Ōshio Kenji (born 4 January 1948 as Kenji Hatano) 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 t ...

wrestler from

Kitakyushu is a 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 Fukuoka. It is one o ...

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 n ...

. 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 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 ...

of the

Japan 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 Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). '' Rikishi'' (active ...

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

Career

He 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 ...

. During his first year he also attended Ryogoku Junir High school to complete his compulsory education. His first stablemaster was the former '' yokozuna'' Futabayama. 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 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 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. F ...

'' division in November 1969 and was promoted 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 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'' 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 fra ...

'' 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. Following his retirement as a wrestler, he was the stable master of Kokonoe stable until the time of his death. Chiyonofuji was considered one of the gre ...

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 Senshō 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. 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'' 87 before retiring in 2011 after 12 years in sumo.

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 . For top ranked professional , it is made of silk and comes in a v ...

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

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 r ...

'' 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