Fast forward to 2015, we again got a new cable provider and there was this Japanese channel called NHK WORLD TV that broadcasts English language programs. "Oh, this looks nice!" I said as their programming is so rich in everything Japanese. From food, heritage, culture and travel, it is there. Then some time in July 2016, they started to broadcast Sumo match highlights. And lo and behold… They have English commentary! All those lingering questions about the sport that I have will be finally explained to me better. I got to understand the ins and outs of Sumo slowly and it got me hooked to the sport. NHK WORLD TV's website was also filled with FAQs about sumo and fun videos to further expand my knowledge for Sumo. I also discovered an online community in YouTube that posts and comments on matches. Love the interaction among the sumo fans around the world and we get to share our thoughts on a lot of sumo related stuff.

And the timing of NHK WORLD TV to start featuring the Sumo highlight show could not have been better as the sumo world was in a exciting shake up in terms of rankings of the top rank guys and tournament champion winners.

The July 2016 tournament featured the defeat of the 37-time grand champion Hakuho.

At the next tournament in September, Hakuho sat out the tournament due to injury. His first time in a very long time to not compete in a tournament so it left the door wide open for anyone to take the cup. Everyone was caught off guard when kadoban-Ozeki Goeido swept the competion 15-0 to erase his kadoban status and win his 1st title.

At the November tournament, Hakuho came back but not as dominant as before. A somewhat surprise outcome as Kakuryu, probably in a lot of people's opinion considers the least likable Yokozuna of the current 3, managed to capture his 3rd overall title.

Then the January tournament came. Are we in for another shocker of a tournament? Indeed we are! Ozeki Kisenosato for the longest time has been runner-up and was just that one crucial win to capture his first ever tournament win but just can't seem to get it together when it counts. All that changed after he went 13-1 on the 14th day of the 15-day tournament and his close competitor Hakuho dropped his 3rd match meaning he can't catch up to Kisenosato whatever happens on the 15th day. It was icing on the cake as the final bout of the 15th day was Kisenosato vs Hakuho and there's no raining in Kisenosato's parade as he handily defeats the Yokozuna and cemented his promotion to the sport's highest rank in the following tournament.

March 2017 was another wild finish. Hakuho had to pull out mid-tournament due to a lingering injury. Kisenosato was poised to win back-to-back titles and also win a tournament right after being promoted to Yokozuna, a feat that has not been done in a while. But on Day 13 he suffers a potentially tournament ending injury. Everyone in the sumo world held their collective breath as Kisenosato grimaced in pain as he held his left shoulder and can't even get up from his sitting position outside the ring. Everyone thought he would pull out of the tournament but he pushed through. His left shoulder heavily taped up, he lost terribly on Day 14 the injury obviously bothering him. It was thought that new tournament leader Terunofuji would walk away with the title after their faithful Day 15 match-up. But apparently, Kisenosato is not going out without a fight as he defeats Terunofuji to force a play-off match. And in this highly emotional and energized do-or-die bout, Kisenosato pulls out the win! What a finish to the tournament!

The next couple of tournaments saw the resurgence of Hakuho's dominance. He won the May 2017 title via an undefeated 15-0 tournament and the recently concluded July 2017 with a dominating 14-1.

The past tournaments also saw the rise of the new generation of sumo wrestlers like Takakeisho, Ishiura, Daieisho, Onosho, Mitakeumi, Hokutofuji, Shodai and Ura to name a few. Some of the veterans are getting their groove back and stepped up their sumo as well like Tamawashi, Tochiozan, "Mr. Feisty" Yoshikaze and the newly promoted Ozeki Takayasu. This makes the tournaments unpredictable and more fun. The Japanese people seem to respond positively as the tournament venue for all the 15 days are all sold out almost immediately when the tickets go on sale.

Oh wow! I didn't realized I've written such a long piece. I'll leave here for now. How about you guys here? What sumo stories do you have?