Kyujo / Kosho
A Bench rikishi is 'kyujo' (absent) if they do not enter a squad for a basho.
All Bench rikishi are allowed to go 'kosho' (officially recognised absence) from one Bench basho, without loss of rank in the subsequent Bench basho. To do so, he or she must go to the Bench Sumo entry page, and fill out and send the kosho request. A Bench rikishi is not allowed to go kosho for two Bench basho in a row (this includes Bench Yokozuna). If, for any reason, a Bench rikishi misses two subsequent Bench bashos, on the second occasion, he or she will score 0-0-15, and will be demoted accordingly.
Any Bench rikishi who is absent from a Bench basho, without putting in a request for 'kosho', will also be scored 0-0-15, and will be demoted accordingly.
A rikishi cannot go kyujo or kosho during a basho. If they decide to stop playing during the basho, their shikona will be used in the torikumi, and their 'droning' line-up will be used in determining the results of their remaining bouts.
Retirement
If at any stage a Bench rikishi decides to go intai (retire) from the game, they are requested to go to the Bench sumo entry page, and fill out and send the retirement form. If a Bench rikishi fails to do so, and continues to be inactive in the game, they will be removed from the banzuke (banzuke-gai) once they have fallen that far.
A player will only be removed from the upcoming banzuke if they announce their retirement within 24 hours of the end of any basho. If they retire at a later date, they will still be ranked on the next banzuke, and will then be removed from the subsequent banzuke.
A rikishi who decides to go intai during a basho, will continue to be matched-up in the torikumi until the end of that basho, using their 'droning' line-up if need be. Their 'intai' will be formally recognised once the basho is completed.