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Rikishi
A , or, more colloquially, , is a professional sumo wrestler. follow and live by the centuries-old rules of the sumo profession, with most coming from Japan, the only country where sumo is practiced professionally. Participation in official tournaments () is the only means of marking achievement in sumo, with the rank of an individual based solely on official wins. The number of active peaked at 943 in May 1994, at the height of the "Waka-Taka boom," but had declined to 665 by January 2022. Terminology In popular use, the term can mean any sumo wrestler and be an alternative term to (sumo practitioner) or the more colloquial . The two kanji characters that make up the word are "strength/power" and "gentleman/samurai"; consequently, and more idiomatically, the term can be defined as "a gentleman of strength". Within the world of professional sumo, is used as a catch-all term for wrestlers who are in the lower, un-salaried divisions of , , and . The more prestigious t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Takanohana Kōji
is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler and coach. He was the 65th man in history to reach sumo's highest rank of ''yokozuna'', and he won 22 tournament championships between 1992 and 2001, the sixth highest total ever. The son of a popular '' ōzeki'' ranked wrestler from the 1970s, Takanohana's rise through the ranks alongside his elder brother Wakanohana and his rivalry with the foreign born ''yokozuna'' Akebono saw interest in sumo and attendance at tournaments soar during the early 1990s. Takanohana was the youngest ever to reach the top division at just 17, and he set a number of other age-related records. He had a solid but aggressive style, looking to get a right hand grip on his opponents' ''mawashi'' and move them quickly out of the ring. He won over half his bouts by a straightforward '' yorikiri'', or force out. In his later career he suffered increasingly from injuries, and he retired in January 2003 at the age of 30. He became the head coach of Takanoha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akebono Tarō
is an American-born Japanese former professional sumo wrestler and professional wrestler from Waimānalo, Hawaii. Joining sumo in Japan in 1988, he was trained by pioneering Hawaiian wrestler Takamiyama and rose swiftly up the rankings, reaching the top division in 1990. After two consecutive '' yusho'' or tournament championships in November 1992 and January 1993 he made history by becoming the first non-Japanese-born wrestler ever to reach ''yokozuna'', the highest rank in sumo. One of the tallest and heaviest wrestlers ever, Akebono's rivalry with the young Japanese hopefuls, Takanohana and Wakanohana, was a big factor in the increased popularity of sumo at tournament venues and on TV in the early 1990s. During his eight years at the ''yokozuna'' rank, Akebono won a further eight tournament championships, for a career total of eleven, and was a runner-up on thirteen other occasions, despite suffering several serious injuries. Although his rival ''yokozuna'' Takanohana wo ... [...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] |
Wakanohana Masaru
is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler. As an active wrestler he was known as , and his rise through the ranks alongside his younger brother Takanohana Kōji saw a boom in sumo's popularity in the early 1990s. He is the elder son of the former '' ōzeki'' Takanohana Kenshi, who was also his stablemaster, and the nephew of Wakanohana Kanji I, a famous ''yokozuna'' of the 1950s. Wakanohana was a long serving ''ōzeki'' who won five tournament championships, and eventually joined his brother at ''yokozuna'' rank in 1998, creating the first ever sibling grand champions. After a brief and injury plagued ''yokozuna'' career he retired in 2000, becoming a television personality and restaurant owner. The death of his father in 2005 saw a very public falling out with his brother. Sumo career Early career He entered sumo in March 1988, at the same time as his younger brother Takanohana, and joined his father's training stable, then known as Fujishima stable. The two brothers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toyonishiki Kiichiro
Toyonishiki Kiichiro (born Harley Ozaki, 3 February 1920 – 26 September 1998) was an American-born Japanese sumo wrestler from Pierce, Colorado who was one of the first foreign-born wrestlers to reach the top ''makuuchi'' division. He made his professional debut in January 1938 and reached ''makuuchi'' in May 1944, nearly 25 years before the more well known Hawaiian born Takamiyama Daigoro. However, he fought in only one tournament in the top division before being drafted into the Imperial Japanese Army against his wishes, and he never returned to sumo. He remained in Japan after the war, and ran an inn later in life. Career He was born as Harley Ozaki in Pierce, Colorado, although he was to list Chikujō, Fukuoka as his birthplace on the ''banzuke'' ranking sheets. He joined Dewanoumi stable in January 1938. He had been introduced to the stable by a relative during a visit to Japan. Initially he knew nothing about sumo, assuming that the sand covered clay ''dohyō'' was made ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Takamiyama Daigorō
