First day of May basho, Kakyryu still injured so only two yokozuna. Hakuho vs. Ichinojo, can't recall this ever happening before: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oidUHbhofDA
Edit: On NHK today they said the last time it happened to Hakuho was 3 years ago.
Takanonami competed during the last great competitive era of sumo. You had the Hanada brothers--Taka and Waka, and the Hawaiian punch--Akebono and Musashimaru: all four yokozuna. Plus a plethora of excellent sanyaku rikishi; heck, even the higher ranked maegashira were good. To become ozeki during that era which Takanonomi did was quite an accomplishment.
Day 9 of Nagoya Basho. Hakuho alone at the top 9-0 with Kakyryu and freshly minted Ozeki Terunofuji right on his heels. Harumafuji had to drop out on day 2 with an elbow injury. Hakuho is getting a bit of an attitude: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9tWU6gbeSE
If you're looking for a job in Japan and a sumo stablemaster says, "Baby you can drive my car" you might want to decline the offer.
Stablemaster Kumagatani arrested for allegedly beating assistant
Tokyo police on Wednesday arrested sumo stable master Kumagatani, 45, on suspicion of assaulting a male assistant. The suspect, whose real name is Kazuyuki Yamamura, is head of the Miyagino stable, where the roster includes current yokozuna grand champion Hakuho. Yamamura has admitted the charges. His ring name when he was an active sumo wrestler was Kanechika.
On July 23-27, during the Nagoya sumo tournament, Yamamura is suspected of beating the 31-year-old man, who worked mainly as Yamamura's private driver, on the back and hips several dozen times with a metal baseball bat at an apartment in Nagoya. The victim suffered bruising that required two weeks to heal. According to the Metropolitan Police Department, the man began working for Yamamura in April last year. He also managed his employer's schedules.
Other than the alleged assault, the sumo trainer frequently hit the assistant, the police said. But no violence by Yamamura against wrestlers in the stable has been found.
The Japanese sumo world has been shaken by a series of scandals, including a sumo wrestler's death in 2007 caused by abuse during training, illegal gambling on baseball, and match-fixing.
The arrest of Yamamura comes as a major setback for Japan's national sport, which has recently appeared to be regaining popularity.
Looks like there was a reason for Hakuho's losses after all.
Hakuho withdraws from Fall basho with injured knee
Yokozuna Hakuho withdrew from the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament on Tuesday, citing an injured left knee.
Hakuho, 30, injured his knee in pre-tournament sparring and lost his first two bouts of the 15-day basho. It is the first time the grand champion has pulled out of a major tournament since the 2006 Kyushu basho when he was still an ozeki.
"There is inflammation in my left knee, and I can't get any strength into it, so I decided to pull out," said Hakuho. "I can't stand in the ring with a halfhearted feeling. I want to apologize to everyone. But in my case, I have done many things, so please forgive me." Hakuho, who has never missed a tournament since gaining promotion to sumo's top rank for the 2007 Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament, will sit out his third overall meet.
His withdrawal also brings an end to the 722 consecutive days he has competed as a yokozuna -- the longest in the history of the sport. Hakuho also saw his all-time record of posting consecutive double-digit wins end at 51 tournaments.
He forfeits Tuesday's match against Aoiyama. Yokozuna Harumafuji is sitting out the 15-day meet due to a troubled right elbow.