RE: Futa, Musa, & rule changes

["G. Jay Walker" <walker@NHRC.NAVY.MIL>]

Now that the discussion over modifying Chuck's UD Hoshitori has quieted
down, maybe it's time to stir up some more debate:

>These guys live together and some were the other's tsukebito, for >crying
out loud..Well, I really can't seem to explain to you guys how
>fundamentally wrong you are.

>I will admit that I hadn't considered the implications of having to >live
with your opponent as some posters had mentioned.  But in all the >pictures
of the jungyo that I have seen, I don't exactly see any >animosity between
rikishi who belong to different heya yet will have >to face each other on
the dohyo.  If everyone could fight everyone >else, I am sure that the
rikishi would adapt to it. 

Does this issue of bouts against rikishi in your own heya necessarily have
to be an either/or proposition?  

What if the present rule of no matches against your own heya members was
preserved at every level except at makunouchi, and within makunouchi, you
were granted a waiver against fighting your "best buddy" - but had to
otherwise face stablemates who weren't your "best buddy" (assuming they
were at a rank you would normally fight).   

How would this play out in practice?  Let's assume this rule had been in
place at the recent Aki basho.  The following would have avoided any
intra-heya matchups altogether with their best buddy waivers:

   Irumagawa (Yotsukasa-Otsukasa)
   Kokonoe (Chiyotaikai-Chiyotenzan)
   Mihogaseki (Higonoumi-Hamanoshima)
   Oshima (Kyokushuzan-Kyokutenho)
   Tokitsukaze (Aogiyama-Tokitsuumi)
   Wakamatsu (Asanosho-Asanowaka)

Sadogatake-beya had Kotonishiki at K-E, Kotonowaka at M4-W and Kotoryu at
M10-W, so by pairing Kotonishiki and Kotonowaka as best buds, possible
Sadogatake matchups likely could have been avoided.  

The two heyas who would have something to think about are of course
Futagoyama and Musashigawa.  Perhaps Takatoriki at M7-E and certainly
Wakanoyama at M11-E could have avoided matchups with their mates, but their
oyakatas would have had to decide who to pair up as best buddies among
(Taka, Waka, Takanonami and Akinoshima) and (Musashimaru, Dejima, Musoyama
and Miyabiyama).  I'll leave it to y'all to figure out what would have made
for the most advantageous buddy systems.

The point is that such a proposal would still eliminate matches between
stablemates in the lower divisions and greatly reduce them at the top
division, largely preserving heya harmony.  The only place where any
possible dissension might come into play would be among the highest-ranked
rikishis at the top-ranked heyas.  But these are the men and the stables
already tempered by experience and success, and rather than getting an
unfair and sometimes substantial advantage over other top rankers not so
fortunate to be in such a powerful stable, they would now have to deal with
the possible difficulties of having to go against each other.  Sure, there
may be some problems, but these are presumably the rikishi and heya who can
best handle such problems.  And for that matter, they still get an
advantage of being able to avoid at least one of their top-rated brethrens.
 If Taka and Waka don't want to fight each other, they don't have to, but
on the other hand, they no longer would get a free ride over the entire
stable (which I believe at one point had ten rikishi in makunouchi).

This proposal would, in practice, let stablemates continue to avoid having
to oppose each other except where the root of the problem lies - Futagoyama
and Musashigawa at this time, perhaps some other heya down the road.  If
Futagoyama or Musashigawa oyakata have to go out of their way to maintain
peace and harmony, well maybe it's better for the crown to wear a bit
uneasy than to create an artificial advantage that allows a juggernaut to
roll on for years at the expense of the other heyas.

Should stablemates be forced to fight each other?  Perhaps there is a
middle ground.

-G. Jay Walker