Sign in to follow this  
Yubinhaad

Juryo Promotions - 2013 Nagoya

Recommended Posts

The Kyokai has announced the following promotions to Juryo for the 2013 Nagoya basho:

Debut:

Seiro (Mk1e, 5-2, Shikoroyama-beya)

Kotomisen (Mk2w, 4-3, Sadogatake-beya)

Endo (Mk3e, 5-2, Oitekaze-beya)

Osunaarashi (Mk7e, 7-0 Yusho, Odake-beya)

Returning:

Yoshiazuma (Mk1w, 4-3, Tamanoi-beya)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

good news all around then !!!! (Applauding...)

i am happy they opted for Endo to become a sekitori.

Kotomisen too.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yeeeeeeeaaaaaaaah I can't believe it. Kotomisen sekitori. 8 years of support. I'm so happy!!!! :-D :-D :-D

And also Seiro , congratulations :-D

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Amazingly fast climb for the Great Sandstorm, I expect him to do great things!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Excellent decision. I hope that means they're going to be promoting deserving makushita rikishi more aggressively in general in the future, not just in this one extremely fluky scenario.

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I am really happy that they decided to do it this way... It has always been my belief that over-demoting someone is less unfair than under-promoting someone else who deserves it. After all, doing it this way consistently should increase the incentive that rikishi who are already MK in Juryo have to fight hard to the last bout...

BTW, anyone know who the six demotees are after all? I assume Chiyoo, Kittaharima and Kimurayama are certain, but there should be three more out of Sagatsukasa, Kizenryu, Chiyoarashi and Akiseyama...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Akiseyama has to be out by the fact that he's definitely behind Chiyoarashi. Conventional wisdom would say the other two are Sagatsukasa and Kizenryu since they're "tied" with Akiseyama (J7e 4-11 = J11e 6-9 = J13e 7-8 ===> J14e as standard demotion), but after the extremely unusual demotion choices made after Nagoya last year, I wouldn't be too surprised by another outcome either.

In fact, if the moral of that story was supposed to be "juryo debutant Oniarashi was given a second chance at the expense of more experienced Kyokushuho and Hokutokuni", maybe Kizenryu gets to stay...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I was expecting only 2 promotions, 5 came as big and very welcome surprise even if it means some harsh or rather "unfair" demotions. I think such promotions create a better climate in upper makushita as rikishi grow more confident that their effort will be rewarded. Also, it makes for a more diverse and interesting banzuke every basho.

I was wondering if instead of 6 we had "only" 5 demotions. When a tsukedashi rikishi enters makushita he expands the division by one, thus becoming its 121th member. Maybe Sokurarai will be treated as the 43rd in Makuuchi and 71st sekitori, which wouldn't force an additional demotion. I don't if that makes sense, but even if it did, it wouldn't make guessing the demotees a much easier task.

On a side note, I can't believe they didn't come up with a new shikona for Endo.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I was wondering if instead of 6 we had "only" 5 demotions. When a tsukedashi rikishi enters makushita he expands the division by one, thus becoming its 121th member. Maybe Sokurarai will be treated as the 43rd in Makuuchi and 71st sekitori, which wouldn't force an additional demotion. I don't if that makes sense, but even if it did, it wouldn't make guessing the demotees a much easier task.

Well, you will force an additional demotion either way. Your suggestion would just postpone it by one basho. Pick your poison.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I was more guessing than suggesting, but given the particularities of the current banzuke I don't see it as such a bad idea.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It was already announced that Sokokurai would be getting a regular rank, not an extra.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

On the other side of the token, there was an easy promotion a while ago when Sokokurai was first eliminated. Well... Actually, tons of them. But that's a whole different story.

I prefer this kind of extensive juryo demotions. I agree with both krindel and shumitto, who've mentioned it increases motivation for both bottom juryo (avoiding losses not to get demoted) and top makushita (knowing they are likely to be promoted with a good result). Besides, I'm all for giving chances to more people on more situations

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This is where I once again champion my idea of having another small division below juryo with about 15 to 20 ranks, where the rikishi wouldn't receive any of the sekitori perks (except a bit more money than in the current makushita) but would fight 15 bouts per basho to allow a smoother transition from the top of "hell" to the bottom of "heaven"...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If the recruit numbers keep developing like they are, Makushita will pretty soon be a small division below Juryo...

I know you're half-joking, but that's pretty much what my idea would be about. Take advantage of the divisional cuts that will need to be made at some point anyway, and turn makushita into a true proving ground for sekitori prospects instead of the mishmash it currently is - the single-digit makushita ranks already don't have much to do with how things work in the lower areas of the division. Juryo and makushita rikishi could be matched up much better (right now there are very limited opportunities for that because of the 7-bout schedule on the lower side), and while part of the problem would simply shift from the J/Ms border to the Ms/Sd border, something like overdemoting a 7-8 rikishi from makushita to sandanme would become less of an issue because the stakes would be much lower.

