Re: Exciting finish!

[Yugo Yodogawa <yyy@soda.berkeley.edu>]

> In fact, I think I see the potential for there being a three way 
> tie (two Taka's and Kotonisiki being one possibility) at 12-3 for 
> the playoff...
>
> Assuming the above takes place, does anyone know what (if any) the
> rules are concerning the order that the rikishi are pitted against 
> one another in a playoff with more than two combatants? In the senario 
> I mentioned above you would have the two highest ranked opponents 
> (two Taka's) coming from the same stable. But, the remaining rikishi 
> (Kotonishiki) already faced both Ozeki during the basho!??...
> 
> BTY, Akebono is my man...go Big Guy!!
> 
> Steve Baker
> steveb@telco.com

Well, if you remember, there was a three-way tomoe-sen (playoff) in last
year's Nagoya Basho between Akebono, Takanohana, and Wakanohana.  There have
been 5 of these three-way tomoe-sen's in recorded history, and even a 4-way
playoff in Showa 22-nen, Natsu Basho.

Here's what happens: three pieces of paper are made - one with the kanji for
higashi (east), one with nishi (west), and another with a red maru (circle).
The rikishi who draw east and west face each other first.  The winner faces
the third rikishi, and in turn the winner of that bout faces the third, and
etc., until one wrestler has won two in a row.

Another reason these kettei/tomoe-sen playoffs are exciting is because we
get to see rikishi from the same stable duke it out.  One particularly
interesting bout was the 1989 Nagoya Basho, when Yokozunas Chiyonofuji and
Hokutoumi, both from the Kokonoe stable, fought for the yusho.  (Chiyonofuji
won this, as well as all five other playoffs he was in over the span of his
career).

Unfortunately, we didn't get to see a Waka-Taka duel last July, since Akebono
beat them both right off the bat.

-yugo

P.S. Sumo Digest had a little feature on kettei-sen during last year's Aki
Basho...