Ōshio Kenji (born Kenji Hatano; 4 January 1948 – 25 May 2024) was a Japanese

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 th ...

wrestler from

Kitakyushu is a Cities of Japan, city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, Kitakyushu has an estimated population of 940,978, making it the second-largest city in both Fukuoka Prefecture and the island of Kyushu after the city of Fuk ...

. His highest rank was ''

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 o ...

''. His career lasted twenty-six years, from 1962 until 1988, and he holds the record for the most bouts contested in professional sumo. After his retirement at the age of 40 he became an elder of the

Japan Sumo Association The , officially the ; sometimes abbreviated JSA or NSK, and more usually called Sumo Kyōkai, is the governing body that operates and controls Professional sports, professional sumo wrestling, called , in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Min ...

and set up Shikihide stable in 1992. He left the Sumo Association upon turning 65 in 2013. He died in 2024.

Career

Ōshio Kenji was born in Yahata Higashi ward. He made his professional debut in January 1962 at the age of just 14, joining

Tokitsukaze stable The is a stable of sumo wrestlers in Japan, one of the Tokitsukaze group of stables. It was founded in 1769 and was dominant during the Taishō period. In its modern form it dates from 1941 when it was established by Futabayama, who was still a ...

. During his first year he also attended Ryogoku Junior High School to complete his compulsory education. His first stablemaster was the former ''

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 o ...

Futabayama was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Oita Prefecture. Entering sumo in 1927, he was the sport's 35th ''Yokozuna (sumo), yokozuna'' from 1937 until his retirement in 1945. He won twelve ''yūshō'' or top division championships and had ...

. He initially fought under his own surname, Hatano, before adopting the ''

shikona A is a sumo wrestler's ring name. The tradition of ring names in sumo dates back to the Muromachi period and established itself during the Edo period, where they were used as a means to hide the identities of the . Given by the master to his di ...

'' of Ōshio in 1969. He reached the second highest ''

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. Fo ...

'' division in November 1969 and was promoted to the top ''

makuuchi , or , is the top division of Professional sumo divisions, 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 ...

'' division for the first time in September 1971. He reached his top rank of ''komusubi'' in January 1978, but held it for only one tournament. In the May 1978 tournament he defeated Wajima on the opening day, his first ever victory over a ''yokozuna''. He was to earn two more ''

kinboshi is a notation used in professional 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 oth ...

'' in September 1982 and January 1983, at the age of 35. He also earned two special

prizes A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.

, for Technique and Fighting Spirit. During his extraordinarily long career, Ōshio was ranked in ''makuuchi'' for 51 tournaments and 55 tournaments in ''jūryō'', for a total of 106 ranked as an elite ''

sekitori A ''sekitori'' (関取) is a '' rikishi'' (力士, sumo wrestler) who is ranked in one of the top two professional divisions: '' makuuchi'' and '' jūryō''. The name literally translates to having taken the barrier, as only a relatively small fr ...

'' wrestler, a record that stood until 2002 when it was broken by Terao. His total of ''jūryō'' tournaments is a record he shares with Hachiya. He also holds the "elevator" record for winning promotion to ''makuuchi'' from ''jūryō'' a total of 13 times, The longest he was able to stay in the top division consecutively was 18 tournaments between January 1981 and November 1983. He fell from ''makuuchi'' for the last time in May 1984, and announced his retirement in January 1988 at the age of forty after falling into the non-salaried ''

makushita 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. Fo ...

'' division. He had competed in 157 tournaments, and had fought a total of 1891 career bouts, the latter of which is an all-time record. His total of 964 career wins was also a record at the time, although it was surpassed by

Chiyonofuji , born , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler and the 58th ''yokozuna'' of the sport. Chiyonofuji was considered one of the greatest ''yokozuna'' in sumo's history, winning 31 tournament championships (''yūshō'') at the top division ('' ...

less than two years later, in September 1989.

Retirement from sumo

Ōshio remained in the sumo world as an elder of the

and set up Shikihide stable in May 1992. He did not produce a ''sekitori'' until 2012, when his top wrestler of Mongolia finally won promotion to ''jūryō'' in the January tournament after eleven years in sumo. The nineteen years and nine months Shikihide stable took to produce a ''sekitori'' is the longest by a newly established stable since World War II. (Senshō also took longer to reach the ''sekitori'' ranks than any other foreign recruit since WWII.) He stood down as the head of the stable in December 2012 as he was shortly to reach the mandatory retirement age of 65, and passed over control to the former ''maegashira''

Kitazakura , born December 15, 1971 as , is a former sumo wrestler from Asakita ward, Hiroshima City, Japan. His highest rank was ''maegashira'' 9. He is the elder brother of Toyozakura, also a top division wrestler. He was a popular figure with sumo fans ...

. Unusually, Kitazakura belongs to a different ichimon, Dewanoumi, but there was a personal connection as Ōshio was a close friend of Kitazakura′s father. His son Koichi was born in 1984 and joined Shikihide stable in 1999, fighting under the name of Tamahikari. He reached a highest rank of ''

sandanme 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. Fo ...

'' 87 before retiring in 2011 after 12 years in sumo. Ōshio died on 25 May 2024 at the age of 76. His death was announced by the Sumo Association on 1 June.

Fighting style

Ōshio's preferred grip on his opponent's ''

mawashi In sumo, a is the loincloth that (sumo wrestlers) wear during training or in competition. Upper ranked professional wrestlers wear a as part of the ring entry ceremony or . ''Mawashi'' ''Sekitori'' During competition For top ranked profess ...

'' was ''hidari-yotsu'', a right hand outside, left hand inside position. His most commonly used ''

kimarite is the technique used in sumo by a (wrestler) to win a match. It is officially decided or announced by the (referee) at the end of the match, though judge (sumo), judges can modify this decision. The records of are then kept for statistical ...

'' at ''sekitori'' level was ''yori-kiri'', a straightforward force out, which was used in around 30 percent of his victories. He also won frequently with ''oshi-dashi'' (push out), ''yori taoshi'' (force out and down) and ''uwatenage'' (overarm throw).

Career record

References

External links