), lead=yes is a Japanese 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 other than the soles of his feet (usually by thr ...
wrestler or ''
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 t ...
'' from
Elhovo
Elhovo ( bg, Елхово ) is a Bulgarian town in Yambol Province, located on the left bank of the Tundzha river, between Strandzha and Sakar mountains. Second largest city in the region after Jambol, the city is located at 36 km from bord ...
,
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
. He made his professional debut in
2009, reaching the top division two years later, debuting in the November 2011 tournament. Aoiyama has won four
Fighting Spirit awards, one Technique award and one ''
kinboshi
is a notation used in professional sumo wrestling to record a lower-ranked (''maegashira'') wrestler's victory over a ''yokozuna''.
It is believed that the term stems from the usage of the terms ''shiroboshi'' (lit: white star) to designate a bo ...
'' for defeating a ''
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 on ...
''. He has twice been runner-up in a tournament. His highest rank has been ''
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 o ...
''. Aoiyama is one of the
heaviest competitors in sumo, weighing around 200 kg for most tournaments. In March 2022, he obtained
Japanese citizenship
Japanese nationality law details the conditions by which a person holds nationality of Japan. The primary law governing nationality regulations is the 1950 Nationality Act.
Children born to at least one Japanese parent are generally automaticall ...
.
Early life and sumo background
After wrestling for ten years and doing amateur sumo for three, he entered the professional sumo world at the introduction of fellow countryman, ''
ōzeki''
Kotoōshū, becoming only the second Bulgarian ''rikishi''. He joined
Tagonoura stable, run by former ''maegashira''
Kushimaumi
Kushimaumi Keita (久島海 啓太; 6 August 1965 – 13 February 2012), born as Keita Kushima (久嶋 啓太), was a sumo wrestler from Shingū, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. A successful amateur, his highest rank in professional sumo was '' ...
. When asked by his coach whether he preferred mountains or rivers, he chose mountains and so was given the ''
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'' ...
'' of Aoiyama, meaning "blue mountain".
Career
Early career
![Aoiyama 2009](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Aoiyama_2009.jpg)
In his professional debut as Aoiyama Kiyohito in the September 2009 tournament, he won the ''
jonokuchi
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 ...
'' championship with a perfect 7–0 record. He subsequently changed his name to Aoiyama Kōsuke for his ''
jonidan
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 ...
'' debut in the following November tournament, which he also won with a 7–0 record followed by a playoff win against the sole
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
i wrestler
Kazafuzan. In the following January 2010 tournament at ''
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. For ...
'' he finally lost his first bout, having won all of his previous 16 matches. This would be his only loss though, and his 6–1 record was enough to propel him into the ''
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. For ...
'' division in the following March tournament. He again posted a perfect record and took the ''makushita'' championship. His meteoric rise would slow starting with his next tournament however. He only managed two wins in his next ''makushita'' tournament. This was his first losing tournament. In contrast to his previous successes, he struggled somewhat for several more tournaments at this level. He eventually had enough winning tournaments in upper ''makushita'' to allow his promotion into the professional ''
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 ...
'' ranks for the July 2011 tournament. He was promoted to the high rank of ''jūryō'' 4 due to the high number of vacancies left by wrestlers forced to retire due to involvement in match-fixing. At this high level he only managed a 7–8 record and moved down two ranks to ''jūryō'' 6 for the following September tournament. Suffering from a
herniated disc
Spinal disc herniation is an injury to the cushioning and connective tissue between vertebrae, usually caused by excessive strain or trauma to the spine. It may result in back pain, pain or sensation in different parts of the body, and physical ...
, he was forced to sit out the first two days of the tournament, but managed to make a remarkable recovery and pulled out an impressive 10–3 record for his remaining bouts of the tournament.
''Makuuchi'' career
Aoiyama's record was enough to allow him promotion to the top ''
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 o ...
'' division for November 2011. He posted an impressive 11–4 record and received a
Fighting Spirit award for his efforts. He did, however, share this record with his rival,
Wakakōyū having lost to him on the final day of the tournament.