Not to mention that having sekitori prospects fight each other 15 times per basho should also lead to better preparation for sekitori competition and would work better at selecting actually deserving candidates for promotion than the often pretty random 7-day schedules do.

And ailing-but-not-washed-up sekitori would have another safety net - not in terms of income, but in terms of not dropping out of sight. Right now if you get demoted from juryo and your first Ms result is a 2-5 you'll probably find yourself at least 4 KKs away from a juryo return, and if you need to skip the basho completely you'll drop a full 40 ranks. With another 15-bout division below juryo the cliff wouldn't be quite so steep and recovering your rank would likely become easier/faster if you still have the skills for it.

Edited by Asashosakari

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It was already announced that Sokokurai would be getting a regular rank, not an extra.

Thank you. This info I didn't possess.

I like your idea of a buffer division ( if that is what you are suggesting), but wouldn't that simply lower the "bottleneck" and wear out the rikishi a bit more before becoming sekitori ?

Edited by shumitto

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I like your idea of a buffer division ( if that is what you are suggesting), but wouldn't that simply lower the "bottleneck" and wear out the rikishi a bit more before becoming sekitori ?

Good question. Perhaps the late-blooming types since they'd have to spend some time bouncing up and down with more bouts per basho. For the more obvious prospects (say, somebody like Chiyomaru) I think it would be pretty much a wash because the impact of having a couple of bad bouts in what's now the promotion zone would be lessened, so they'd have more bouts per basho but would hopefully bounce around less and need fewer tournaments to juryo - which should put more pressure on aging sekitori veterans (a good thing in my opinion), but they in turn would gain a safety net in case they're just in a temporary bad spell instead of terminal decline.

All in all, I think my main issue with how things are working right now is that there's so much random chance involved in who gets to break through the promotion zone - Sakigake and Yoshiazuma were ranked right next to each other and faced each other on Day 4, but only had two common opponents (with identical results) in their other six matches. That's a rather strange way of doing things with something so major as promotion to juryo at stake.

Edited by Asashosakari

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Head of judging (and in charge of Banzuke making)Isegahama admitted this was not an ordinary Banzuke composition. "The way we make the Banzuke can vary with the times. Soukokurai's return considerably influenced it this time.." he said. KK Makushitans were visibly favored over Juryo MKs who would have usually remained, says the reporter.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Sumo artist Kototsurugi will paint the design for the kesho-mawashi, presented by the Osaka Dairyu (Otake-oyakata) koenkai, showing Oosunaarashi doing sumo (shikiri position) in front of 3 pyramids below a blue sky and the flags of Japan and Egypt.
His parents house is at 700 meter distance from the pyramids, there he thought of sandstorm as part of his shikona, while the Big/Great 大 is from Oodake and Taihou.

Gyoji promotions: no new Kimura Shonosuke for the moment - after 7 years (Haru 2006) again a basho without the top tate-gyoji.
Effective on the date of banzuke publication (June 24th), juryo gyoji Kimura Akijiro will become a makuuchi gyoji, makushita Shikimori Tamasaburo will move up to juryo.

Edited by Akinomaki
  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Oosunaarashi's mawashi color for the basho is planned to be black.
This year the Ramadan will start on day 3 of the basho (last year it was day 13) and he has to compete 15 days - and later in the day than last year, without drinking and eating from about 5 a.m till 7 p.m. in a Nagoya which usually has over 30 degrees. He can't even drink the water of power (not meant to be drunk anyway, but a sip ...). Dehydration may be the biggest danger.

On another note: Dehydration caused by diarrhea is what prevented Kitanoumi-rijicho from appearing at the riji-kai and for several days now to perform his riji-cho functions. Will he be fit for his kanreki-dohyoiri on the 9th ?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Oosunaarashi's mawashi color for the basho is planned to be black.

Taking the red from the Egyptian flag would have been the cooler choice. Black's boring!

OT: Are sekitori allowed to wear a white silk mawashi during a Honbasho? Haven't seen one so far.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Oosunaarashi's mawashi color for the basho is planned to be black.

Taking the red from the Egyptian flag would have been the cooler choice. Black's boring!

It's fitting - Africa, the black continent.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

OT: Are sekitori allowed to wear a white silk mawashi during a Honbasho? Haven't seen one so far.

I think white is not normally not allowed for honbasho bouts at any level, even though Toyohibiki's comes close... Although it is not exactly white, definitely has some grey coloring in it...

Edited by krindel

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Gyoji promotions: no new Kimura Shonosuke for the moment - after 7 years (Haru 2006) again a basho without the top tate-gyoji.

I thought the gyoji hierarchy was pretty much a straight promotion up as the guy ahead of you retires?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this