re: east/west rankings

[Ken Ikeda <keike@ge.nagano-nct.ac.jp>]

Masumiriki wrote several days ago concerning how rikishi are divided among
Higashi/Nishi 
rankings:

Since Japanese capital moved from Kyoto to Tokyo, Sumo changed the
favor of the side from West to East in early Meiji Era.

Now, the very top rikishi of the banzuke is always East or Higashi...
If there are odd number of rikishi in the same ranks, then the third rikishi
in the highest rank will get higashi, the third rikishi in the second highest
rank will get nishi.

This time, there are three ozeki and three komusubi, so the third ozeki
(Musashimaru) is in higashi side and the third komusubi (Kotonishiki) is
in nishi side to balance the number of yakurikishi in each side.

***

As I recall (however faintly), years back when Konishiki was an ozeki, he once
lingered long in 
the auxiliary Nishi slot, with no one in the auxiliary Higashi slot.  It always
struck me as 
curious that he was just...there.  

Masumiriki's explanation now does make sense, since I think there were three
yokozuna then:  
Chiyonofuji, Hokutoumi, and Onokuni.  There were three ozeki then too:  besides
Konishiki, they 
were Asahifuji and Hokutenyu.  Onokuni probably was put in the auxiliary Higashi
yokozuna slot, 
thus Konishiki was put in the auxiliary Nishi ozeki position.

Without this explanation I'd probably would have gone thinking that Konishiki was
where he was 
(until he started winning championships) due to his poor performance.  With a
banged up knee and 
seemingly going nowhere (he was often kadoban or getting by with 8-7 records) I
thought he had 
been put into the sumo equivalent of "the doghouse".  Thanks Masumiriki.

Ken Ikeda