Kotoekō Mitsunori
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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 th ...
wrestler from
Nobeoka, Miyazaki file:Nobeoka city center area Aerial photograph.2018.jpg, 270px, Central Nobeoka City is a Cities of Japan, city located in the north of Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 113,367 in 51272 households, and a po ...
. He is a member of the
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 th ...
and made his professional debut in March 2007. He reached the top ''
makuuchi , or , is the top division of Professional sumo divisions, 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 ...
'' division in July 2018. He retired in May 2024 and inherited the
name A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A person ...
Oguruma to work as a coach within the
Japan Sumo Association The , officially the ; sometimes abbreviated JSA or NSK, and more usually called Sumo Kyōkai, is the governing body that operates and controls Professional sports, professional sumo wrestling, called , in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Min ...
.


Early life and sumo background

Born the grandson of former ''
juryo 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 ...
'' ''rikishi'' he was introduced to sumo at an early age. He was also attracted to
judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...
at a young age as well participating in it from primary school on up. He led his elementary school to the best eight in judo, and his junior high school team to the Miyazaki prefecture championship. Originally he intended on going to high school as a judo player and wanted to become a cook joining the family restaurant with his father and grandfather after graduation. However he was inspired instead to join professional sumo after observing a practice session held by
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 th ...
at their
Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...
lodgings.


