“No Kensho…no Jungyo…no degeiko…no…”

This song has been playing on a loop inside my head since March, as events and gatherings that I had taken for granted were ripped away.

Slowly, activities are coming back in our own lives. And today, the sumo world took another step back to normalizing as several heavyweights gathered for the first joint practice session in half a year. No name is bigger than Hakuho, obviously. Kakuryu was not there, but stablemate Kiribayama was, along with Mitakeumi, Takakeisho, and yusho holder, Shodai.

＜合同稽古＞
記念写真。
前列左より、霧の富士、栃清龍、御嶽海、勇輝、欧勝竜、狼雅、塚原。
後列左より、高崎親方、貴景勝、錦木、花籠親方、白鵬、勢、正代、碧山、霧馬山。#sumo　#相撲 pic.twitter.com/UZ59uv5DYQ

— 日本相撲協会公式 (@sumokyokai) October 16, 2020

Hakuho didn’t just sit on the sidelines, hamming for the camera, either. He got in a little action, here doing butsukari with Shodai and practicing his tachiai with Ikioi. It’s great to see the Boss back in a mawashi, offering his chest and a few pointers to up-and-comers. But now that he’s gotten a few pictures in it, hopefully he folded it neatly and left it in a corner to gather dust for a few more weeks. There’s no need to push it.

＜合同稽古＞
勢を相手に立合いの稽古をする横綱白鵬。新大関正代に胸を出す白鵬。#sumo　#相撲　#白鵬 pic.twitter.com/ba8UyOM3bh

— 日本相撲協会公式 (@sumokyokai) October 16, 2020