Deciding which Rikishi goes east for the bout

[Gurowake 4,031]

So looking at old torikumi on the database it's pretty clear that there's a general rule that each person goes to the same side they are on banzuke, and if they're both the same side the higher ranking one goes to his side. Thus, for a very long time Hakuho always lined up on the east side as he was the only Yokozuna, and then afterwards he was the Yokozuna that performed better when there had been two yokozuna the previous tournament. In January, Hakuho was on the west side of the Banzuke due to Harumafuji winning the previous Yusho, and the latter sat out the tournament due to injury. However, in Hakuho's matches he is listed as lining up on the east side. I don't think this is an error in the database, as to my memory every single bout of Hakuho's I've seen he's been on the left to start. So was he just "considered" to be ranked Y1e for physical placement purposes even though his actual rank was Y1w?

edit: I guess Haru 2013 Hakuho was fighting on the west; I guess I just hadn't noticed yet when I watched that basho that Hakuho was on the east side every single fight normally.

Edited May 4, 2014 by Gurowake

[Swami 245]

If memory serves me right, a similar occurrence happened in Nagoya 1989 - three yokozuna Hokutoumi, Onokuni, Chiyonofuji - Onokuni withdrew on day 4, thereafter Chiyonofuji fought from the west side.

Swami

[Asashosakari 19,093]

I don't think there's a fixed rule, and they've frequently forgotten about it, but they're trying to avoid having no East Yokozuna on the dohyo, so if there are two of them on the banzuke but only the West Yokozuna is actually active, he'll typically be shifted over to the East side for scheduling purposes.

Cases in point regarding the "forgetting about it" part:

Hatsu 2003: Ye Musashimaru absent, Yw Takanohana fought from the West side the first two days, then moved to the East (until his untimely intai a few days later)

Haru 2003: Ye Musashimaru absent again, new Yw Asashoryu fought from the West side the first day, then moved to the East - in fact, you can find the originally announced Day 2 schedule here which still had him listed West, so this was a very late change

In the Hakuho/Harumafuji case in January they remembered to do it right from Day 1.

Incidentally, very recently they did something similar at the ozeki rank, again with a few days' delay, and in the opposite direction:

Kyushu 2013: O1e Kisenosato, O1w Kotoshogiku, O2e Kakuryu, O2w Kotooshu - Kotoshogiku was out after Day 3, Kotooshu after Day 4; on Days 5-6 both Kisenosato and Kakuryu still fought from the East side, starting with Day 7 Kakuryu moved to the West to even the sides

This wasn't done at any other time in the 2000s as far as I can see, despite several basho where it could have happened.

(And Swami's recollection may indicate they would do the same at the yokozuna level now as well...maybe we'll see a case soon now that we have three yokozuna. Actually, now that I'm taking a look at the previous 3+ yokozuna era: This did in fact happen in Nagoya 2000 where Y2e Musashimaru moved to the West after Y1w Takanohana withdrew.)

Edited May 5, 2014 by Asashosakari

[Swami 245]

If memory serves me right, a similar occurrence happened in Nagoya 1989 - three yokozuna Hokutoumi, Onokuni, Chiyonofuji - Onokuni withdrew on day 4, thereafter Chiyonofuji fought from the west side.

Swami

I should clarify that they were ranked Hokutoumi (Yokozuna-East), Onokuni (Yokozuna-West), Chiyonofuji (Yokozuna-East).

Swami

[Kintamayama 44,776]

I always thought the one with the cowboy hat goes West.