Doitsuyama

I always thought ketaguri is kicking the leg while kekaeshi has longer contact, and the difference has nothing to do with time into the bout.

@AsashosakariDumb question... I have added day 2 to day 5 results to the database now, the basho scores also are as of day 5. Are day 6 to day 9 summaries planned?

I would very much like to point out that both Haru 1993 and Haru 2019 have exactly 20 recruits at 18 years or older. The huge difference is completely among those younger than 18 years.

Thanks for listing the first name changes, I added them to the DB. Here I saw that I still had Ryu for Hayatonishiki. Do you have the kanji for Yuki available?

That's true. The torikumi sometimes have sources day by day, in that case it's most likely 100% correct. Often I had only the hoshitori-hyo as source, here the torikumi is simply reconstructed going by standard rules.

Speaking about Hakuho's allegedly dwindling dominance, did anyone notice that he is arguably on a 28 win streak right now?

It's kinda unbelievable now, but these four (together with Kotooshu) were Ozeki together during Hakuho's time as Ozeki from Natsu 2006 to Natsu 2007... when Tochiazuma retired before Natsu 2007, Hakuho decided to leave Ozeki as well, going one higher. Almost twelve years as Yokozuna now, that's long ago.

Nowadays Makuuchi is fixed to 42 rikishi (40 before that), but it used to be more flexible depending on needs for promotions/demotions/retirements etc.

Have a look at a real banzuke, and you will realize that "East" and "West" aren't theoretical concepts but indeed the side of the banzuke they are written on. So the uneven Ozeki (or Sekiwake or Komousubi) is written on the west side if there is an uneven number already above them. That rule doesn't count for the last Maegashira though. Well, since they are written in smaller script and there is a much bigger number of them anyway there's not a big need here. But the high ranks are small in number and written larger, so effort is made to even the number out on the left and right side.

Eventually it does of course, but most certainly not for Hatsu. Even if they decide to remove him from the banzuke (normally an untimely intai just gets a 0-0-15 score, but in more extreme cases the rikishi is not even written on the next banzuke), the slot will just be blank.

Thanks to Asashosakari's work it's here now: http://sumodb.sumogames.de/Banzuke.aspx#Mz

The NSK pages are sadly very incomplete with first names for lower division rikishi. Usually they only get updated in cases of first name changes (but not even included in the shikona change list) or when the rikishi becomes a sekitori. Since the latter happened here, I'm going to assume he had this first name for Tomokaze since he adopted this shikona (but it could have been a later change...)

The gyoji wasn't all that bad. He clearly saw that Tochinoshin's foot dragged out, but since he wasn't 100% sure he let the match go on. I mean, it would have been even more embarassing to stop the match only to make the check and see that his foot wasn't out. After the match he probably had a quick look to check the imprint and pointed to Shohozan's side.

Wait, if this was indeed the last clock change then it will stay only at Makuuchi forever. What's "hopefully" about that?

I'm just seeing the "heart over matter" article. @John Gunning, you should use my DB more often.