Career

He would join Sadogatake stable in March 2007 at the age of 15. He weighed just 94 kg and was only 175 cm tall, and his stablemaster was concerned about whether he would be able to gain enough weight. He originally took the ''
shikona A is a sumo wrestler's ring name. The tradition of ring names in sumo dates back to the Muromachi period and established itself during the Edo period, where they were used as a means to hide the identities of the . Given by the master to his di ...
'' by simply adding the stable's traditional prefix "Koto" to his family name. He took a year from his debut to reach the fourth ''
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. Fo ...
'' division but there he would hit his first road block. He would spend three years going up and down the ''sandanme'' division before finally reaching the third ''makushita'' division. He would then take the ''shikona'' Kotoekō borrowing the second kanji from his grandfather's name. After another three years bouncing back and forth between the fourth and third divisions and on the back of five straight winning records he was promoted to the second ''juryo'' division. He was the first ''
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 fr ...
'' from
Miyazaki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Miyazaki Prefecture has a population of 1,028,215 as of 1 January 2025 and has a geographic area of 7,735 Square kilometre, km2 (2,986 sq mi). Miyazaki Prefectur ...
in 32 years, the last being who spent just one tournament in ''juryo'' in January 1982. He lasted only one tournament in the division, managing only a 5–10 record and being demoted back down to the third division. After a 4–3
winning record In sports, a winning percentage or Copeland score 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 tot ...
at ''makushita'' 1 he was immediately promoted back to the ''juryo'' division. However a 4–11 record saw him again demoted back to the third division. After a year in the ''makushita'' division he got a third chance as a ''
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 fr ...
'' in the ''juryo'' division and this time he did get his first winning record of 9–6 to remain in ''juryo''. He became a ''juryo'' mainstay for a year and a half before an 11–4 record gained him promotion to the top ''
makuuchi , or , is the top division of Professional sumo divisions, 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 ...
'' division. He was the first wrestler from Miyazaki Prefecture to reach the top division in 44 years (
Kaneshiro is a Japanese surname meaning "golden castle". The kanji used to write this surname may also be read Kinjō in ''on'yomi'' or Kanagusuku in the Okinawan language pronunciation. The former reading often indicates Okinawan origin, and the latter r ...
being the last in September 1974). His promotion meant Kotoekō had achieved a goal he had set of exceeding his grandfather's highest rank. In his first tournament in the top division he would perform rather poorly, managing only a 3–12 record and being demoted back to the ''juryo'' division. Two winning tournaments in September and November 2018 saw him promoted back to the top division. Even after two 7–8 losing records in January and March 2019 he remained at the same rank of ''maegashira'' 15 West, and in May he finally got his first winning record in the top division with an 8–7 winning record. He reached the rank of ''maegashira'' 7 in September 2019 but faced demotion to ''jūryō'' after only two wins against thirteen losses in the January 2020 tournament. With a good performance of 11-4 in the March tournament, he secured his return to ''makuuchi'', where he posted a respectable 10 wins in July. He finished the 2020 season with records of 8-7 and 6-9 in September and November. To begin 2021 he was ranked ''maegashira'' 11. That year he posted three losing records and three winning records. After going 9-6 in the May tournament, he was rewarded with the rank of ''maegashira'' 4, his highest yet. A 2-13 record in July meant he was demoted to back to ''maegashira'' 11. He went 3-12 in the last tournament of the year, leading to a rank of ''maegashira'' 17 to start 2022. Kotoekō started 2022 with back-to-back ''kachi-koshi'' in the January and March tournaments. These performances saw him rise to the rank of ''maegashira'' 7 for the May tournament. However, a 6-9 record in May, followed a 5-6-4 (with absence due to a COVID-19 infection) record in July and 6-9 record in September saw him demoted to ''maegashira'' 12 ahead of the November tournament. He ended the last tournament of 2022 with a 7-8 record, losing to
Nishikigi is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Morioka. He made his debut in March 2006 and wrestles for Isenoumi stable. His highest rank has been ''komusubi'' and he has won championships at ''jūryō'' and ''makushita'' level. Early life and ...
on the final day. Kotoekō began his 2023 campaign with a ranking of ''maegashira'' 13 in the January ''banzuke.'' In the first tournament of the year he finished with a 7-8 record, this time losing to Tobizaru on the final day. Later in the year, during the November tournament, he withdrew from the competition after suffering a knee joint injury requiring approximately two weeks of treatment. Since many comments drew attention to the fact that he would ''a priori'' not rejoin the competition, it is expected that Kotoekō will lose his ''maegashira'' rank and be relegated to ''jūryō'' for the first time since March 2020. His absence also marks the end of his continuous presence in tournaments, which ranked him seventh among the wrestlers with a streak of consecutive matches. Kotoekō was forced to withdraw during the November 2023 tournament due to an injury to his left MCL. His withdrawal ended his streak of 1,043 consecutive matches since beginning his career in 2007, not including absences due to unavoidable circumstances such as COVID protocols. In May 2024 Kotoekō announced his retirement, however inheriting the name Oguruma in order to remain a trainer with the
Japan Sumo Association The , officially the ; sometimes abbreviated JSA or NSK, and more usually called Sumo Kyōkai, is the governing body that operates and controls Professional sports, professional sumo wrestling, called , in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Min ...
. At his retirement press conference he shared his thanks with those gathered, adding that he had been a sumo wrestler for a long time and so felt a sense of sadness, but had really done his best with his body. Kotoekō's retirement ceremony was held at the
Ryōgoku Kokugikan , also known as Ryōgoku Sumo Hall or Kokugikan Arena, is the name bestowed to two different indoor sporting arenas located in Tokyo. The first ''Ryōgoku Kokugikan'' opened its doors in 1909 and was located on the premises of the Ekōin temple i ...
on 31 May 2025.


Fighting style

Kotoekō favoured a ''migiyotsu'' (right hand inside, left hand outside grip on his 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 . ''Mawashi'' ''Sekitori'' During competition For top ranked profess ...
''). His favourite winning ''
kimarite is the technique used in sumo by a (wrestler) to win a match. It is officially decided or announced by the (referee) at the end of the match, though judge (sumo), judges can modify this decision. The records of are then kept for statistical ...
'' was a straightforward ''oshidashi'', or push out. He also regularly employed ''yorikiri'', or force-out, and ''tsukiotoshi'', or the thrust down.


Personal life

In September 2023, the Japan Sumo Association announced Kotoekō had become engaged.


Career record


See also

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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 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

*
Supporters Association website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kotoeko, Mitsunori 1991 births Living people Japanese sumo wrestlers Sumo people from Miyazaki Prefecture Sadogatake stable sumo wrestlers