[sumo] News article - Whats the best job in sumo

[Barbara]

Lon Howard wrote:
> Ozeki have already proven their superiority over those below them.  If 
> it were then easy for them to lose their rank, after a while you'd very 
> possibly have long periods of time in which there were NO ozeki, because 
> attaining the rank in the first place, is after all, very difficult.  

This is a good argument. But it asks us to tolerate, for long periods of 
time, a situation in which today, right now, a sekiwake may be a better 
rikishi than the ozeki ranked over him, yet be unable to penetrate the 
rank.  Worse, it asks the sekiwake himself to tolerate it.

My suggestion to make it easier for ozeki to lose their rank would not 
result in long periods of NO ozeki, because as I stated in my message, 
the whole point of doing so is to perhaps allow the ozeki promotion 
requirements to be eased as well.  As it is now, the ozeki rank is 
something of a logjam in the heirarchy. It doesn't seem equitable that 
one can retire, almost, in terms of performance, once reaching ozeki rank.

But then again, possibly that is Sumo's intent exactly. Does rank trump 
fairness in traditional Japan?  I think so.

Perversely, having weak ozeki holding down the rank seems to lead to a 
popular perception that the rank is already too easy to attain.  Some 
even today favor making the requirements tougher.  But when the ozeki 
earned the rank, they were deserving, so I feel the answer instead is to 
ease the demotion criteria.  Let them climb the ranks in a blaze of 
glory, but let them step aside for the next man when they become weak. 
Even if they end up retiring in Sandanme 10 years later, if they ever 
reached the rank of ozeki, they will become known as "former ozeki". 
The honor follows them anyway.  Meantime, the additional promotions and 
demotions would add more drama to the tournaments and some extra 
headlines between the bashos.

Barbara Murasakihana