Sumo Fan Magazine

Eternal Banzuke – Rules & Criteria

1.    A rikishi must have a string of at least 30 consecutive qualifying banzuke appearances in order to be listed on the Eternal Banzuke.

2.    A qualifying string begins with the first makuuchi appearance and ends with the last makuuchi appearance.

3.    A rikishi’s position on the Eternal Banzuke is based on his Highest Median Rank (HMR). It is the highest rank held at least 50 per cent of the time during his qualifying string. It is determined by first counting the total number of banzuke appearances in his qualifying string – if the result is an odd number, then add 1 to it in order to obtain an even number. That number is then divided by 2, and the result is called the determinator. Then, starting with the rikishi’s highest held career rank, begin counting the total number of banzuke appearances at that and each succeeding lower rank, carrying the total as you go down. Stop the count at the rank where the total equals or exceeds the determinator. That rank is the rikishi’s HMR, and it is the rank at which he resides on the Eternal Banzuke.

4.    When two or more rikishi occupy the same rank on the Banzuke, the order in which they appear is determined by adding the total appearances each of them had at the HMR and above, to obtain a tie-breaker number for each of them. They are then listed in tie-breaker number order – highest number first. If that number is also a tie, make the same determination at the next highest rank, and keep going up in rank until the tie is broken, and no tie exists between or among any rikishi. If two or more rikishi are still tied at the rank of Ye, start at the next rank below the HMR and make the same determination, and keep going down in rank until all ties are broken.

5.    Special rules apply to banzuke appearances at the yokozuna and ozeki ranks. A minimum level of performance is set for these appearances. For yokozuna it is ten wins and for ozeki it is eight wins. If this level is not met for any such banzuke appearance, then that basho is simply removed from the count of appearances in the rikishi’s string, and correspondingly, no credit is given for an appearance at that rank. In other words – don’t count the basho or the rank held – it’s as if the basho never happened.