Kotoshogiku *and* Shohozan - the veterans poll

[Jejima]

Kotoshogiku (30th Jan) and Shohozan (9th Feb) have both recently turned 36. They are the oldest rikishi currently ranked in Makunouchi.

In memory of the 'Kaio' and then 'Aminishiki' polls of before, what is in store in 2020 for these two old-timers?

Please expand on your votes via the comments below. Which of the two will do better in 2020? How are you thinking that the combined numer of KKs will be split? (E.g. 3 KKs for Kotoshogiku, 4 KKs for Shohozan.)

They both ended up with MKs in January 2020.

Kotoshogiku - M13E (7-8)
Shohozan - M7E (7-8)

[Morty]

I think the Geek will retire when drops to Juryo (which is pretty close) but Shohozan will hang on for another year

[Kintamayama]

Shouhouzan. 1KK for Kotoshougiku, 3KK for Shouhouzan.

[Athenayama]

Shohozan will do better. Kotoshogiku 0 KK , Shohozan 3KK

[Rocks]

Shohozan has been fine but not great. He'll hang on through the end of the year and get 2KKs I think.

Kotoshogiku has been in steady decline with 5 straight MKs.  I predict he'll get another in March and follow Goeido's lead right after.

Outside of Terunofuji the future is no shaping up well for former Ozeki.

[WAKATAKE]

The Geek is on his way out. He'll survive barely in Osaka and have a record that will drop him to Juryo, but retire rather than soldier on. May 2020 will be his last hurrah.

Shohozan has enough steam to keep going one more year.

Shohozan will have 3 KK to the Geek's zero.

[Jejima]

With these veteran polls, I find that it is usually wise to vote against retirements! But mediocre years for both, with 3 KKs each.

[MumboJumbo]

2 KK for Kotoshogiku. 3 KK for Shohozan. 

Neither will retire. I'd like to think Kotoshogiku will retire, but I was wrong every time I thought Aminishiki would retire.... 

[Nantonoyama]

Kotoshogiku intai around Aki, Shohozan continues in 2021

4 KK, 1 for Kotoshogiku and 3 for Shohozan

[Jejima]

Kotoshogiku will be toast this year - we seem to think - just a matter of when.

Whereas, Shohozan will survive the year.

[Jejima]

Question 1

Kotoshogiku retired during the past basho in November.  

Nobody predicted this! The closest (Sep/Oct bracket) were Joaoiyama, Nantonoyama and Koorifu.

Question 2

Shohozan has not retired this year - as predicted by everyone except Konosato.

Question 3

Shohozan had five MKs in 2020! Kotoshogiku managed to get an 8-7 KK in July. So, the total number of KKs for this pair is one.

ChickyStar, Pitinosato and Rocks all came closest with two.

 

This is going to be tricky to award a yusho. Question 2 can be ignored (apart from ruling out Konosato from contention.) 

So, let's look at the comments for the players who came closest in Questions 1 and 3....  
Rocks two KK predictions were for Shohozan. Nope.
Nantonoyama predicted one KK for Kotoshogiku. Yep.

None of the other players under consideration above left a comment.

So, another yusho to Nantonoyama. 

[Pitinosato]

Nantonoyama and Koorifu have exactly the same answers in 1 and 3 !?

[Jejima]

19 minutes ago, Pitinosato said:

Nantonoyama and Koorifu have exactly the same answers in 1 and 3 !?

Koorifu did not make a comment, and thereby loses by default.

 

(Nantonoyama correctly said that Kotoshogiku would get one KK. We have no idea how Koorifu would have split the KKs, because he did not comment....)

Edited November 25, 2020 by Jejima

[Pitinosato]

I was just surprised that he was not in Yusho contention 

And I did not notice that he didn't comment