(July 9, 1942 – April 14, 1996), born , was a

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 Otaru,

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 ...

. His highest rank was '' sekiwake''. After his retirement he became an

elder An elder is someone with a degree of seniority or authority. Elder or elders may refer to: Positions Administrative * Elder (administrative title), a position of authority Cultural * North American Indigenous elder, a person who has and tr ...

of the Japan Sumo Association and the head coach of

Onaruto stable Dejima Takeharu (出島武春, born March 21, 1974) is a former sumo wrestler from Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Ishikawa, Japan. A former amateur champion, he made his professional debut in 1996, reaching the top ''makuu ...

Career

He made his professional debut in March 1957, joining Asahiyama stable. He won the '' yūshō'' or tournament championship with a 13-2 record in the ''

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. For ...

'' division in July 1963 and was promoted to the top '' makuuchi'' division in the following tournament in September 1963. He was demoted back to ''jūryō'' after only two tournaments and changed his '' shikona'' to Futasegawa, which had been the fighting name of his stablemaster. He won promotion back to ''makuuchi'' in July 1964 but was demoted again, this time after three tournaments. After switching back to the Kotetsuyama name he won promotion to ''makuuchi'' for the third time in May 1965 after a 12-3 ''jūryō'' runner-up performance, and this time stayed in the top division. He was runner-up to Taihō in March 1966, and won his first '' sanshō'', for Fighting Spirit. In November 1966 he was runner-up for the second time, defeated '' yokozuna'' Sadanoyama to earn his first '' kinboshi'', and received the Technique Prize. In the following tournament in January 1967 he was ranked at '' sekiwake'', but scored only 3–12 and never reached the rank again. He is one of the rare examples of a wrestler whose only tournament in the ''

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

'' ranks was at ''sekiwake'', rather than '' komusubi'' (along with

Hayateumi Hayateumi Hidehito (born July 5, 1975 as Naohito Saitō) is a former sumo wrestler from Aomori, Japan. His highest rank was ''sekiwake.'' He is now a Liberal Democratic Party politician. Career Born in Itayanagi, Kitatsugaru District, Hayate ...

and Hokutoriki). He earned a second ''kinboshi'' in July 1969 for beating Taihō, and remained a rank-and-file '' maegashira'' until March 1971, when a poor 1–14 record saw him demoted back to ''jūryō.'' He managed to return to ''makuuchi'' in November 1971 but was demoted to ''jūryō'' a number of times after that, his last ''makuuchi'' appearance coming in January 1974.

Retirement from sumo

He retired in January 1975. He branched out from Asahiyama stable and established the

in October 1975. He produced the top division wrestler

Itai Itai (''ee-tai'') is a Hebrew biblical name, and also a Shona name. The name can also be written: Itai, Itahy, Ittai, Ittay, Etay, Eitay, Itay, Ytai, Etai, Itaj, Ithai, or Eatai. Hebrew name Itai ( he, איתי) is a Biblical name that appears i ...

, a pusher-thruster like himself who also briefly used the Kōtetsuyama ''shikona'', and the lightweight ''

'' wrestler Ishinriki. He was married to a ballet instructor. Onaruto stable closed in December 1994 and he left the Japan Sumo Association.

Death

He died in somewhat mysterious circumstances in 1996, a month before claims he made about match-fixing in sumo were published in a book called ''Yaocho.'' The co-writer of the book died within hours of Onaruto, in the same hospital. Police found no evidence of foul play, but Onaruto's wrestler Itai later said his boss had links to a major yakuza crime syndicate.

Fighting style

Kotetsuyama was short for a sumo wrestler at 175cm, but was known for the power of his pushing attack. He was very much an ''oshi-sumo'' specialist, who preferred pushing and thrusting at his opponents to fighting on the '' mawashi'' or belt. His most common winning '' kimarite'' or techniques at '' sekitori'' level were ''oshi-dashi'' (push out), ''tsuki-otoshi'' (thrust over) and ''hataki-komi'' (slap down).

Career record

*''The Nagoya tournament was first held in 1958.''

References