Re: Yaochou on Senshuuraku?

["Martin Hughes (Bioc)" <mjgh@mole.bio.cam.ac.uk>]

On Tue, 22 Mar 1994, Masumi Abe wrote:

> Yaochou (fixed matches) on the day of Senshuuraku (the last day of each basho)?
> 
[cut]
> I did not recall there were any maches between rikishi with both 7-7
> record.  And ALL 7-7 rikishi WON the matches and made their records to 8-7.
>  As I mentioned before, 8-7 record gives the rikishi a permanent salary
> increase.  Maybe I am too pecimistic.  It might only 7-7 people are more
> into it than the other rikishi.

This was mentioned in the much discussed book, "The Joy of Sumo" (sorry,
I can't remember the authors name right now).  As an additional point
(with which I would concur), the author said that he would have expected
the matchese with 7-7 rikishi to be the most exciting of sen-shu-raku,
for the reasons which Masumi gave.  However, they always seemed to be rather
lackluster affairs, with no real spark in them - the implication being that,
if at least not fixed, then the opponent was giving the 7-7 guy an easy
ride, on the chance that next basho it could be him in that position.
It would be really interesting to keep a record of whose opponents
the 7-7 guys are, and then see how they did against them in the next
basho, when either payback may be due, or a more "real" fight may be held.

I must admit, I was very suspicious a couple of years ago, when Akebono 
and (then) Takahanada were going for Ozeki.  Tak seemed to put in an
AWFUL lot of very lucky wins - the next basho he really sucked, as if
he had been given an easy ride to keep him in competition with Akebono.
OK - I admit I'm biased as an anti-Tak person, but still it seemed
strange that he got SO MANY lucky wins!

Cheers

Martin

Martin J. G. Hughes
Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Email: mjgh@mbfs.bio.cam.ac.uk