Quiz question

[Bealzbob]

What dubious honour does Tamanoumi hold, that no-one else has 'achieved' ?

[nirumaruyama]

Highest rank of Sekiwake held to falling off the banzuke?

[Asashosakari]

He's the only one to follow up on a 15-0 zensho with a make-koshi that didn't involve any kyujo days? Truthfully, if it's not that, I have absolutely no idea. (Being unsure...)

[Jejima]

Not an answer, but another question....

What was with the 15 matches for divisions below Juryo in the 1950s?

When did this start to happen, and when and why was it reduced to 7?

I had been living under the delusion that non-sekitori always had less bouts per basho.

[Bealzbob]

He's the only one to follow up on a 15-0 zensho with a make-koshi that didn't involve any kyujo days? Truthfully, if it's not that, I have absolutely no idea. :-)

You sir have hit the nail on the head.

[Chisaiyama]

What was with the 15 matches for divisions below Juryo in the 1950s?

Jejima san,

When did this start to happen, and when and why was it reduced to 7?

Not sure of the why but the when is a little easier. Prior to 1949 (at least in the 40's) the lower divisions were doing 6 match bashos while the upper 2 were doing 11. In 1948 when they switched to 13 and again in 1949 when they switched to 15 day matches it was applied to all divisions.

Must have been quite a shock to those lower division rikishi. Then somewhee around 1955 I forget which basho the lower divisions were changed from 15 to 8 where it remained until 1960 Nagoya when it was reduced to 7.

I can only guess that the switch from 8 to 7 might have been to reduce the number of kettei sen matches on Senshuraku but that is only a S.W.A.G.

A possibility for the original drop from 15 to 8 might have had to do with the increase in popularity and subsequent larger number of rikishi in lower divisions making it nearly impossible to eotk in sll the required matches in a single day.

Consider today we would have 60 Makushita matches alone if they all fought every day.