In February 2012 Aoiyama's stablemaster died and Tagonoura stable was dissolved, with Aoiyama moving to the affiliated
Kasugano stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi '' ichimon'' or group of stables. As of January 2022 it had 18 wrestlers. It has been led by former '' sekiwake'' Tochinowaka Kiyotaka since 2003. It was one of the most successful stables in 2 ...
. After an 8–7 score in the March tournament, he reached his highest rank to date of ''maegashira'' 6 in the May tournament, where he produced a fine 11–4 record. In the July tournament he faced all the top ranked wrestlers for the first time. Although he was 1–6 down after seven days, he recovered to clinch his ''
kachi-koshi
The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
...
'' on the final day. In September he made his ''
san'yaku
The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
...
'' debut at ''
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 ...
'', which was just 18 tournaments after his professional debut, the seventh fastest since 1958. However, he could only win four matches. He was forced to withdraw from the November 2012 tournament on Day 9 with a knee injury. He picked up his first ''
kinboshi
is a notation used in professional sumo wrestling to record a lower-ranked (''maegashira'') wrestler's victory over a ''yokozuna''.
It is believed that the term stems from the usage of the terms ''shiroboshi'' (lit: white star) to designate a bo ...
'' or gold star for defeating ''
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 on ...
''
Harumafuji in September 2013.
He earned promotion to ''
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 o ...
'' with a strong 10–5 performance in September 2014 in which he went 4–3 against wrestlers ranked in the ''
san'yaku
The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
...
''. He then secured a winning record in the subsequent November tournament to remain at ''sekiwake'' for the start of 2015. A 5–10 record in January 2015 saw him lose his ''san'yaku'' status was followed by another ten losses in March, but he showed some return to form to post winning records in May and July. Between September 2015 and March 2016 he recorded four consecutive 7–8 records at the top end of the ''maegashira'' rankings before a 6–9 in May.
![Aoiyama-2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Aoiyama-2.jpg)
He remained in the upper-to-mid ''maegashira'' for the next few tournaments but a 4–11 in May 2017 saw him drop to ''maegashira'' 8, his lowest rank for three years. Aoiyama responded to the less challenging schedule by producing a career-best performance in July 2017 – he entered the final day as the only wrestler left in a position to deny Hakuhō his 39th championship. He defeated ''
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 ...
''
Yoshikaze
Yoshikaze Masatsugu (born March 19, 1982 as Masatsugu Ōnishi) is a former sumo wrestler from Saiki, Oita, Saiki, Oita Prefecture, Japan. His highest rank was ''sekiwake''. A former amateur sumo champion, he turned professional in 2004, reaching ...
in his last match but was denied the chance to take part in a play-off for the ''
yūshō
is the term for a championship in Japanese. This article focuses on championships in the sport of professional sumo.
It is awarded in each of the six annual '' honbasho'' or official tournaments, to the wrestler who wins the most bouts. ''Y ...
'' when Hakuhō also won his final match. Nevertheless, Aoiyama finished in second place on 13–2, winning his second Fighting Spirit prize in the process. He was promoted to ''maegashira'' 2 but was forced to miss the first week of the September 2017 tournament due to a "bone contusion" in his left knee. He entered the tournament on Day 8 and was immediately put up against a ''yokozuna'', Harumafuji, the first time this has happened to a late entrant to a tournament since
Kitanonada faced a ''yokozuna'' in his first bout back at the Nagoya tournament in 1961. He also faced the rest of the ''san'yaku'' he was eligible to meet due to his high rank (though spared from facing the top-performing ''maegashira'' around him in rank) and managed only 3 wins in the 8 days he competed.
He was forced to withdraw from the November 2017 tournament on Day 3 after injuring ligaments in his right knee in a defeat to
Okinoumi
is a retired Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Okinoshima, Shimane. He joined professional sumo in 2005, reaching the top division in 2010. He was runner-up in ''makuuchi'' three times in the January 2011, March 2013, and November 2017 t ...
the previous day. However, he returned to the tournament on Day 8. Although he won two of his remaining matches this was not enough to prevent him from being demoted to ''jūryō'' for the January 2018 tournament. He scored 9–6 in this tournament, which was enough for an immediate return to ''makuuchi'', albeit at the very bottom rank of ''maegashira'' 17 East.
