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Kitakachidoki Hayato
Kitakachidoki Hayato (born 1 January 1966 as Hayato Kuga) is a former sumo wrestler from Obihiro, Hokkaidō, Japan. He made his professional debut in 1981, and reached the top division in 1989. His highest rank was '' maegashira 3''. After retirement he became an elder in the Japan Sumo Association. He took over as head coach at Isenoumi stable, when former head coach Fujinokawa reached mandatory retirement age in September 2011. Career He was born in Obihiro, the son of a lorry driver. At school he was a soccer goalkeeper. He made his professional debut in May 1981, recruited by Isenoumi stable. He won the ''makushita'' division championship in November 1986 with a perfect 7–0 record and was promoted to the ''sekitori'' ranks after that tournament. He had been using his family name of Kuga as his ring name, but upon his promotion he was given the ''shikona'' of Kitakachidoki, or "northern battle-cry," a reference to his Hokkaidō birthplace in the north of the country. He had ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sumo
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 dic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Juryo
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] |
Nishikigi Tetsuya
is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Morioka. He made his debut in March 2006 and wrestles for Isenoumi stable. His highest rank has been ''Maegashira'' 2 and he has won championships at ''Jūryō'' and ''Makushita'' level. Early life and sumo experience Having met the former owner of the Isenoumi stable ex-''sekiwake'' Fujinokawa, Kumagai heard about , a sumo wrestler before him who is also from Iwate prefecture and it inspired him to join sumo himself. He joined this stable after graduating from a local Morioka city junior high school. Nishikigi has extremely poor vision and always wears glasses when not practicing or competing, even wearing them for post-bout interviews. He has stated he is unable to see any fans in the crowd during tournaments which helps keep him from getting nervous. Career He first stepped onto the ''dohyō'' in March 2006. He joined sumo the same time as future top division wrestlers Tochinoshin, Sakaizawa, and Shōhōzan. He worked his way ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ikioi Shōta
is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Katano, Osaka. He began his career in March 2005. He won the ''jūryō'' championship in November 2011 in his very first tournament in the division and just two tournaments later made his ''makuuchi'' division debut. He was runner up to Jōkōryū in the ''jūryō'' division in September 2012. His highest rank was ''sekiwake.'' He won four special prizes for Fighting Spirit and five gold stars for defeating ''yokozuna.'' He did not miss a single bout from his professional debut until the last day of the January 2021 tournament. He retired in June 2021 to become a coach and elder of the Japan Sumo Association under the name Kasugayama. Early life and sumo background From his preschool years Toguchi was enrolled at a local sumo ''dōjō'', coincidentally the future Gōeidō was also enrolled there at this time. In 1996 as a primary school fourth grader, he came in runner up at a national children's sumo tournament. A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fujinokawa
Fujinokawa Takeo (born 26 September 1946 as Takeo Morita) is a former sumo wrestler from Otofuke, Hokkaido, Japan. He made his professional debut in May 1961 and reached a highest rank of ''sekiwake'' in May 1967. He was a runner-up in two top division ''(makuuchi)'' tournaments, finishing three wins behind Tamanoshima in May 1968 and losing a playoff to ''ozeki'' Kiyokuni in July 1969. He earned four ''kinboshi'' for defeating ''yokozuna'' and won seven special prizes. After his retirement in 1972 at the age of 26 he became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association and took over as head coach of Isenoumi stable in 1982. He left the Sumo Association in 2011 upon reaching 65 years of age. Career He joined professional sumo upon graduating from Takushoku University Daiichi High School in 1961. He initially wrestled under his own surname, Morita. He won the ''makushita'' division championship or '' yusho'' in November 1965 with a perfect 7–0 record. He reached the ''juryo'' division ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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] |
Toshiyori
A is a sumo elder of the Japan Sumo Association (JSA). Also known as , former wrestlers who reached a sufficiently high rank are the only people eligible. The benefits are considerable, as only ''toshiyori'' are allowed to run and coach in sumo stables, known as ''heya,'' and they are also the only former wrestlers given retirement pay. Process To become an elder, a retiring wrestler must be a Japanese citizen. This regulation dates from September 1976 and was widely thought to be a result of the success of the Hawaiian Takamiyama Daigorō, who had become the first foreign wrestler to win a championship in 1972, and had expressed interest in becoming an elder. Takamiyama ultimately became a Japanese citizen in June 1980 and did become the first foreign-born elder upon his retirement in 1984. Elders must also have fought at least one tournament in the ''san'yaku'' ranks (''komusubi'' and above), or else twenty tournaments in the top ''makuuchi'' division or thirty as a ''sek ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kyokutaisei
is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Asahikawa, Hokkaido. His debut in ''maezumō'' was in January 2008, and his first ''makuuchi'' division ''honbasho'' was the Natsu tournament in May 2018. His highest rank has been ''maegashira'' 8. He has one special prize for Fighting Spirit. He is a member of Ōshima stable. Career Early career He was originally a judo practitioner, but was strongly encouraged by his father and sponsors from his hometown of Asahikawa to join sumo which he initially rejected. When asked again by his father after he finished high school, he agreed. He was then accepted to Ōshima stable by Ōshima-''oyakata''. He was light entering sumo at 83 kg so to add weight he would eat as much and as often as he could even waking up in the middle of the night for snacks to add on the calories. Because of him being so light his oyakata would tell him to imitate Ama later known as Harumafuji who also was a light wrestler. Early on he disliked sumo citing hom ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hokutoumi
is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Hokkaidō. He was the sport's 61st ''yokozuna'' and won eight top division championships. He wrestled for Kokonoe stable, as did Chiyonofuji, and the two were the first ''yokozuna'' stablemates to take part in a play-off for the championship, in 1989. After a number of injury problems he retired in 1992, and is now the head coach of Hakkaku stable. In November 2015 he was appointed chairman of the Japan Sumo Association, following the death of Kitanoumi, initially to serve until the end of March 2016. He was then elected as head for a full term by his fellow board members in a vote held in March 2016, and was re-elected in 2018, 2020 and 2022. Early life Hoshi was born in Hiroo, Hokkaidō. An uncle was an acquaintance of former ''yokozuna'' Kitanofuji, who by then had retired from competition and was running Kokonoe stable, and at his invitation Hoshi moved to Tokyo. Upon leaving school, his first appearance in the ring was M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chiyonofuji
, born , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler and the 58th ''yokozuna'' of the sport. Following his retirement as a wrestler, he was the stable master of Kokonoe stable until the time of his death. Chiyonofuji was considered one of the greatest ''yokozuna'' of recent times, winning 31 ''yūshō'' or tournament championships, second at the time only to Taihō. He was particularly remarkable for his longevity in sumo's top rank, which he held for a period of ten years from 1981 to 1991. Promoted at the age of twenty-six after winning his second championship, his performance improved with age, winning more tournaments in his thirties than any other wrestler and dominating the sport in the second half of the 1980s. He finally retired in May 1991, just short of his thirty-sixth birthday. This is in contrast to more recent ''yokozuna'' who have tended to retire around 30. During his 21-year professional career, Chiyonofuji set records for most career victories (1045) and most w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
