Hananosato Yukio (塙ノ里幸与, born 8 May 1983 as Yukio Murakami) 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

Hitachi, Ibaraki 250px, Hitachi Sakura Festival is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 174,219 in 78,209 households and a population density of 770 persons per km2. The percentage of the population aged over 65 w ...

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 ...

. He made his debut in March 1999, retiring in May 2010. His highest rank was

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 ...

Career

He did judo at junior high school. He made his professional debut in March 1999, an entry class that also included '' ōzeki''

Kotomitsuki is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Okazaki City. A former amateur champion, he turned professional in 1999. He reached the top ''makuuchi'' division in November 2000 and won one ''yūshō'' or tournament championship, in Septem ...

, ''

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 ...

Takamisakari Takamisakari Seiken (born May 12, 1976 as Seiken Katō) is a former sumo wrestler from Aomori Prefecture, Japan. A former amateur champion, he turned professional in 1999 and established himself in the top division in 2002 after a brief appearance ...

and former ''

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 o ...

'' Wakakirin. He initially fought under his own surname of Murakami, switching to Hananosato in January 2000. His highest rank was ''

'' 8, which he achieved in March 2005 after achieving seven straight ''

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

'' or winning records. This brought him close to ''

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 ...

'' status, but he was unable to achieve the necessary number of wins to earn promotion 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. F ...

'' division, scoring only one win against six losses at the March 2005 tournament. He was a junior member of the

Takasago stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Takasago group of stables. It is correctly written in Japanese as "髙砂部屋", but the first of these ''kanji'' is rare, and is more commonly written as "高砂部屋". History The stable was establi ...

, home to ''

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 ...

'' Asashoryu, and he served as one of Asashoryu's '' tsukebito,'' or personal attendants. He was in the fourth ''

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 from March 2006 until September 2007, and again from July to September 2008 after he was forced to pull out of the May 2008 tournament with an injury after only one bout. He fell to ''sandanme'' again in July 2009. At just 114 kg, very light for a sumo wrestler, he seemed to lack the weight necessary to make it to the top. In January 2010, he managed to again gain promotion to the ''makushita'' division, but after struggling again in this division he announced his retirement at the end of the May 2010 tournament. Hananosato performed the ''( yumitori-shiki)'' or bow-twirling ceremony as a back-up to fellow Takasago stable wrestler Ōga. When Ōga suddenly retired in May 2007, Hananosato stepped in to perform the ceremony on a regional tour of Hawaii in June.

Fighting style

Hananosato's most common winning ''

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 ...

'' or technique was ''yori-kiri'', or force out, but he was also fond of throws, both the underarm throw, ''shitatenage'', and the overarm throw, ''uwatenage''. He also used rare leg trips and sweeps more usually associated with Mongolian sumo wrestlers, such as ''ashitori'' (leg pick) and ''nimaigeri'' (ankle kicking twist down).

Career record

References

External links

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Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hananosato Yukio 1983 births Living people Japanese sumo wrestlers People from Hitachi, Ibaraki Sumo people from Ibaraki Prefecture

Career

Fighting style

Career record

See also

References

External links