho, but eventually Akebono and Takahanada stepped forward to take their place at the top. I'm not sure who is going to do it this time, Terunofuji may well return to ozeki but he's 29 now and maybe won't have the same stamina he had when he was younger. Swami

Happy birthday and hearty salutations from the Swami! Swami

Hakuho and Kakuryu were already having a laugh for over a year or more, now they are making a complete mockery of the yokozuna rank. Another reason why I always maintain Hakuho is hideously overrated, treating the rank almost as a public convenience. And so much for Kakuryu's assertion that it would be win or bust in March, each injury is just inviting another injury. They need to take a lesson from Hakkaku, when his old injuries returned with a vengeance in late 1991, despite the fact he was only 28, when it became clear to him that he would have difficulty getting into top condition again, he retired rather than drag his career out. Likewise Akebono, who despite so many injuries, ended his career at yokozuna on a real high. Similarly, when you look at the way in which the likes of Tochinishiki and Sadanoyama retired, it shows up these two absentee "yokozuna" as having no shame at all. If they can't make the decision to retire themselves, they should be ordered to retire. Considering the criticism Kitanoumi received over the last two years of his career, that was nowhere near as bad as Hakuho and Kakuryu's antics, completely brazen and bare-faced. Taiho once remarked of Kitanoumi during that late spell "To think of a comeback is naive. All one can do is try one last time". It's about time these two part-timers considered that. Swami

Belated happy birthday and hearty salutations from the Swami! Swami

Happy birthday and hearty salutations from the Swami! Swami

Very sad news, presumably this means Kitanofuji is now the oldest living ex-Yokozuna? Swami