is a former sumo wrestler, the first foreign-born wrestler to win the top division championship (in 1972). His highest rank was ''sekiwake''. His active career spanned twenty years from 1964 to 1984, and he set a number of longevity list of sumo record holders, records, including most tournaments ranked in the top ''makuuchi'' division, and most consecutive top division appearances. He is also the first foreign-born wrestler ever to take charge of a training heya (sumo), stable, founding Azumazeki stable in 1986. His most successful wrestler was fellow Hawaiian Akebono Taro, Akebono who reached the highest rank of ''yokozuna (sumo), yokozuna'' in 1993. He retired as a coach in 2009 in sumo, 2009. Early life Kuhaulua was born in Happy Valley, Maui to parents who were mostly of Native Hawaiians, Hawaiian descent. Due to his impressive height of 6 foot 2 inches (189 cm) and 280 pounds (127 kg), he was recruited as a tackle for the Henry Perrine Baldwin High School ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Konishiki Yasokichi
Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e (born December 31, 1963), professionally known as is an American former sumo wrestler.Franz LidzMeat Bomb, 05.18.92 - ''Sports Illustrated'' He was the first non-Japanese-born wrestler to reach '' ōzeki'', the second-highest possible rank in the sport. During his career he won the top division championship on three occasions and came very close to becoming the first foreign-born grand champion, or ''yokozuna'', prompting a social debate in Japan as to whether a foreigner could have the necessary cultural understanding to be deemed acceptable in sumo's ultimate rank. At a peak weight of he was also at the time the heaviest wrestler ever in sumo, earning him the nicknames "Meat Bomb" and, most famously, "The Dump Truck".Franz LidzMeat Bomb, 05.18.92 - ''Sports Illustrated'' Early career Playing truant from school one day, Atisanoe, already 170kg at the age of 18, was spotted on the beach in Hawaii by a sumo talent scout and was offered the chance to go ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Makuuchi
, 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] |
Rikidōzan
(born Kim Sin-rak; ; November 14, 1924 – December 15, 1963), better known as Rikidōzan (), was a Korean-born Japanese wrestler who competed in sumo and professional wrestling. He was known as The Father of Puroresu, and one of the most influential persons in professional wrestling history. Initially, he had moved from his native country Korea to Japan to become a ''rikishi'' (sumo wrestler). He was credited with bringing the sport of professional wrestling to Japan at a time when the Japanese needed a local hero to emulate and was lauded as a national hero. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017, becoming the first Korean inductee and the third puroresu star to be inducted after Antonio Inoki and Tatsumi Fujinami. He was killed in a street fight with a member of the Sumiyoshi-ikka in 1963. Biography Early years Rikidōzan was born Kim Sin-rak in Kankyō-nan, Chōsen (now South Hamgyong, North Korea), on November 14, 1924. He was the youngest son of Kim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Makuuchi
, 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] |
Yokozuna
, 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] |
Musashimaru Kōyō
is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler. He was born in American Samoa, before moving to Hawaii at the age of 10. At 18 he moved to Japan and made his professional sumo debut in 1989, reaching the top ''makuuchi'' division in 1991. After reaching the rank of '' ōzeki'' in 1994 his progress seemed to stall, but in 1999 he became only the second foreign-born wrestler in history to reach the sport's highest rank of ''yokozuna''. Musashimaru won over 700 top division bouts and took twelve top division tournament championships during his career. His sheer bulk combined with of height made him a formidable opponent, and he was remarkably consistent and injury-free for most of his career. An amiable personality, his fan base was helped by a surprising facial resemblance to Japanese warrior hero Saigō Takamori. After becoming a Japanese national and retiring in 2003, he became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association and founded the Musashigawa stable in 2013. Early career F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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