Hyperhidrosis, bronchitis, arthropathy, osteoarthritis, pharyngitis — you might not need a medical degree to understand the stream of information flowing from the Japan Sumo Association to media members this week, but having one certainly wouldn’t hurt.
"Not hurting" certainly isn't a phrase that could be applied to top-division sumo right now, as the number of absentees from the ongoing autumn regional tour continues to climb — reaching double digits this week.
While withdrawals from jungyō aren’t uncommon — mainly because wins and losses in its daily tournaments don’t count toward official rankings — the sheer scale of drop outs on October’s 28-day trek through five of Japan’s eight major regions has been eye-opening.
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