In March 2019 he produced his second best score in the top division to date of 12–3, and won the Fighting Spirit Prize. This performance returned him to ''komusubi'' for the May 2019 tournament, his first appearance in ''san'yaku'' since January 2015 when he was ranked at ''sekiwake''. By March 2020 he had fallen to ''maegashira'' 13, but won eleven out of his first twelve matches to be the outright tournament leader on Day 12. He then lost his last three bouts to
Takanoshō,
Hakuhō and
Ishiura to finish out of the running on 11–4. He was however given his first Technique Prize.
Aoiyama turned in his second ''makuuchi'' runner-up performance in the March 2021 tournament, finishing with a record of 11–4 at ''maegashira'' 12. He was awarded his fourth ''kantō-shō'' (Fighting Spirit Prize) for his efforts. He withdrew from the following tournament in May due to lower back pain.
In May 2022 Aoiyama won his first six bouts and was the sole leader of the tournament at that point. His hopes for the championship were ended however on Day 14 when he lost his fifth match.
Fighting style
Aoiyama was a ''yotsu-sumo'' specialist who preferred grabbing the 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 .
For top ranked professional , it is made of silk and comes in a v ...
'' and grappling rather than pushing or thrusting. However, after gaining significant weight following his Makuuchi debut, he started to predominantly use pushing, thrusting and back-step pulling attacks as this has proven extremely effective due to his upper body strength. As of March 2015, 62% of his wins have come by mean of either hatakikomi, oshidashi and tsukidashi, all of which involved pushing and thrusting.
Personal life
Aoiyama is married to Violeta, an architect from the same area of Bulgaria as himself. They met in 2015 when both were in Bulgaria, and began living together in Japan from July 2016. The marriage was registered in August and the wedding reception was held in a Tokyo hotel in February 2017 with around 230 guests including fellow
Dewanoumi group
A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together.
Groups of people
* Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity
* Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...
members such as
Ura and
Mitakeumi
is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Agematsu, Nagano. He is in the Dewanoumi stable. He is a pusher thruster-type wrestler. A former amateur champion at Toyo University, he made his professional debut in March 2015, reaching the top '' ...
. In a May 2015 interview in Bulgaria, Aoiyama stated that he identifies as a
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
.
Aoiyama and his wife Violeta welcomed their first child, Monica, in October 2021. On 16 March 2022, it was announced that he had obtained
Japanese citizenship
Japanese nationality law details the conditions by which a person holds nationality of Japan. The primary law governing nationality regulations is the 1950 Nationality Act.
Children born to at least one Japanese parent are generally automaticall ...
. His Japanese name is .
Career record
See also
*
List of sumo tournament top division runners-up
The table below lists the runners up ('' jun-yusho'') in the top '' makuuchi'' division at official sumo
is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a '' rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring ...
*
List of active gold star earners
*
*
List of active sumo wrestlers
The following is an alphabetical list of all active professional sumo wrestlers in the top ''makuuchi'' division, and all those currently in lower divisions who have a Wikipedia article. Please refer to professional sumo divisions for more informa ...
*
List of non-Japanese sumo wrestlers
This is a list of foreign-born professional sumo wrestlers by country and/or ethnicity of origin, along with original name, years active in sumo wrestling, and highest rank attained. Names in bold indicate a still-active wrestler.
There are 186 w ...
*
List of sekiwake
This is a list of all sumo wrestlers whose pinnacle in the sport has been the third highest rank of ''sekiwake'' and who held the rank in the modern era of sumo since the 1927 merger of the Tokyo and Osaka organizations. There are usually two act ...
*
Active special prize winners
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aoiyama, Kosuke
1986 births
Living people
Bulgarian Christians
Bulgarian emigrants
Bulgarian sumo wrestlers
Japanese sumo wrestlers
Naturalized citizens of Japan
People from Elhovo
Sekiwake