Kinoarashi Kazutoshi (born 9 July 1961 as Kazutoshi Ishiyama) is a former

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 from Yūbari,

Hokkaidō is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. He joined professional sumo in 1977 and reached 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 on ...

'' division in 1982. His highest rank was ''

maegashira , 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 ...

'' 2. He fell to the ''

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 ...

'' division through injury before staging a successful comeback to the top division in 1987. He retired in 1991.

Career

His father was a coal miner. He played baseball and table tennis at junior high school. He joined

Oshiogawa stable was a Heya (sumo), stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Nishonoseki group of stables. In its modern form it dates from March 1975 when it was founded by Daikirin Takayoshi, Daikirin, a former Nishonoseki stable (1911–2013), Nishonoseki stable wre ...

, recruited by the former

Daikirin Daikirin Takayoshi (大麒麟將能) (20 June 1942 – 4 August 2010), born Masakatsu Tsutsumi, was a sumo wrestler from Saga Prefecture, Japan. He began his professional career in 1958 and reached his highest rank of '' ōzeki'' twelve years l ...

. He made his professional debut in March 1977, alongside another future top division wrestler from the same stable,

Enazakura Enazakura Tooru (born 29 July 1960 as Toru Hayakawa) is a former sumo wrestler from Sakashita, Gifu, Japan. He made his professional debut in March 1977 and reached the top division in November 1987. His highest rank was ''maegashira'' 1. Upon ...

. He reached the top division in March 1982. He was touted as a possible candidate for ''

ozeki Ozeki or Ōzeki may refer to: * Ōzeki, a rank in ''Makuuchi'', the top division of professional sumo ** List of ōzeki * Ōzeki station (disambiguation), the name of two railway stations in Japan * Ōzeki Masutoshi (1849–1905), 16th daimyō o ...

'' and was named "Rookie of the Year" by the ''Tokyo Chunichi Sports'' newspaper after earning a ''

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 b ...

'' 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 ...

Kitanoumi , born , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He was the dominant wrestler in the sport during the 1970s. Kitanoumi was promoted to '' yokozuna'' at the age of 21, becoming the youngest ever to achieve sumo's top rank. He won 24 tournament ...

in September 1982. However he suffered a serious injury to his left knee whilst training with

Hōō ''Fènghuáng'' (, ) are mythological birds found in Sinospheric mythology that reign over all other birds. The males were originally called ''fèng'' and the females ''huáng'', but such a distinction of gender is often no longer made and ...

Nishonoseki stable Nishonoseki stable may refer to: * Nishonoseki stable (1911–2013) (1911–2013) was a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Nishonoseki group of stables (''ichimon'') named after it. It first appeared in the late eighteenth century and was re-e ...

in 1983 which led to him missing several tournaments and falling to the fourth ''

'' division. He slowly rose again in the ranks and won the ''

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. F ...

'' division '' yusho'' or tournament championship in September 1986. In March 1987 he was promoted back to the top division. At the time he held the record for lowest rank fallen before a successful return to ''makuuchi'' at Sandanme #25 (this record stood for 28 years before being surpassed by Tosayutaka in 2015). However, due to the severity of his injury he was unable to fulfill his early promise. He did not manage to earn another ''kinboshi'' or win a special prize and never managed to reach the ''

sanyaku The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. A B C D E F G H ...

'' ranks, his highest rank of ''

'' 2 being achieved back in November 1982. He left the sumo world upon retirement in September 1991, and opened a

chanko is a Japanese cuisine, Japanese stew (a type of nabemono or one-pot dish) commonly eaten in vast quantity by sumo wrestlers as part of a weight-gain diet. Ingredients and consumption The dish contains a ''dashi'' or chicken broth soup base ...

restaurant in Koto, Tokyo.

Fighting style

Kinoarashi favoured yotsu-sumo, or grappling techniques, and used a left hand outside, right hand inside (''migi-yotsu'') 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 . For top ranked professional , it is made of silk and comes in a var ...

.'' His favourite ''

kimarite ''Kimarite'' ( ja, 決まり手) is the technique used in sumo by a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) to win a match. It is officially decided or announced by the ''gyōji'' (referee) at the end of the match, though judges can modify this decision. The rec ...

'' or techniques were ''yori-kiri'' (force out), ''yori-taoshi'' (force out and down) ''uwate nage'' (overarm throw), and ''sukui nage'' (scoop throw).

Career record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kinoarashi, Kazutoshi 1961 births Living people Japanese sumo wrestlers Sumo people from Hokkaido

Career

Fighting style

Career record

See also

References