Though it is not taking place in a dramatic fashion, sumo is now in a state of transition, a changing of the guard. Unlike most generational shifts in the past, the current transition is far from dramatic, since the old guard rikishi are actually, for the most part, still in their 20s, and many of their potential successors are only a few years younger. Another factor which makes this changing of the guard unusual is that there are still no real stars in the younger generation who can capture the imagination of the public.

Yokozuna Takanohana will be absent again in November; in fact now it appears that he will not he sufficiently recovered from knee surgery to compete until next May, or perhaps March at the earliest. The November tournament will be the third consecutive basho he has missed. Regardless of the progress of his recuperation, at 29, the longer he stays out, the more difficult it will be for him to make a successful comeback. If he waits until next May, he will have been absent for a year, and the odds of a successful return will be poor. Indeed, it will take nothing short of a miracle for Taka to win another championship.

Yokozuna Musashimaru, who at 30, is a year older than Takanohana, is not a very strong candidate for the yusho. In recent tournaments his weight has remained constant at over 230 kg, and as a result he has become very sluggish on the dohyo. In September, he lost to five maegashira, an all-time record.