13–27: At the Hatsu basho in Tokyo,ozekiTochiazuma wins his first topmakuuchi division championship in his debut tournament at the rank, exactly 30 years afterhis father won his only championship. He is the first ozeki to win theyusho in his debut sinceKiyokuni in 1969, and is the first wrestler sinceHaguroyama to win a championship in all sixprofessional sumo divisions. He defeats fellow ozekiChiyotaikai in a playoff after both men finish on 13–2.YokozunaTakanohana is missing for the fourth straight basho, andMusashimaru pulls out early through injury.Special prizes are awarded toKotomitsuki andTokitsuumi for Technique, and toBuyuzan for Fighting Spirit. Thejuryo division championship is won byTakamisakari after a playoff withShimotori. As a result, Takamisakari returns to the top division for the first time since being injured in the September 2000 tournament. Themakushita championship goes toSouth Korea'sKasugao. FormermaegashiraAsanosho retires after falling into the fourthsandanme division.
1: Former YokozunaKitanoumi takes over as chairman of theJapan Sumo Association from Tokitsukaze Oyakata (the former ozekiYutakayama), who will be reaching the mandatory retirement age of 65 in August.
5: Takasago Oyakata, the former komusubiFujinishiki, and Wakamatsu Oyakata, the former ozekiAsashio, swaptoshiyori names. Due to Fujinishiki's poor health, theTakasago stable is absorbed into Wakamatsu stable with Asashio continuing as the head.
10–24: Musashimaru comes back to win his tenth championship with a 13–2 score. Runner-up is ozekiKaio. SekiwakeAsashoryu scores 11–4 and wins the Outstanding Performance Award.Takanowaka also finishes on 11–4 and is awarded the Fighting Spirit prize.Aminishiki receives the Technique prize. Tochiazuma wins ten bouts while Chiyotaikai records amake-koshi 7–8. Former maegashiraKotoryu andGojoro win the juryo and makushita division championships. Another former maegashira,Daishi, announces his retirement.
12–26: Musashimaru wins his second tournament in a row, and 11th overall, again scoring 13–2. Kaio, Chiyotaikai and Asashoryu all finish as runners-up on 11–4. Asashoryu receives the Fighting Spirit prize, as doesHokutoriki, who also wins eleven in his debut top division tournament.Kyokushuzan wins his second Technique Award, five years after his first. Takanohana is absent for the sixth straight tournament. The juryo championship goes toIwakiyama, and the makushita yusho toToyozakura, who returns to thesekitori ranks for the first time in over a year. Joining him is Kasugao, who becomes the first sekitori to officially represent South Korea.
7–21: Takanohana, who had been expected to make his long-awaited comeback from knee surgery in this tournament, pulls out yet again. TheSumo Association respond by saying if he does not compete in September, he will be obliged to retire. Musashimaru and Chiyotaikai are the only men ranked above sekiwake who make it through the whole 15 days—Kaio pulls out on Day 3, Tochiazuma on Day 4 andMusoyama is missing altogether. Chiyotaikai takes advantage to win his second championship with a 14–1 record. It is his firstyusho since the January 1999 triumph that saw him promoted to ozeki. Musashimaru finishes with a below par 10–5 score. Asashoryu is runner-up with a fine 12–3 record and is promoted to ozeki after the tournament. He also shares the Outstanding Performance Award along withTosanoumi. Takamisakari wins the Technique Prize and Shimotori gets the Fighting Spirit Award.Ushiomaru wins the juryo yusho while the makushita title goes to former maegashiraKinkaiyama.
8–22: After an unprecedented seven tournaments in a row out injured, Takanohana returns to thedohyo. Understandably rusty, he is defeated twice inside the first five days byKyokutenho andKotoryu but then wins nine in a row, including a memorable victory over new ozeki Asashoryu by a powerfuluwatenage outer-arm throw. He and Musashimaru both enter the final day level on 12–2. Musashimaru wins the yusho decider to claim his 12th (and final) championship. Kaio andKotomitsuki are also runner-up on 12–3, while Asashoryu and Chiyotaikai finish on 10–5. Musoyama returns to eke out an 8–7 record, but Tochiazuma misses the tournament and will be in danger of demotion in November. Only one special prize is given out, to Kotomitsuki for Fighting Spirit. In thejuryo division, two veteran former sekiwake announce their retirements:Terao, whose 1795 career matches are the second highest in history, andTakatoriki, who did not miss a single bout in his career. Former maegashiraMinatofuji also retires. The juryo championship goes toTamarikido.
10–24: At theKyushu tournament, Musashimaru withdraws on the fifth day after injuring his wrist. Kaio and Chiyotaikai also withdraw early, while Takanohana is missing from the start after a recurrence of his knee problem. In their absence, Asashoryu takes his first championship with a 14–1 record. In the juryo division, Kasugao wins the yusho, making it the first time in history that championships in the top two divisions have both been won by foreigners in the same tournament. Komusubi Takanowaka finishes as runner-up to Asashoryu on 11–4. Tochiazuma keeps his rank with an 8–7 record. Three wrestlers share the Fighting Spirit Prize: Takanowaka, former ozekiTakanonami, and Iwakiyama.
1: Former sekiwakeMitoizumi leaves Takasago stable to open his ownNishikido stable. As Takasago stable now uses Wakamatsu stable's facilities, he uses the old Takasago premises.
10: Following the success of the2002 World Cup which was jointly held by Japan andSouth Korea, The Sumo Association announces plans to hold an exhibition tournament there next year, which will be the first trip to Asia since a tour of China in 1973. KoreanKasugaō is currently in thejūryō division.[1]
