July 21, 2019 ¡ª that¡¯s the date of the most recent bout between two yokozuna with spectators in attendance.

Thanks to a global pandemic ¡ª which forced the March 2020 tournament to be held behind closed doors ¡ª and the inevitable injury absences that come to all wrestlers with age, there hasn¡¯t been another clash between yokozuna in the intervening six years.

That long drought should finally come to an end later this month, after back-to-back championships in March and May saw Onosato being promoted to sumo¡¯s highest rank.