Katayama Shinji (born September 6, 1979) is a former
sumo wrestler from
Yaizu
is a city located in central Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 139,578 in 57,593 households, and a population density of 2000 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Yaizu is a noted port for commer ...
,
Shizuoka
Shizuoka can refer to:
* Shizuoka Prefecture, a Japanese prefecture
* Shizuoka (city), the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture
* Shizuoka Airport
* Shizuoka Domain, the name from 1868 to 1871 for Sunpu Domain, a predecessor of Shizuoka Prefecture
...
,
Japan. 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 o ...
'' 13.
Career
Katayama practised amateur sumo at
Senshu University
is a private university in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.
Campuses
* Kanda Campus (Main campus): 3-8 Kandajimbo-cho, Chiyoda, Tokyo 101-8425
:The Kanda Campus is situated in Jimbocho, a college community in central Tokyo. This urban campus consists ...
, finishing third at the
All Japan Sumo Championships. He made his professional debut in March 2002 at the age of 22, joining
Onomatsu stable Ōnomatsu is the name of:
*the sixth yokozuna in the sport of sumo Ōnomatsu Midorinosuke
*the sumo stable Ōnomatsu stable currently run by former sekiwake Masurao
is a Japanese former sumo wrestler, born in Itoda, Fukuoka Prefecture. Ma ...
. He did not have enough amateur titles to enter at the ''
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 ...
'' level, instead beginning his career at the lowest level of sumo entry, ''maezumo''. Nevertheless, he moved through the divisions quickly, reaching ''
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 upon 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. Fo ...
'' division in July 2004.
Katayama 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 in May 2005. He earned eight wins against seven losses in that tournament, but did not manage to achieve ''
kachi-koshi
The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
...
'' in the top division again. He could manage only a 7-8 score at the rank of jūryō 13 in March 2008, leaving him dangerously close to demotion to the unsalaried ranks. He maintained his ''sekitori'' status with a 9-6 mark in May 2008, but a disastrous 2-13 in July meant he was demoted to ''makushita'' for the September tournament. He retired in January 2009.
Unlike most sumo wrestlers, Katayama never adopted a traditional ''
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'' ...
'', instead using his own surname as his fighting name. Other recent ''sekitori'' to use their own names include
Shimotori,
Satoyama
is a Japanese term applied to the border zone or area between mountain foothills and arable flat land. Literally, ''sato'' () means village, and ''yama'' () means hill or mountain. Satoyama have been developed through centuries of small-scale ...
,
Kakizoe and
Ichihara.
He was admired for the quality of his stamps during the pre-bout rituals, known as ''
shiko'', as he was able to raise his leg straight up in the air.
Fighting style
He was an ''oshi-sumo'' specialist who referred pushing and thrusting techniques. His 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 ...
'' was a straightforward ''oshidashi'', or push out.
Career record
See also
*
*
List of past sumo wrestlers
This is a list of prominent past wrestlers (either retired or deceased) in the sport of professional sumo. They are listed in order of the year and tournament month that they made their professional debuts. The information listed below was gleaned ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Katayama, Shinji
1979 births
Living people
Japanese sumo wrestlers
Sumo people from Shizuoka Prefecture
Sumo wrestlers who use their birth name
People from Yaizu, Shizuoka
Senshu University alumni