That stretch in the evenings and the plum blossoms in bloom means just one thing to sumo fans ¡ª it¡¯s time for the Osaka Basho.
With a historical propensity for surprising outcomes, the meet has acquired the nickname ¡®Areru Haru Basho¡¯ or ¡®Turbulent Spring Tournament.¡¯
It¡¯s a reputation that Osaka hasn¡¯t quite lived up to over the past couple of decades however. Since March 2000, when Takatoriki claimed the title ranked at maegashira 14, just two non-yokozuna, Chiyotaikai in 2003 and Kakuryu in 2014 (both ranked at ozeki), have taken the championship there. Indeed Kakuryu was promoted to yokozuna immediately following his victory.
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