Kotoshōgiku Kazuhiro
is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler. Wrestling for Sadogatake stable, he made his professional debut in 2002, and reached the top division in 2005. In 2011 he achieved the standard for promotion to the second highest rank of '' ōzeki'' by winning 33 bouts over three tournaments, and was formally promoted by the Japan Sumo Association on 28 September. On 24 January 2016 he became the first Japanese-born wrestler in ten years to win a top-division tournament. He had a long-standing rivalry with Kisenosato against whom he fought a record 66 times, the most between two wrestlers in sumo history. He continued to fight after losing his ''ōzeki'' rank in January 2017, and in March 2020 became the oldest active ''sekitori''. He announced his retirement from active competition on 14 November 2020. Kotoshōgiku earned seven special prizes in his career, won one top division tournament, and was runner-up in three others. Early life and sumo background Kikutsugi was one of ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Shikona
A is a sumo wrestler's ring name. The tradition of ring names in sumo dates back to the Edo period, where they were used as a means to attract customers and hide the identities of the ''rikishi''. Like standard Japanese names, a ''shikona'' consists of a surname and a personal, or given name, and the full name is written surname first. However, the personal name is rarely used outside formal or ceremonial occasions. Thus, the former ''yokozuna'' is usually referred to as simply ''Asashōryū''. When addressing a sumo wrestler of the ''makuuchi'' or ''jūryō'' divisions, the suffix is used instead of the usual . The given name is often, but not always, the wrestler's original name, and may be changed at the whim of the individual wrestler. Foreign wrestlers always adopt a new, Japanese given name. Often, on first joining professional sumo, a wrestler's ''shikona'' is the same as his family name. As a wrestler rises through the ranks of sumo, he is expected to change his ''shi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jūryō
Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win–loss records in official tournaments. For more information see ''kachi-koshi'' and ''make-koshi''. Wrestlers are also ranked within each division. The higher a wrestler's rank within a division is, the stronger the general level of opponents he will have to face becomes. According to tradition, each rank is further subdivided into East and West, with East being slightly more prestigious, and ranked slightly higher than its West counterpart. The divisions, ranked in order of hierarchy from highest to lowest, are as follows: ''Makuuchi'' , or , is the top division. It is fixed at 42 wrestlers who are ranked according to their performance in previous tournaments. At the top of the division are the "titleholders", or "champions" called the ''san'yaku'' comprising ''yokozuna'', ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hōmashō Noriyuki
Hōmashō Noriyuki (born April 16, 1981 as Yōsuke Yamamoto in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan), is a former sumo wrestler. He turned professional in March 2004 and reached the top ''makuuchi'' division in May 2006 as the first ''sekitori'' from Shikoroyama stable, without any losing scores on his record. His highest rank was ''komusubi''. He earned seven special prizes in his top division career and was a runner-up in three tournaments. In March 2014 he took the championship in the ''jūryō'' division. Hōmashō was a popular wrestler among sumo fans, and was noted for his deep and graceful bow at the end of a match. Upon his retirement in January 2015 he became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association under the name of Tatsutagawa. Early life and sumo background He graduated from Saitama Sakae High School and was accepted by the Nihon University sumo club. However, due to cellulitis, he had to quit the club and instead did various part-time jobs in between attending lect ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Seven Samurai
is a 1954 Japanese epic samurai drama film co-written, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa. The story takes place in 1586 during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. It follows the story of a village of desperate farmers who hire seven rōnin (masterless samurai) to combat bandits who will return after the harvest to steal their crops. At the time, the film was the most expensive film made in Japan. It took a year to shoot and faced many difficulties. It was the second-highest-grossing domestic film in Japan in 1954. Many reviews compared the film to westerns. Since its release, ''Seven Samurai'' has consistently ranked highly in critics' lists of the greatest films in cinema history, such as the BFI's ''Sight & Sound'' and Rotten Tomatoes polls. It was also voted the greatest foreign-language film of all time in BBC's 2018 international critics' poll. Its influence on the film industry has been unprecedented, and it is often regarded today as one of the most "remade, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kotonowaka Terumasa
