Kotonishiki was sekiwake on 21 different occasions, but could never gain promotion to ozeki.
Sekiwake (関脇, sekiwake) is the third-highest rank in professional sumo wrestling, and is one of the san'yaku ranks. The term is believed to derive from guarding the ozeki (大関 or 関) at his side (脇).
It represents the highest rank a wrestler can achieve by continuously making a kachi-koshi (a winning record in the tournament) in tournaments. Promotion to sekiwake depends on either a space being available, which is quite common, or having a record in the previous tournament that is very convincing. Typically 11–4 or better as a komusubi is sufficient for promotion to sekiwake even with no normal space available; lower ranks need progressively more wins. There are special promotion criteria, typically a minimum of 33 wins over three tournaments, for advancement from sekiwake to ozeki; merely recording consecutive winning records while at the sekiwake rank is not enough to advance. In the 1980s, Sakahoko stayed at sekiwake for nine consecutive tournaments without even getting close to ozeki consideration, and Goeido was stuck at the rank for fourteen consecutive tournaments, a modern-day record, between May 2012 and July 2014, before being promoted to ozeki in September 2014.
Unlike the higher ranks of ozeki and yokozuna, a wrestler will nearly always lose the rank immediately after having a make-koshi tournament (a losing record during a tournament). Very occasionally, however, a lucky sekiwake might keep his rank even with a 7–8 record if there are no obvious candidates to replace him, as when the komusubi and the upper maegashira have also had losing records. This has happened five times since the six-tournaments-a-year era began in 1958, most recently with Goeido in July 2013. In each case the wrestler was merely moved from the sekiwake East rank to the less prestigious West side.
For many purposes sekiwake and the komusubi rank are treated together as the junior san'yaku ranks, as opposed to ozeki and yokozuna. For example, records of number of tournaments ranked in junior san'yaku are often referred to in sumo publications.
For wrestlers reaching this rank the benefits are similar to that for a komusubi. The salary is higher than for a maegashira and also the wrestler is usually called to appear to flank the chairman of the Sumo Association during the speeches he makes on opening and closing days of the 15-day tournaments that are held six times a year. He may also be called on to represent the wrestlers on behalf of the Sumo Association at other events, especially if the number of ozeki and yokozuna is low. If this is the highest rank a wrestler reaches, even if it is only for one tournament, he will always be referred to as "former sekiwake (ring name)" after his retirement, an indicator of a successful sumo career, even if not achieving the exceptional standards of the two highest ranks.
At any time there must be a minimum of two wrestlers ranked at sekiwake. If circumstances require, this can rise typically to three or four. The minimum of two requirement means that a certain amount of luck can lead to wrestlers achieving this rank on occasion, if the performance of other wrestlers leaves no obvious candidates to fill the rank. This luck factor is less common than it is for komusubi promotions.
Wrestlers With Most Sekiwake Appearances in History[]
| Name | Total | First | Last | Highest rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tamagaki | 25 | October 1797 | November 1811 | Ozeki |
| 2 | Kotomitsuki | 22 | January 2001 | July 2007 | Ozeki |
| 3 | Hasegawa | 21 | January 1969 | January 1974 | Sekiwake |
| Kaio | 21 | January 1995 | July 2000 | Ozeki | |
| Kotonishiki | 21 | November 1990 | January 1997 | Sekiwake | |
| 6 | Musoyama | 20 | March 1994 | March 2000 | Ozeki |
| 7 | Tochiazuma | 17 | September 1997 | November 2001 | Ozeki |
| Wakanosato | 17 | January 2001 | September 2005 | Sekiwake | |
| 9 | Nayoroiwa | 15 | May 1938 | March 1953 | Ozeki |
| Takatoriki | 15 | July 1991 | November 1998 | Sekiwake | |
| Goeido | 15 | May 2009 | July 2014 | Ozeki |