Kohei presenting the audience with a banner that reads, fusensho (win by default).
Fusensho (不戦勝) is a win by default because of the absence of the opponent. Recorded with a white square. A fusenpai (不戦敗) is a loss by default for not appearing at a scheduled bout. If a wrestler withdraws from the tournament (injury or retirement), one loss by default will be recorded against him on the following day, and simple absence for the remainder. Recorded with a black square.
History[]
Until the Taisho Period, an absence would simply be recorded for both wrestlers, regardless of which one had failed to show. However as the championship system started to take place, major flaws in this system were acknowledged, especially after the controversial yusho of ozeki Hitachiiwa Eitaro.
Hitachiiwa won the yusho, but it stirred some controversy. In January 1928, he won his only top division yusho, or championship, but it caused great controversy. On Day 10, he scored a win by default (fusensho) against Nishinoumi Kajiro III, who was a no-show for the bout. His rival for the championship, veteran maegashira and former sekiwake Misugiiso, had won all his bouts in actual fights but was then defeated by strong komusubi Tamanishiki (later yokozuna) on the 11th day. At the end of the tournament they both had 10–1 records, as Hitachiiwa had defeated yokozuna Miyagiyama on the final day. Hitachiiwa and Misugiiso were too far apart in rank to have been paired against each other during the tournament, and as there was no playoff system in place at that time, Hitachiiwa, in the higher ozeki rank was awarded the yusho. Many people sympathized with Misugiiso as it had cost him his only chance to win a championship. Misugiiso was only able to win two more bouts in his career and retired a year later.
The controversy gathered around the system of keeping score for matches won by default as one wrestler does not appear for their scheduled fight (fusensho). At the time, only in the last two days of a tournament could a win by default be accepted, and there was no formal announcement (kachi-nanori) of the winner by default, so both wrestlers would be scored as not appearing for the match. In the following tournament in March 1928, the modern system was established where the winner by default was officially scored as a win and not a no-show, as it was in the past.
Modern System[]
The current system is that when a wrestler withdraws it is counted as an official loss. The following days and remainder of the tournament will be counted as absence (even though that is equivalent of a loss; for example a 7-3-5 is equivalent to a 7-8 record). Now when a wrestler withdraws, a yobidashi would present the audience with a long white banner that reads, fusensho, win by default. The winner by default would accept his win, but he cannot accept kensho-kin (prize money). If a yokozuna withdraws and the winner by default is a maegashira, it will not count as a kinboshi (gold star).