For the second tournament in a row, there will be no yokozuna taking the ring when the November Grand Sumo Tournament gets underway on Sunday in Tokyo.
Yokozuna Hakuho on Friday submitted his notice of withdrawal to the Japan Sumo Association, citing that he still has not fully recovered from the knee surgery he underwent in August.
Hakuho's announcement came one day after fellow yokozuna and Mongolian Kakuryu opted to also sit out the tournament. Kakuryu said that chronic back trouble has made him unable to properly train.
Both Hakuho and Kakuryu, who are both 35, sat out the entire previous tournament in September, after each withdrew midway through the tournament before that, in July. Hakuho holds the all-time record with 44 titles, while Kakuryu has won six championships, but both have been plagued with injuries in recent years.
With their withdrawal, it opens the door for the three ozeki, including newly promoted Shodai, to end a three-year title drought for wrestlers in the second-highest rank in the tournament at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
