(July 9, 1942 – April 14, 1996), born , was a
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
Otaru
is a Cities of Japan, city and Seaports of Japan, port in Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan, northwest of Sapporo. The city faces Ishikari Bay and the Sea of Japan, and has long served as the main port of the bay. With its many historical ...
,
Hokkaidō
is the second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by railway via the Seikan Tunnel.
The ...
,
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. His highest rank was ''
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 ...
''. After his retirement he became an
elder of 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 ...
and the head coach of
Onaruto stable.
Career
He made his professional debut in March 1957, joining
Asahiyama stable
was a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Isegahama ''ichimon'' or group of stables. It had a long history. It closed its doors in January 2015, and its staff and wrestlers transferred to other stables.
History
In its active period, Asahiya ...
. He won the ''
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. ''Yūs ...
'' or tournament championship with a 13-2 record 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 in July 1963 and was promoted 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 in the following tournament in September 1963.
He was demoted back to ''jūryō'' after only two tournaments and changed his ''
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 ...
'' to Futasegawa, which had been the fighting name of his stablemaster. He won promotion back to ''makuuchi'' in July 1964 but was demoted again, this time after three tournaments.
After switching back to the Kotetsuyama name he won promotion to ''makuuchi'' for the third time in May 1965 after a 12-3 ''jūryō'' runner-up performance, and this time stayed in the top division. He was runner-up to
Taihō in March 1966, and won his first ''
sanshō'', for Fighting Spirit.
In November 1966 he was runner-up for the second time, defeated ''
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 o ...
''
Sadanoyama
was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Nagasaki Prefecture. He was the sport's 50th ''yokozuna''. After his retirement he was the head coach of Dewanoumi stable and served as head of the Japan Sumo Association.
Career
Born in Arikawa, ...
to earn his first ''
kinboshi
is a notation used in 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 oth ...
'', and received the Technique Prize.
In the following tournament in January 1967 he was ranked 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 ...
'', but scored only 3–12 and never reached the rank again.
He is one of the rare examples of a wrestler whose only tournament in the ''
sanyaku
The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
...
'' ranks was at ''sekiwake'', rather than ''
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 ...
'' (along with
Hayateumi
Hayateumi Hidehito (born July 5, 1975 as Naohito Saitō) is a former sumo wrestler from Aomori, Japan. His highest rank was '' sekiwake.'' He is now a Liberal Democratic Party politician.
Career
Born in Itayanagi, Kitatsugaru District, Hayat ...
and
Hokutoriki). He earned a second ''kinboshi'' in July 1969 for beating Taihō, and remained a rank-and-file ''
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 ...
'' until March 1971, when a poor 1–14 record saw him demoted back to ''jūryō.''
He managed to return to ''makuuchi'' in November 1971 but was demoted to ''jūryō'' a number of times after that, his last ''makuuchi'' appearance coming in January 1974.
Retirement from sumo
He retired in January 1975. He branched out from Asahiyama stable and established the
Onaruto stable in October 1975. He produced the top division wrestler
Itai
Itai (Hebrew: אִתַּי, pronounced: ''ee-tai'') is a masculine given name of Hebrew origin, and also a Shona name. The name can also be written: Itai, Itahy, Ittai, Ittay, Etay, Eitay, Itay, Ytai, Etai, Itaj, Ithai, or Eatai.
Hebrew name
It ...
, a pusher-thruster like himself who also briefly used the Kōtetsuyama ''shikona'', and the lightweight ''
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 ...
'' wrestler
Ishinriki. He was married to a
ballet instructor. Onaruto stable closed in December 1994 and he left 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 ...
.
Death
He died in somewhat mysterious circumstances in 1996, a month before claims he made about
match-fixing in sumo were published in a book called ''Yaocho.'' The co-writer of the book died within hours of Onaruto, in the same hospital.
Police found no evidence of foul play, but Onaruto's wrestler Itai later said his boss had links to a major
yakuza
, also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media (by request of the police) call them , while the yakuza call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ''yak ...
crime syndicate.
Fighting style
Kotetsuyama was short for a sumo wrestler at 175cm, but was known for the power of his pushing attack. He was very much an ''oshi-sumo'' specialist, who preferred pushing and thrusting at his opponents 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 .
''Mawashi''
''Sekitori'' During competition
For top ranked profess ...
'' or belt. His most common 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 ...
'' or techniques at ''
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 ...
'' level were ''oshi-dashi'' (push out), ''tsuki-otoshi'' (thrust over) and ''hataki-komi'' (slap down).
Career record
*''The Nagoya tournament was first held in 1958.''
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 sumo tournament top division runners-up
The table below lists the runners up ('' jun-yusho'') in the top ''makuuchi'' division at official sumo tournaments or ''honbasho'' since the six tournaments per year system was instituted in 1958. The runner up is determined by the wrestler(s) w ...
*
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 mo ...
*
List of sekiwake
This is a list of all sumo wrestlers whose pinnacle in the sport has been the third highest rank of '' sekiwake'' 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
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kotetsuyama, Toyoya
1942 births
Japanese sumo wrestlers
Sumo people from Hokkaido
Sekiwake
1996 deaths
Sportspeople from Otaru