Giveaways at Nagoya basho

[Asashosakari 16,704]

The first 4,000 daily weekday visitors to Nagoya basho (except on the second Monday which is a holiday) will receive their choice among seven rikishi-themed phone straps:

Toyonoshima, Kaio, Hakuho, Goeido, Takamisakari, Okinoumi (!), Aminishiki:

[Babaryutaikai 1]

The first 4,000 daily weekday visitors to Nagoya basho (except on the second Monday which is a holiday) will receive their choice among seven rikishi-themed phone straps:

<SNIP>

I'm so glad to see these. Nagoya always has such great giveaways!

[Yubinhaad 10,500]

Why is the Kaio strap shaped like a gunbai? Or is it an apple?

[Doitsuyama 1,150]

Why is the Kaio strap shaped like a gunbai? Or is it an apple?

I have one from Tochiazuma in the gumbai shape. Could be leftovers from the old charge of phone straps, and Kaio is the only remaining active rikishi from that batch (Asashoryu and Chiyotaikai were the others?).

Edit: Oh, and don't be surprised if Kaio outlives this batch too...

Edit 2: He outlived 140 rikishi until now who became sekitori in Hatsu 1992 or later (Kaio's first juryo basho) and are retired already. Amazingly he is not even close to the record number although only two rikishi with hatsu dohyo after 1790 surpassed his number of rikishi outlived. No. 2 is Dewanishiki who became a sekitori in 1946 and retired in 1964 with 162 sekitori within this time, and the record holder is Otokojima who outlived 173 sekitori between 1905 and 1924 when he retired at almost 46 years (admittedly below juryo by then).

Well, Dewanishiki's timeframe had ex-sekitori retiring rather quickly when falling below juryo. I was assuming that Kaio would catch up a bit of the difference if some of the former sekitori now already were retired but it's only 13 still active former in Aki 1964 to 17 right now due to the mass exodus and re-promotions going on. In fact, just in Natsu we had no less than 32 former sekitori in the lower ranks and the current 17 is the lowest number since Nagoya 1992 (which also had 17) and Hatsu 1991 (with 16, the last with fewer than 15 was Nagoya 1978). Between 1993.09 and 2011.05 there were always at least 23 former sekitori on the banzuke.

Edited July 6, 2011 by Doitsuyama

[Asashosakari 16,704]

leftovers from the old charge

Fitting description of Kaio himself, too. (Clapping wildly...)

[Doitsuyama 1,150]

leftovers from the old charge

Fitting description of Kaio himself, too. (Clapping wildly...)

Well, I (over-)analyzed that matter in an edit...

[Asashosakari 16,704]

Edit 2: He outlived 140 rikishi until now who became sekitori in Hatsu 1992 or later (Kaio's first juryo basho) and are retired already. Amazingly he is not even close to the record number although only two rikishi with hatsu dohyo after 1790 surpassed his number of rikishi outlived. No. 2 is Dewanishiki who became a sekitori in 1946 and retired in 1964 with 162 sekitori within this time, and the record holder is Otokojima who outlived 173 sekitori between 1905 and 1924 when he retired at almost 46 years (admittedly below juryo by then).

In case it's not much additional work - how does it look if you take the sums of the outlived rikishis' number of sekitori tournaments instead? (Kind of a "how many full sekitori banzuke has Kaio outlasted" measure if we divide that sum by 66 or 70.) I suspect Kaio's way in front of anybody else on that.

Or perhaps "years spent as sekitori" instead of number of tournaments, given that both Dewanishiki and Otokojima were active before the six-basho era.

Well, Dewanishiki's timeframe had ex-sekitori retiring rather quickly when falling below juryo. I was assuming that Kaio would catch up a bit of the difference if some of the former sekitori now already were retired but it's only 13 still active former in Aki 1964 to 17 right now due to the mass exodus and re-promotions going on. In fact, just in Natsu we had no less than 32 former sekitori in the lower ranks and the current 17 is the lowest number since Nagoya 1992 (which also had 17) and Hatsu 1991 (with 16, the last with fewer than 15 was Nagoya 1978). Between 1993.09 and 2011.05 there were always at least 23 former sekitori on the banzuke.

I'm only tracking/updating it sporadically, but for a few years after the 2004 expansion the number of sekitori-experienced rikishi on the banzuke was always hovering around a nice round 100, i.e. ~30 below juryo.

Edited July 6, 2011 by Asashosakari

[tarako 3]

Can anyone explain why these particular rikishi were chosen to be on the charms?

[Pandaazuma 1,259]

Well, apart from the yokozuna, we have six very popular JAPANESE rikishi. Not sure why Kisenosato is missing, though! These Japanese rikishi are more likely to be popular with a largely Japanese crowd.

But don't quote me on this.

[Asojima 2,835]

Can anyone explain why these particular rikishi were chosen to be on the charms?

Okinoumi is being touted as the young stud who can attract the badly needed young crowd.