Kotonowaka Terumasa (born May 15, 1968, as Mitsuya Konno) is a former sumo wrestler from Obanazawa, Yamagata prefecture, Japan. He made his professional debut in 1984 and after reaching the top ''makuuchi'' division in 1990 he remained there for 15 years until his retirement in 2005. His highest rank was ''sekiwake'' and he earned seven special prizes and eight gold stars during his long ''makuuchi'' career. He is now the head coach of Sadogatake stable. Career At junior high school he practiced judo and shot put, and even represented his prefecture at the All Tohoku Shot put Championships. He was already tall by the age of 14. He was scouted into sumo by a supporter of Sadogatake stable. He had intended to join in March 1984 alongside Kotonishiki, but failed the physical because of high blood pressure, delaying his entry by two months. At first he wrestled under the name Imano and then Kotokonno before finally settling on Kotonowaka in 1988. It took him six years to achieve ' ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sumo May09 Kotoshogiku
is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by throwing, shoving or pushing him down). Sumo originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally and where it is considered the national sport. It is considered a ''gendai budō'', which refers to modern Japanese martial arts, but the sport has a history spanning many centuries. Many ancient traditions have been preserved in sumo, and even today the sport includes many ritual elements, such as the use of salt purification, from Shinto. Life as a wrestler is highly regimented, with rules regulated by the Japan Sumo Association. Most sumo wrestlers are required to live in communal sumo training stables, known in Japanese as ''heya'', where all aspects of their daily lives—from meals to their manner of dress—are dict ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hakuhō Shō
; , lead=yes) is a retired professional sumo wrestler (''rikishi'') from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Making his debut in March 2001, he reached the top ''makuuchi'' division in May 2004. In May 2007, at the age of 22, he became the second native of Mongolia, and the fourth non-Japanese overall, to be promoted to the highest rank in sumo, ''yokozuna''. In 2009, he broke the record for the most wins in a calendar year, winning 86 out of 90 bouts, and repeated this feat with the same record again in 2010 when he established the second longest winning streak in sumo history. He also holds the record for the most List of sumo record holders#Most top division championships, undefeated tournament championships at sixteen, which is eight more than any other sumo wrestler in history. He was the only active ''yokozuna'' from 2010, following the retirement of his rival and fellow Mongolian Asashōryū Akinori, Asashōryū, until 2012 with the promotion of fellow Mongolian Harumafuji Kōhei, H ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Komusubi
, or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the only division that is featured on NHK's standard live coverage of sumo tournaments. The lower divisions are shown on their satellite coverage, with only the ''makuuchi'' broadcast having bilingual English commentary. ''Makuuchi'' literally means "inside the curtain", a reference to the early period of professional sumo, when there was a curtained-off area reserved for the top ranked wrestlers, to sit before appearing for their bouts. Wrestlers are considered for promotion or demotion in rank before each grand tournament according to their performance in the one previous. Generally, a greater number of wins than losses (''kachi-koshi'') results in a promotion, and the reverse (''make-koshi'') results in demotion. There are stricter criteria ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sekiwake
, or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the only division that is featured on NHK's standard live coverage of sumo tournaments. The lower divisions are shown on their satellite coverage, with only the ''makuuchi'' broadcast having bilingual English commentary. ''Makuuchi'' literally means "inside the curtain", a reference to the early period of professional sumo, when there was a curtained-off area reserved for the top ranked wrestlers, to sit before appearing for their bouts. Wrestlers are considered for promotion or demotion in rank before each grand tournament according to their performance in the one previous. Generally, a greater number of wins than losses (''kachi-koshi'') results in a promotion, and the reverse (''make-koshi'') results in demotion. There are stricter criteria ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |