Kyokai Elections January 2016

[Kintamayama 44,350]

Yup, it's that time of every other year again.. The elections will be held right after Hatsu 2016.

Takasago Ichimon's nominee for rijicho- Hakkaku Oyakata.

Isegahama Ichimon's nominee: Isegahama Oyakata.

Soon, we'll know more.

Edited November 16, 2015 by Kintamayama

[ALAKTORN 346]

Isegahama Ichimon's nominee: Isegahama Oyakata.

Lol.

[Asashosakari 18,786]

Kitanoumi's ill health has certainly put a twist on the elections - I think a year ago few people would have doubted that he'll add one last term as rijicho (taking him through to age 64). Now it might be questionable if he'll even be available for a riji position...

[Asashosakari 18,786]

Now it might be questionable if he'll even be available for a riji position...

This reads in very eerie fashion now. :-( Following Kitanoumi-rijicho's untimely death today, Hakkaku-oyakata (ex-Hokutoumi) has been announced as acting rijicho for the time being. I wouldn't be surprised if this arrangement will simply be continued to the elections in two months' time.

While Dewanoumi-ichimon had yet to officially decide any of its three nominees for the next board of directors, it's being said that Kitanoumi had set his sights on another term as chairman. Detracting opinions had already surfaced due to his ill health, however. (Although I seriously doubt that the group would have refused its support.)

There's certainly no credible Dewanoumi candidate as successor to the chairman position; their other two directors Chiganoura and Dekiyama both turn 65 in less than half a year and will also not be available for re-election, so the ichimon is looking at a blank slate altogether. I don't know if Tamanoi (ex-Tochiazuma) is considered ready to move up from his vice director post after four years, or if they'll look to older group members such as Kasugano.

Edited November 20, 2015 by Asashosakari

[Fukurou 534]

Will Takanohana make a move for the top spot? Or is he, perhaps, not yet in the right position or hasn't "paid enough dues" yet?

[Akinomaki 39,770]

Some similar speculations from a new article.
Named as possible candidates for Dewanoumi-ichimon are Kasugano, who had the idea to run for riji already last time, Fujishima and Tamanoi. Apart from Dekiyama and Chiganoura, also Tomozuna will retire during the next term (though 1 year later) and thus can't run again. Last time ousted Kokonoe is seen as still considering if he wants to give it another try.

Takanohana is indeed seen as endorsed by some as the next riji-cho.
http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/20151219/sum15121905010004-n1.html
with last time results

Edited December 19, 2015 by Akinomaki

[Kintamayama 44,350]

Dewanoumi Ichimon has decided on its candidates- Kasugano, Sakaigawa, Dewanoumi and Yamahibiki - they are going with 4. For fuku-riji., they are nominating Fujishima. This is a total change as Kitanoumi has passed away and the other two current guys (Chiganoura and Dekiyama) will be retiring.

Nishonoseki also decided today. The current Oguruma and Nishonoseki and Shibatayama for fuku-riji.

Edited January 14, 2016 by Kintamayama

[Asashosakari 18,786]

Dewanoumi Ichimon has decided on its candidates- Kasugano, Sakaigawa, Dewanoumi and Yamahibiki - they are going with 4. For fuku-riji., they are nominating Fujishima.

Wait, what? No Tamanoi? And I'm puzzled what they're trying to achieve by nominating four. If they're lucky they might be able to force a run-off vote for the final spot(s), but I can't imagine the other ichimon would vote for a 4th Dewanoumi guy over, well, anybody else if that happens. Most likely though they'd simply force a runoff vote of two Dewanoumi nominees against each other, and that seems pretty pointless.

The only conceivable scenario here is that no other ichimon nominates above their "normal" number (which would mean 9 total + the excess Dewanoumi nomination) and Dewanoumi simply gets the 10th slot by default, but I can't imagine the other groups will be that dumb and/or divided.

[WAKATAKE 2,631]

I'm not familiar with how the elections works all the way but do they vote for rijicho after they have the 10 rijis?

[hamcornheinz 839]

they all go inside and when they have reached an agreement they burn Goeido.

[WAKATAKE 2,631]

And after that they report to the true dark master, Ikioi right?

[Akinomaki 39,770]

Yamahibiki would have to quit the Hyogi-in-kai if he gets an office in the NSK again. That makes this external oykata status even more obscure.

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2016/01/16/kiji/K20160116011869190.html

the 3 external oyakata: Minatogawa (Daitetsu), Otake (Dairyu), Yamahibiki (Ganyu)

I was hoping for more information now about their present status, but so far they were according to wikipedia listed also on the Haru basho banzuke under their real names, under which they are members of the hyogi-in-kai.
2 as members of their affiliated heya are listed as toshiyori there and Otake as shisho of course, that gives no hint about their exact oyakata status.

Interestingly the Kyokai updated their online duties list yesterday (so changed per 1/30) and removed Otake, Minatogawa and Yamahibiki from the oyakata list - and added them to a new councillor list under their real names. I wonder if that means they're not eligible in today's vote.

[WAKATAKE 2,631]

Takasago Ichimon is having Hakkaku and Kokonoe as official candidates.

http://www.nikkansports.com/battle/sumo/news/1593945.html

[Asashosakari 18,786]

Takasago Ichimon is having Hakkaku and Kokonoe as official candidates.

I suppose Kokonoe is the one guy against whom Dewanoumi might actually be able to push through with 4 nominations... Surely the other groups are able to see that as well and somebody will make it 12 total candidates, though?

[Atenzan 1,074]

Will Takanohana have trouble getting elected due to his ichidai-toshiyori or age?

[Asashosakari 18,786]

Will Takanohana have trouble getting elected due to his ichidai-toshiyori or age?

To the board or as chairman?

[Atenzan 1,074]

Will Takanohana have trouble getting elected due to his ichidai-toshiyori or age?

To the board or as chairman?

I was thinking as chairman, but do you think he'll have trouble getting to the board as well?

[Asashosakari 18,786]

I was thinking as chairman, but do you think he'll have trouble getting to the board as well?

Should be good for re-election to the board; he'll probably draw the same votes as the last couple of times, his "own" seven + three from the Tokitsukaze group.

Hard to say about the chairman election. The credible candidates (IMHO Hakkaku, Isegahama and Takanohana) are all 55 or younger, so whoever gets selected it would probably be for the long haul, not just as a transitional leader. That could be good for Takanohana (no need to elect somebody older who's simply "due"), or it could be bad for him (they could decide that Taka will have plenty of leadership time left after Hakkaku/Isegahama are 65).

[Asashosakari 18,786]

Yamahibiki would have to quit the Hyogi-in-kai if he gets an office in the NSK again. That makes this external oykata status even more obscure.

Apparently he has officially quit in advance of the elections; the latest Kyokai duty list update shows him back among the regular oyakata.

I assume that means he's eligible to vote tomorrow as well - but are the other two hyogiinkai members (Otake and Minatogawa)?

Edit: Relevant comment from the previous election:

So, 97 votes, which from what I've read means the 3 new councillors (Otake, Minatogawa, Yamahibiki) were still allowed to vote, but the two Japanese ozeki and the two tate-gyoji no longer had voting rights.

Remains to be seen if it's the same procedure again vis-a-vis those special groups of (possible) voters. Edited January 26, 2016 by Asashosakari

[WAKATAKE 2,631]

So let's see if I have everybody in correctly:

Takasago - Hakkaku, Kokonoe

Isegahama - Isegahama

Takanohana - Takanohana

Dewanoumi - Kasugano, Sakaigawa, Dewanoumi, Yamahibiki

Nishonoseki - Oguruma, Nishonoseki

Tokitsukaze - ???

I cannot for the love of me find anywhere on the internets who the candidates are from Tokitsukaze unless I'm missing some vital information here.

HELP!!!

[Akinomaki 39,770]

Tokitsukaze - ???

I cannot for the love of me find anywhere on the internets who the candidates are from Tokitsukaze unless I'm missing some vital information here.

That surely means that their present riji Kagamiyama is the only candidate for them (see the pic I posted above)

[WAKATAKE 2,631]

Tokitsukaze - ???

I cannot for the love of me find anywhere on the internets who the candidates are from Tokitsukaze unless I'm missing some vital information here.

That surely means that their present riji Kagamiyama is the only candidate for them (see the pic I posted above)

If that's the case then how is it that there are 12 candidates this time? Which according to this article is the most in history of the elections. Also this time there are 99 oyakata that are voting. The retirements of Daido and Tosayutaka definitely were timed pretty interestingly.

http://www.nikkansports.com/battle/sumo/news/1597392.html

[Asashosakari 18,786]

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2016/01/28/kiji/K20160128011936330.html

Apparently there was a big brouhaha at an all-hands oyakata meeting a week ago, where Yamahibiki's resignation from his councillor post was confirmed. Rijicho Hakkaku tried to get them to vote in a replacement immediately and - proposed an (unnamed) ex-oyakata from his own ichimon for the position. The councillors of course are ultimately responsible for deciding who gets to be rijicho (although the 10 directors are able to nominate a candidate by their own vote first), so that was seen as a Hakkaku power-grab to install a wing man in an important position. He didn't help his cause when, after it was pointed out that any such voting would first need to be put on the agenda officially by the rijikai, he tried to get the directors in attendance of the meeting to support an emergency motion to do just that. Takanohana was reportedly especially enraged by the whole deal, which is unsurprising with him as one of the other major contenders for the next rijicho term.

At any rate, apparently further discussions about this will be held today at a gathering of the non-executive oyakata in advance of tomorrow's big vote day, though I can't tell from the reports if they're just going to talk about it or if a new councillor will in fact be chosen already.

Either way, as Wakatake mentioned there will supposedly be 12 candidates for the 10 director posts and also 4 candidates for the 3 vice-director jobs; the latter would require the first vice vote since 2004. We'll probably find out later today who all have thrown their hats in the ring as the nomination process was apparently still open until now.

Edit: Mainichi claims the 12th candidate will be Takashima (ex-Koboyama) for the Isegahama group, with Tokitsukaze indeed nominating only incumbent Kagamiyama.

Edited January 28, 2016 by Asashosakari

[Yubinhaad 11,546]

Latest report is that Kokonoe has withdrawn from the race. Takashima-oyakata (former Sekiwake Koboyama) is running as a second candidate for Isegahama ichimon.

[Asashosakari 18,786]

So "later today" turns out 15 minutes later, heh. Slate for the vice director election:

Izutsu (Tokitsukaze, incumbent)

Shibatayama (Nishonoseki, incumbent)

Tamanoi (Dewanoumi, incumbent)

Fujishima (Dewanoumi, new)

Wow, Dewanoumi-ichimon really making a go for it this year. (Though I expect that their additional candidate will be defeated both here and in the riji vote...will be interesting to see who the unfortunate two will be.)

Edited January 28, 2016 by Asashosakari