Yutakayama Hiromitsu
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was a sumo wrestler from
Shibata, Niigata is a city in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 96,236 in 37,017 households, and a population density of 179 persons per km². The total area of the city was . Geography Shibata is located in a mostly inland r ...
, Japan. A former amateur champion, he turned professional in 1970. 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 ...
''. He wrestled for
Tokitsukaze stable The is a stable of sumo wrestlers in Japan, one of the Tokitsukaze group of stables. It was founded in 1769 and was dominant during the Taishō period. In its modern form it dates from 1941 when it was established by Futabayama, who was still ...
and took his ''
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'' ...
'' or fighting name from the head coach who recruited him, former ''
ozeki Ozeki or Ōzeki may refer to: * Ōzeki, a rank in ''Makuuchi'', the top division of professional sumo ** List of ōzeki * Ōzeki station (disambiguation), the name of two railway stations in Japan * Ōzeki Masutoshi (1849–1905), 16th daimyō o ...
''
Yutakayama Katsuo Yutakayama Katsuo (born 18 August 1937 as Katsuo Uchida) is a former sumo wrestler from Niigata, Japan. His highest rank was '' ōzeki.'' Although he never won a top division tournament championship he was a runner-up on eight occasions. Before ...
. After his retirement in 1981 he became an elder of 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 ...
, and founded the Minato stable which he led from 1982 until 2010. He died of pancreatic cancer in 2020.


Career

He began sumo from a young age and became a high school yokozuna. He graduated in 1966 and then became an amateur champion at Tonodai University. He came from a poor family of farmers, and having to work to support himself as well as study, he had less time for training and did not win as many amateur titles as his rival at the time, Nihon University's
Wajima Hiroshi was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Nanao, Ishikawa. He was the sport's 54th ''yokozuna'' and remains the only wrestler with a collegiate background to reach its highest rank. Entering professional sumo in 1970, he won a total of 14 ...
. He had plans to become a teacher, but was persuaded to join the professional sport in March 1970, debuting in the third highest ''
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 ...
'' division. His head coach at
Tokitsukaze stable The is a stable of sumo wrestlers in Japan, one of the Tokitsukaze group of stables. It was founded in 1769 and was dominant during the Taishō period. In its modern form it dates from 1941 when it was established by Futabayama, who was still ...
was ex-'' ōzeki''
Yutakayama Katsuo Yutakayama Katsuo (born 18 August 1937 as Katsuo Uchida) is a former sumo wrestler from Niigata, Japan. His highest rank was '' ōzeki.'' Although he never won a top division tournament championship he was a runner-up on eight occasions. Before ...
, also from Tonodai University. Wajima had joined professional sumo one tournament earlier, and such was the interest in their rivalry that when the two met in 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. Fo ...
'' division during the November 1970 tournament, sponsors placed '' kensho'' money on the bout, which normally is only allowed in the top division. He initially fought under his own surname of Nagahama, and continued to use it upon reaching the top division in November 1971, but in July 1972 he persuaded his stablemaster to let him use his old ''
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 Yutakayama. He fought in the top division for 51 tournaments, earning three special prizes and earning eight gold stars for 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 ...
'', including four from Wajima, his rival from his amateur days. He first reached the ''
sanyaku The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. A B C D E F G H ...
'' ranks in September 1972 when he was promoted to ''
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 ...
.'' Although he was to hold the rank on two further occasions, he never managed a
winning record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of matc ...
there. Despite his success against several ''yokozuna'' he was never able to defeat
Kitanoumi , born , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He was the dominant wrestler in the sport during the 1970s. Kitanoumi was promoted to '' yokozuna'' at the age of 21, becoming the youngest ever to achieve sumo's top rank. He won 24 tournament ...
in the top division, losing to him 21 times in 21 matches. He also had a poor record against ''
ozeki Ozeki or Ōzeki may refer to: * Ōzeki, a rank in ''Makuuchi'', the top division of professional sumo ** List of ōzeki * Ōzeki station (disambiguation), the name of two railway stations in Japan * Ōzeki Masutoshi (1849–1905), 16th daimyō o ...
'' Takanohana, beating him only once in 22 matches. He did not miss a single bout in his career, fighting 996 consecutive matches. This is the second longest streak for former collegiate competitors, after
Asanowaka Asanowaka Takehiko (born 11 December 1969 as Takehiko Adachi) is a former sumo wrestler from Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. His highest rank was ''maegashira'' 1. He is now a sumo coach. Career He was an amateur sumo competitor at Kinki Uni ...
's 1145.


Retirement from sumo

He retired in May 1981 and became an elder of 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 ...
under the name Minato Oyakata. He founded Minato stable in 1982 and remained head coach there until 2010, when he passed control of the stable over to 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 ...
'' Minatofuji, and took the name Tatsutagawa. He was also a Deputy Director of the Sumo Association. He reached the mandatory retirement age for elders of 65 in October 2012.


Fighting style

Yutakayama was a ''yotsu-sumo'' specialist who liked to fight 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 v ...
'' or belt and 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 ...
'' were ''yori-kiri'' (force out), ''tsuri-dashi'' (lift out) and ''uwatenage'' (overarm throw).


Personal life and death

He was married with two daughters. His stablemaster did not allow him to get married until he reached the ''jūryō'' division in September 1970. The wedding reception took place in October 1971. He died of pancreatic cancer on 19 September 2020 at the age of 72.


Career record


See also

*
Glossary of sumo terms The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. A B C D E F G H ...
*
List of sumo tournament second division champions This is a list of wrestlers who have won the sumo second division ''jūryō'' championship since 1909, when the current championship system was established. These official tournaments are held exclusively in Japan. The wrestler who has won the ...
*
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


Complete career record
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yutakayama, Hiromitsu 1947 births 2020 deaths Japanese sumo wrestlers Sumo people from Niigata Prefecture Komusubi Deaths from pancreatic cancer Deaths from cancer in Japan