Just prior to the 2018 September Tournament, while sitting in a sweltering Ryogoku Kokugikan and watching the Yokozuna Deliberation Council practice session, I grabbed a quick selfie with a couple of rikishi standing over my right shoulder.

Tochinoshin and Mitakeumi were the two wrestlers in that photo. Both had lifted the Emperor¡¯s Cup for the first time that year, and looking at the picture I wondered who in the room would repeat the feat in the near future.

I certainly didn¡¯t expect it to be the man over my other shoulder, who was going into great detail about flans, cakes and desserts with NHK commentator Hiro Morita.