Kaninoyama

I'd bet against it getting canceled unless there is an outbreak among rikishi, but making it a spectator-free event may be put back on the table if the situation continues to decline in Tokyo.

/thead.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember reading somewhere that it was his home country of Mongolia, not Japan, that was holding up the process.

Interesting. Though for someone there just for Takakeisho, as far as I know she was in attendance every day even for the earlier matches.

This. Crowd watching is absolutely part of the fun of the sumo experience. I always look forward to Pei and Paako the pink husband and wife comedy duo's appearance. They happened to be there the day I attended this past January, but I haven't seen them since. This past basho, there was another interesting looking character, long blond hair and colorfully dressed, sitting almost every day in Olympic Ojisan's old spot TV front and center in the masu-seki. I learned that he is the wealthy publisher of a Japanese pro wrestling magazine.

I think his repeated episodes of unacceptable behavior had far more to do with his exit from sumo than his ethnicity.

Was surprised to discover that Takagenji and his recently exiled twin brother are also half-Filipino.

There was some speculation that she is the daughter of a tanimachi who is a supplement company owner who is frequently in attendance at the Kokugikan, but apparently that daughter is in the hospital and this is a different person. Japanese social media has also been frenetically trying to discover her identity, but without success. Her ability to sit rock still in seiza for hours on end is impressive even by Japanese standards.

Yes, not saying he's going to have an easy road ahead even if fully healthy, as the book on him seems to be out among his larger peers, but he has been dealing with injuries this basho and last. When you add injuries that limit his ability to do sumo with his significant size disadvantage, he's obviusly going to struggle. Hopefully he can regain his health and footing in juryo and make it back up to makuuchi.

Whatever Takakeisho's limitations as an Ozeki, mental toughness is not one of them. During his interview he said that once he lost the initial bout, he was able to immediately put it out of his mind and focus on the playoff. IMO it's his mental toughness that will eventually earn him the rope.

Vintage Takakeisho.

Takakeisho won the tachiai but still couldn't finish Terunofuji off. Doesn't bode well for the kettei-sen.

Midorifuji. Welcome to Makuuchi!

A few of us have been touting him since early on. There still seems to be more nonbelievers than believers though.

It's simple. If Takakeisho keeps Terunofuji off the belt, he will win. If Terunofuji is able to grab the belt twice, he will win. I'm personally rooting for a Takakeisho yusho and the start of a Yokozuna run.