is a Japanese former professional
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
Okazaki City. A former amateur champion, he turned professional in 1999. He reached 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 November 2000 and won one ''
yūshō
is the term for a championship in Japanese. This article focuses on championships in the sport of professional sumo.
It is awarded in each of the six annual '' honbasho'' or official tournaments, to the wrestler who wins the most bouts. ''Y ...
'' or tournament championship, in September 2001. He was a runner-up in eight other tournaments, and earned thirteen ''
sanshō'' or special prizes. He is one of five wrestlers in the history of sumo to receive all three ''sanshō'' in the same tournament, accomplishing the feat in the November 2000 ''
honbasho
A is an official professional sumo tournament. The number of ''honbasho'' every year has varied along the years; since 1958 there are six tournaments every year. Only ''honbasho'' results matter in determining promotion and relegation for ''riki ...
''. After a record 22 tournaments at ''
sekiwake
, 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 ...
'', he achieved promotion to sumo's second highest rank of ''
ōzeki'' in July
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...
upon winning 35 out of 45 bouts in three consecutive tournaments. This made him at 31 the oldest man to reach ''ōzeki'' in the modern era. He wrestled for
Sadogatake stable
is a 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'' Kotozakura took over the running of t ...
. On July 4, 2010, he was expelled from professional sumo by 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 ...
for his involvement in an illegal gambling ring.
Early career
Kotomitsuki had an extremely successful college sumo career, winning a record 27 amateur national titles while at
Nihon University
, abbreviated as , is a private research university in Japan. Its predecessor, Nihon Law School (currently the Department of Law), was founded by Yamada Akiyoshi, the Minister of Justice, in 1889. It is one of Japan's leading private universit ...
.
He made his professional debut in March 1999. Because of his achievements as an amateur, he was given ''
makushita tsukedashi'' status and allowed to leapfrog the lower divisions. 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'' ...
'' of Kototamiya, adapted from his own surname, he adopted the name of Kotomitsuki upon reaching 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. F ...
'' division in November 1999. He 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 2000 but missed the entire tournament through injury. On his proper debut three tournaments later, he was