Takanowaka Yūki (born 2 April 1976 as Yūki Ozaki) 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 Ikitsuki,

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in the ...

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 , 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 ...

''.

Career

Takanowaka was born as Yūki Ozaki, the son of a professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

player. In his youth he played not only baseball but also

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

, for which he was offered several scholarships. He tried sumo at the suggestion of his school's sumo club manager, who had connections with

Naruto stable Naruto stable (鳴戸部屋 ''Naruto-beya'') is a heya (sumo), stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Nishonoseki ''ichimon'' or group of stables, and founded by former sumo wrestler Kotoōshū Katsunori on 1 April 2017. History Naruto stable ...

. Takanowaka joined the stable in March 1992, making his debut alongside future ''sekiwake''

Wakanosato Wakanosato Shinobu (born Shinobu Kogawa; July 10, 1976) is a retired sumo wrestler from Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan. He made his debut in the top division in 1998, and his highest rank was ''sekiwake''. He holds the record for the most consecutive tour ...

. As is common, he initially fought under his own surname, soon switching to "Takaozaki" before adopting the fighting name of Takanowaka in 1998. Initially weighing only , it took him several years to work his way through the lower ranks. He was promoted to 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. For ...

'' division in May 1999 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 just three tournaments later in November 1999. Takanowaka was ranked in the top division for 34 tournaments in total, with a win-loss rate of 229–242, with 39 absences. He earned 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 b ...

'', or gold star, by defeating ''yokozuna'' Musashimaru in May 2001, and three special prizes. His best performance was probably in November 2002 when produced a strong 11–4 record 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 on ...

'' rank and won his third Fighting Spirit prize. He was promoted to ''sekiwake'' in January 2003 and held his rank with a good 9–6 score but missed the whole of the March 2003 tournament with an injury picked up on the last day of the previous ''basho''. As a result, he was demoted to ''jūryō'' and although he quickly returned to the top division he never managed to reach the titled ''

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

'' ranks again. After suffering from torn cartilage in his knees his results took a downward turn. He was demoted to ''jūryō'' once again in January 2006 and the unsalaried ''

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 July 2007.

Retirement from sumo

On 22 September 2007 Takanowaka announced his retirement from sumo, after withdrawing from the September tournament with four losses at the rank of ''makushita'' 2. His official retirement ceremony took place on 16 February 2008 at the

Ryōgoku Kokugikan , also known as Ryōgoku Sumo Hall or Kokugikan Arena, is the name bestowed to two different indoor sporting arenas located in Tokyo. The fist ''Ryōgoku Kokugikan'' opened its doors in 1909 and was located on the lands of the Ekōin temple in Ry ...

. He did not stay with the

Sumo Association The is the body that operates and controls professional sumo wrestling (called ''Ōzumō'', 大相撲) in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japanese Ministry of Education, Cultu ...

as an elder, and left the sumo world completely. He 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 Hirado city. He was married in February 2013.

Fighting style

Takanowakas favoured ''

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 ''hidari-yotsu'' (a right hand outside, left hand inside grip on 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 var ...

'' or belt), ''uwatenage'' (overarm throw) and ''yorikiri'' (force out).

Career record

References

External links