Churaumi

Hakuho, Harumafuji, and Chiyonofuji round out the Churaumi household favorites. However, I have to admit Kakuryu was a thing of beauty at his peak. It was like watching a python in action, with his patience and strategy.

Yes. They hide more than they don't. In fact, there are three things you can always know are true. 1, I love my wife. 2, gravity works, and 3, the NSK is hiding something. However, they are usually more transparent than this regarding injuries, since their procedures require documentation for basho absences. Perhaps this time is being kept quiet because of Hibikiryu's or his family's wishes, because this may be the worst injury in centuries and the NSK doesn't know how to respectfully handle it, or maybe there just hasn't been anything to report. Spinal/cervical injuries are tricksom devils that take a while to sort out.

So...will she have a criminal record, or is this like getting fired for a traffic violation?

Meh, he'll be fine. I bet some days will be better than others, but I don't care how gimpy his dohyo-iri is as long as he puts up a good showing at the end of the day.

Wow...I wonder what happened between them.

That's kind of disappointing, but I hope justice was done and she learned her lesson.

I'd seen that, but that's the latest, I guess.

Still nothing about Hibikiryu?

Sumo is very much about the breaks a wrestler gets. Tokushoryu won because he was the most stable among who showed up that basho. Harumafuji would have won many more yusho but Hakuho was dominant at the time. Kisenosato could have been a powerful yokozuna but he got hurt. Terunofuji should have been wearing a rope years ago, but injuries and infirmities tanked his career. He still has time, and I think he'll make it, but he has to prove himself all over again.

Is it a sense of repulsion that people are tracking her bathroom breaks?

The kaiju tower! Feel the majesty of mass! Run, Inosuke, run!

I don't know if sumo could be meaningfully seeded without seeing the wrestlers in action; that just turns into a ranking system like ozumo already has. Sumo is such a wildly individual sport with so many factors that seeding would be harmful to prospects. And, who would decide the seeds?

Well...no thanks. I wasn't going back until next year anyway, but we'll be waiting until the quarantine goes away, at least.

If Tochinoshin is his preferred sparring partner, that goes a long way to explaining why he's not an ozeki, yet. Tochinoshin now and Tochinoshin as an ozeki are two different things.

I bet the YDC will be characteristically weak on this. I could see them making the noble choice for Kakuryu. I bet once they all get in a room they'll back down on Hakuho. He did at least try this basho, and has a plan going into July. He will show up, compete as long as he can, and drop out when he feels like it. I bet Hakuho will hang on until July 25th, then he will formally retire.