Sumo is now four days into the current basho. Today is day five and in about 3 hours I will be at home watching the fights. Each basho is interesting for different reasons and this one is no exception.
A little about sumo rankings before I begin discussing what it is I aim to discuss.
Sumo is made up of six major levels: makkuchi, juryo, makushita, sandanme, jonidan, and jonokuchi. Within these major levels are smaller levels at which each individual wrestler is ranked. For our purposes we will focus on only the top level, makkuchi. Within this level are about 40 guys, each ranked individually by the organizers of sumo. Starting at the top is the yokozuna rank from which one can never be demoted. After the top rank and in decending order are the ozeki, sekiwake, komusubi, and then the numbered ranks of maegashira. This last ranking usually features about 30 guys who are numbered maegashira #1 all the way down to about maegashira #16 or #17. Each maegashira rank is used twice due to their being east and west representatives (the directions are arbitrary) meaning that two guys will be ranked at, say, the maegashira #8 ranking, one from the east and one from west.
From what I understand (and I am still learning) there can be anywhere from one to three yokozuna at any given time. Right now there is, of course, only one, Asashoryu. The ozeki rank usually sees about four guys at any given time and then the sekiwake and komusubi ranks are usually made up of two each. Below this, of course, are the maegashira ranks as mentioned above.
For most rikishi (sumo wrestlers) that make it to the makuuchi ranks the maegashira is where they'll spend much of their careers, usually moving up a couple spots as a result of a winning record in one basho and then moving down a couple spots as the result of a losing record in the next. A rikishi's record determines everything in this sport. There is a world of difference between finishing a basho at 8-7 than there is at finishing up at 7-8. 8-7 means you are guaranteed not to be demoted, 7-8 means that you are fair game to fall down the rankings. Essentially there is no difference between going 10-5 and 8-7, but I'm not so sure I believe that. Seems to me that 10-5 might mean you get promoted and 8-7 might mean they leave you where you are, generally speaking (but what do I know?). Once you attain the ozeki rank in order to be demoted you must finish two consecutive basho with a losing record. Yokozuna, I think I mentioned before, cannot be demoted...ever. But if a yokozuna starts to lose on a regular basis he is, shall we say, shown the door through which retirement awaits. I think, though, that most of these guys have a sense of honor that tells them to retire before the federation ever has to request it.
So with these rankings in mind let's look at this basho.
There are now three Europeans in the top tier, the makuuchi ranks, of sumo. From what I read or heard, Kokkai was the first Europoean ever to get up into this top level, which is comprised of about 40 rikishi, and he did it only in January of this year. He's been there ever since and now can compare his skin color to two others in the quest for the whitest makuuchi ranked rikishi.
Kokkai, you might remember, hails from the Republic of Georgia and has been steadily moving up the ranks. In January he moved into the makkuchi ranks claiming a maegashira #10 ranking. He finished at 8-7 in that basho and was promptly promoted one step up to an m9 (maegashira #9). In that basho he again finished at 8-7 and was promoted two spots to an m7. He finished 10-5 in May and the powers that be decided, "Ok, let's see what this kid's really got" and promoted him up to an m2 rank. Again, though, Kokkai finished with a winning record, 8-7, and for the current basho is ranked an m1. Unfortunately he is not off to a good start and today is at 1-3. So we'll see how it goes for him.
The two other eastern Europeans are Roho, from Russia, and Kotooshu, from Bulgaria. This is their first basho in the makkuchi ranks and they are ranked at m15 and m14 respectively. I don't know too much about them yet but will be interested to see how they do in this basho. As of today Roho is sitting on a 4-0 record and Kotooshu is 3-1.
The ozeki are the other guys I like to focus on. At the start of this basho there were four, but as of yesterday only three remained. Tochiazuma, who sat out most of the March basho and all of the May basho with a shoulder injury, injured one of his knees on Tuesday and pulled out. This is a real shame because in January of this year he was up for a possible yokozuna promotion. In fact, because he sat out what was effectively two basho, he was demoted to sekiwake for the July basho. But he impressed with a 10-5 record and reclaimed his ozeki ranking for this basho. We'll have to see what happens over the next few months with this guy.
Musoyama, another ozeki, had to fight for his life, or rank, in the July basho after going 6-9 in the May basho. He finished at only 8-7 and was lucky to do so, but he, at least, saved himself from demotion. From the looks of it he has peaked and is on his way down. At 32 he is old man in the sumo world and I've read that he will retire if he loses his form. He is currently 1-3.
Kaio is also a 32 year old ozeki but unlike Musoyama he looks to still have a lot of fight left in him. I, for one, would love to see him get the yokozuna ranking but that road goes through Asashoryu and so far Kaio doesn't seems quite capable of beating him on a regular basis. Kaio has finished the last four basho at 10-5, 13-2, 10-5, and 11-4. Normally a 13-2 record is good enough to win a basho but in that month Asashoryu finished at 15-0. Kaio is now 3-1.
Of the current ozeki Chiyotaikai probably has the most realistic chance of attaining the yokozuna rank. He and Asashoryu fight well against each other and Chiyo is only 28, meaning that he still has a couple years to do it. Course, he'll need to do it soon before he starts losing his form. In March of this year Chiyo had a real chance of winning the basho but lost to Asashoryu and thereby sealed his fate. Really, it was the wrong time to have to face Asashoryu as he won 34 straight fights. But Chiyo is a good fighter and if Asashoryu slips he will certainly be there to claim the prize. Chiyo is now sitting on a 3-1 record.
The Yokozuna, Mr. Asashoryu, comes from Mongolia and is having a historical year. He has won all 4 basho this year, won 34 straight fights from January to May, and is doing all this at the ripe young age of 23/24 (his birthday is the 27th of this month). There isn't too much to say about his guy except that he is awesome. Right now he IS sumo. Unfortunately, he lost yesterday (is 3-1 now) when his foot slipped and he ended up under his opponent. But other than that he looks to be on form in this basho and I expect he will win his fifth straight Emperor's Cup.