Kenkō Satoshi (剣晃 敏志, 27 June 1967 – 10 March 1998) was a
sumo wrestler from
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
,
Japan. 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 ...
.''
Career
Debuting in November 1984, 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. Fo ...
'' division in March 1991. His first tournament in 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 was in July 1992. Scoring only three wins there he fell back to ''jūryō'', but reappeared in ''makuuchi'' in March 1993. He reached his highest rank of ''komusubi'' in May 1995. He fell back to ''
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 ...
'' 4 in July but turned in a strong 11-4 record, defeating ''
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 ...
''
Akebono and returning to ''komusubi'' in September 1995. He also defeated ''yokozuna''
Takanohana in May 1996, the only wrestler to do so in that tournament.
In May 1997 Kenkō managed an 8-7 record at ''maegashira'' 11, but that was to be the last tournament in which he competed. He was hospitalised from July 1997, suffering from
pancytopenia
Pancytopenia is a medical condition in which there is significant reduction in the number of almost all blood cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, monocytes, lymphocytes, etc.).
If only two parameters from the complete blood coun ...
caused by an extremely rare form of
leukemia
Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...
(only four previous cases had ever been reported in Japan). His name remained on the
ranking sheets, but unable to compete he had dropped to ''
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 ...
'' 55 by March 1998. He died on 10 March, from a
pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage of an artery in the lungs by a substance that has moved from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream ( embolism). Symptoms of a PE may include shortness of breath, chest pain particularly upon breathin ...
.
Fighting style
Kenkō favoured techniques involving grabbing 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 v ...
'', or ''yotsu-sumo''. His favourite grip was ''hidari-yotsu'', with his right hand outside and left hand inside his opponent's arms. 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 ''yorikiri'', a straightforward force out, followed by ''uwatenage'' (overarm throw) and ''yoritaoshi'' (force out and down).
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 ...
*
List of komusubi
This is a list of all sumo wrestlers whose pinnacle in the sport has been the fourth highest rank of ''komusubi'' and who held the rank in the modern era of sumo since the 1927 merger of the Tokyo and Osaka organizations. There are usually two ac ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kenkō Satoshi
1967 births
1998 deaths
Deaths from cancer in Japan
Deaths from leukemia
Japanese sumo wrestlers
People from Moriguchi, Osaka
Sumo people from Osaka Prefecture
Komusubi
Sumo wrestlers who died while active