The 69th Yokozuna, Hakuho, rejoined the Aki Jungyo when the tour got to Kyoto on the 22nd. By all accounts he is still not up to full fighting form, but he intends to compete in the November tournament in Kyushu. Hakuho has clearly lost a good amount of mass, and there seems to be a bit of distress in the Japanese sumo press over his reduction.
Personally, I think there are a handful of Rikishi who might be able to up their performance with even a modest weight loss, and it’s excellent that Hakuho is taking the lead here.
Below a clip from twitter of him training with some of the other Rikishi on tour, looking good and likely for Fukuoka.
稽古場で千代の国に胸を出す白鵬。明日の徳島から取組にも復帰する。#sumo #松山 pic.twitter.com/oHjpve3xCy
— スモートフォン (@azechiazechi) October 23, 2016