Analysis4
How rare are four Sekiwake?
3.2%
Share of basho with four Sekiwake since 2000
Conclusion
Two Sekiwake are a minimum, not a limit. The banzuke requires one on the East and one on the West, but sets no maximum. From Hatsu 2000 through Nagoya 2026, only five of 158 basho had four Sekiwake: Hatsu 2000, Hatsu 2023, Natsu 2023, Aki 2024, and Nagoya 2026. That is 3.2%, and four of the five cases have come since 2023. At Nagoya 2026, the four were Atamifuji, Kotoshoho, Wakatakakage, and Aonishiki, who had been demoted from Ozeki. It is rare, but it is a normal shape when the upper banzuke becomes crowded.
Methodology
- Period
- Hatsu 2000 through Nagoya 2026; 158 basho
- Four Sekiwake
- Five basho, or 3.2% of the total
- Applicable basho
- Hatsu 2000, Hatsu 2023, Natsu 2023, Aki 2024, and Nagoya 2026
- Recent pattern
- Four of the five cases have come since 2023
- Nagoya 2026
- Atamifuji, Kotoshoho, Wakatakakage, and Aonishiki
How to read this
We counted rikishi listed as Sekiwake in each Makuuchi banzuke. One East and one West Sekiwake are required, but there is no maximum; a five-Sekiwake banzuke also occurred before 2000.