As I have stated before, in my opinion Hakuhō Shō (白鵬 翔) is the most dominant Yokozuna in Sumo, possibly ever.  His record is unmatched, and when he is healthy there is really no stopping him from winning any tournament.

Hence the big question for the upcoming Tokyo Aki Basho.  Hakuho was clearly injured somewhere around day 9 in Nagoya, and was at quite a bit less than full form.  While a toe injury was publicly cited, it seemed he was having problems with a knee as well.

Now the following from Hokuho’s twitter account

Clearly showing the champ’s toe healing from whatever happened to it.

There are a lot of elements of the upcoming tournament that pivot on Hakuho’s health.  If he is at full strength and fighting form, I expect him to sweep the ranks as he normally does.  If he is still injured, or is forced to withdraw as he did September last year, it opens a lot of doors, especially for Kisenosato.