Re: [From rec.sport.sumo] Re: Question regarding "prize"

[abe@zoom.com (Masumi Abe)]

Actually, the original meaning of "sanyaku" in both cases were the
same.

In ideal situation, there were two ozeki, two sekiwake and two
komusubi in true sanyaku ranking. 

Remember? The Yokozuna rank was honorary one for ozeki for a
long time and it became an official rank only in Meiji Era, a little
more than 100 years ago.

So, if a basho went as planned, on the day of "senshuraku" or
the last day of the tornament, the last three matches would be 
between two komusubi, two sakiwake and two ozeki. To honor the
winners of the "executive match" or "main events" of the basho,
the organizer rewarded arrows to the winner of komusubi match, 
a bow string to the winner of sekiwake match, and a bow to the
winner of ozeki match.

So, in either case, sanyaku means sanyaku and nothing else.
Only since Sumo organization recognized yokozuna as an official
rank above ozeki, used to be the highest rank in sumo, the last
three matches appear not in sinc with the actual rank, which 
includes yokozuna.

In strict term, yokozuna is not included in "sanyaku" even now.
When you want to call all rikishi in komusubi and above, you 
should call "yaku-rikishi" instead of sanyaku, if you want to
treat them strictly. 

By the way, before the last three matches on senshuraku, there
is a special activities to get attention of audiences.

yobidashi: announce rikishi's names involved in the first of the
last three matches, as usual

gyoji: announce rikishi's names and add that it will be "sanyaku"
matches from now.
"Koreyori san-yaku ni gozarimasu."

Then start a special "dohyo iri" for six rikishi involved the last
three matches of the basho, three rikishi from one side at a time.
This "dohyo iri" is called "sanyaku soroi-bumi" or "sanyaku pounding
their feet in unizon". They form a triangular shape when they do
this.

-Masumiriki

Takahisa Ohta さんが  2:28 AM 2/2/97 +0900ごろに
「[From rec.sport.sumo] Re: Question regarding "prize"」の件で：
> From: g96p0216@mn.waseda.ac.jp (Takahisa Ohta)
> Newsgroups: rec.sport.sumo
> Subject: Re: Question regarding "prize"
> Date: 30 Jan 1997 08:13:56 GMT
> Organization: Mail and News services,Waseda University,JAPAN
> Lines: 25
> Message-ID: <g96p0216.223e8a61YAT1@w59d101.mn.waseda.ac.jp>
> References: <mvoss-2801972043320001@comserv-e-04.usc.edu>
> Reply-To: g96p0216@mn.waseda.ac.jp
> 
> 
>> In article <mvoss-2801972043320001@comserv-e-04.usc.edu>
>>      mvoss@chem1.usc.edu (Michael R. Voss) writes:
>>  
>> I noticed that after Kaio won on Day 15, the gyoji gave him something that
>> looked like a couple of wooden arrows.  Since Kaio didn't win a sansho
>> prize, why did he receive this and what is it (literally and what it
>> symbolizes)?
>> 
> This isn't related to the 'Sansho' prize.
> 
> Day 15 is called 'Sensyuuraku'(meaning the last day) and on this 
> day, those who won the last 3 bouts called 'Sanyaku'('Komusubi',
> 'Sekiwake' and 'Ozeki' are called 'Sanyaku',too ,but the former 
> 'Sanyaku' is defferent meaning to the later.) get two arrows
> ('Ya')(for the last bout except the last two), a peace of thin rope 
> for a bow('Tsuru')(for the last bout except the last one) and a bow 
> ('Yumi')(for the last bout).This bow is the similar to a one which
> is used at bow ceremony('Yumitorishiki').
> 
> --
>
>                Takahisa Ohta
>                g96p0216@mn.waseda.ac.jp