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

Kasuga may refer to: Places * Kasuga, Fukuoka, a city in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan ** Kasuga Station (Fukuoka), on the Kagoshima Main Line * Kasuga, Hyogo, a former town in Hyōgo Prefecture * Kasuga, Gifu, a former village in Gifu Prefecture * Kas ...

Fukuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders S ...

, Japan. He began his professional career in 1993, reaching 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 some 15 years later in 2008. 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 on ...

'' 7. He retired in April 2011 after 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 ...

found him guilty of involvement in

match-fixing In organized sports, match fixing is the act of playing or officiating a match with the intention of achieving a pre-determined result, violating the rules of the game and often the law. There are many reasons why match fixing might take place, ...

Career

At elementary school he was a

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

player and at junior high school he excelled at

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 ...

. After his graduation he was recruited by

Sadogatake stable is a Heya (sumo), stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Nishonoseki group of stables. In its modern form, it dates from September 1955, when it was set up by former ''komusubi'' Kotonishiki Noboru. Former ''yokozuna (sumo), yokozuna'' Kotozakura ...

, and made his professional debut in March 1993. Initially fighting under 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'' co ...

'' of Kotonoyama, he progressed to the ''

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 in 1995, and first reached 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. For ...

'' division in 1997. He adopted the name of Kotokasuga in 1999, in honour of his hometown. In November 2004 he finally made the 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 fract ...

'' ranks when he was promoted to the ''

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. He was ranked in ''jūryō'' for four further tournaments in May, July and September 2005 and January 2006, but then struggled again in ''makushita''. After injuries to both his elbows he considered retiring, but he won promotion back to ''jūryō'' in September 2007 at the age of 30, and then four consecutive ''

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

'' or winning records saw him promoted to the top ''

'' division in May 2008. It had taken him 91 tournaments from his professional debut to get there, the second slowest ever at the time. He could only manage a 4–11 record in his top division debut and dropped back to ''jūryō''. However, he made a return to ''makuuchi'' in September 2010, and on this occasion came through with a winning score of 9–6. This saw him promoted to his highest rank of ''

'' 7 for the November 2010 tournament.

Retirement from sumo

In April 2011, along with 19 other wrestlers and coaches, he was ordered to retire by the Sumo Association after an investigation found he arranged the result of matches. He submitted retirement papers on 4 April. His ''

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

'' or retirement ceremony was held at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in June 2011. He now runs a ''

yakiniku ''Yakiniku'' (焼き肉 or 焼肉), meaning "grilled meat", is a Japanese term that, in its broadest sense, refers to grilled meat cuisine. "Yakiniku" originally referred to western "barbecue" food, the term being popularized by Japanese writer ...

'' restaurant in

Fukuoka city is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancie ...

Fighting style

Kotokasuga was an ''oshi-sumo'' specialist who preferred pushing and thrusting to fighting on the ''

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 ...

''. 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 rec ...

'' was ''oshi-dashi'' (push out), closely followed by ''yori-kiri'' (force out). Together these two techniques accounted for half his career victories.

Personal life

Kotokasuga announced upon his promotion to the top division in May 2008 that he was marrying an old classmate who he became re-acquainted with after the March tournament of 2006 and who he began dating in May of that year. Kotokasuga pointed out that he had not had a ''

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

'' or losing record since they got together. He had first proposed to her in November 2009, but her father had insisted that Kotokasuga reach ''makuuchi'' first.

Career record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kotokasuga, Keigo 1977 births Living people Japanese sumo wrestlers Sumo people from Fukuoka Prefecture Sadogatake stable sumo wrestlers Sportspeople banned for life