[sumo] Some Unrelated Questions

[Neil Dry]

Hello all. I'd be very grateful if some of our experts could spare a little 
time to help me out with some of these questions. The first two in 
particular have been bugging me for ages.

1) Tamanoshima has been ranked in sanyaku for four bashos, but has not yet 
made kachi-koshi there. I know that Ryogoku and Tochitsukasa also had four 
bashos in sanyaku each, without making kachi-koshi once. My question is 
this: Are they the least successful sanyaku rikishi in the modern era (let's 
say, post-WW2), or are there other rikishi with more bashos in sanyaku 
without a kachi-koshi?

2) What is the actual ownership status of these toshiyori: Kabutoyama 
(ex-Oikari?), Tamagaki (ex-Tomonohana?), and Yamawake (ex-Wakanoyama?). Do 
the former rikishi mentioned actually own these toshiyori, or are they 
renting them from someone else? I'm fairly sure that Wakanoyama does own his 
toshiyori, but the other two I'm really not sure at all.

3) Does the recent abolition of jun-toshiyori status not include ex-Yokozuna 
and Ozeki? The status was supposedly abolished in December 2006, but 
Tochiazuma has since retired and become a jun-toshiyori. If this is the 
case, it seems rather unduly harsh on former rikishi who didn't quite make 
those heights.

4) When was the last tournament without a former Nihon University (Nichidai) 
rikishi ranked in Makuuchi?

5) Any URLS to pictures of the new yumitori-shiki performer in action?

6) This is a long shot. But I am concerned about the health of Chinese 
rikishi Nakanokuni, Minato-beya, whose progress I have been following since 
the start of his career. After winning his first three bouts this basho, he 
was yoritaoshi'd twice - by Yanagawa (175kg) on Day 8 and by Towanoyama 
(185kg) on Day 11. From 3-0, Nakanokuni finished 3-4, so does anyone have 
news on whether the poor guy was injured in either or both of those bouts 
mentioned?

7) Who exactly are the members of the Yokozuna Deliberation Committee, and 
why does this committee exist in the first place? When was it created and 
was it created for a specific reason? How come the Kyokai alone (directors, 
oyakata etc.) aren't the ones making these big decisions?

Many thanks and regards,
Neil.

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