Bernd 06/22/2021 (Tue) 20:51:01 No.44142 del
The next tournament is to be held in Nagoya (as traditional for July), starting on Sunday 2 weeks (minus 2 days) from now.
Banzuke chart has been released; Wakatakakage and Meisei are for the first time in komusubi slots, and Ichiyamamoto was given a surprise promotion to the bottom of makuuchi. Ura also finally returns to makuuchi after injury in 2017. (In an interview he said that he eats McD's cheeseburgers for dirty bulking. Sponsorship deal?) Enho was dropped to J5, perhaps lenient after injuries ruined his May performance. Abi made it back to juryo after demolishing everyone in makushita where he got thanks to suspension for shamefur dispray last year. Kotokuzan (half-Filipino on his mother's side) also got his first promotion to juryo. Ishizaki, who won division 4 where he debuted (thanks to university sumo performance), is now in division 3 – someone to keep an eye on (he is swole af).
https://sumo.or.jp/EnHonbashoBanzuke/index/

There are some special procedures due to corona; instead of travelling to Nagoya together by train 2 weeks before the tournament as usual, they will be travelling stable by stable, after vaccination in Tokyo. (They're scheduled to receive a 2nd shot after the tournament is over, when they return to Tokyo.)

Takayasu needs 13 wins for promotion to ozeki (taking Asanoyama's spot); this is not likely to happen given that both Takakeisho and Terunofuji are now aiming for yokozuna and winning the title. But, this is also his last tournament with ex-yokozuna Kisenosato coaching in his stable; he is opening a new stable of his own where he wants to test some new ideas how to train – for example, he wants a more spacious stable (which is why he's moving out of Tokyo, to the suburbs), with two dohyo to train.
As well, Hakuho says he will compete, but that he will retire if he can't perform strongly. (And if he pulls out before the end, Takakeisho and Terunofuji won't get a bout scheduled against him...)

As for Asanoyama; he was given a 6 tournament suspension for not respecting quarantine; apparently he was going out with a journalist friend (who was also fired when the details came out), and the old stablemaster (who still owned and lived on the premises despite already passing the chief coach position to a younger guy) was also kicked out for repeatedly going outside and taking his trainees out as well. Very systematic breach of guidelines here, possibly this helped Asanoyama get off lightly and not just be called to retire (though he did, as customary, submit his retirement papers, which remained unopened). Ryuden was suspended for 3 tournaments.