Aran Hakutora
Encyclopedia
Aran Hakutora is a Russian sumo
wrestler. He began his professional career in January 2007 and made the top division in a record eleven tournaments. The highest rank he has reached is sekiwake. He was runner-up in consecutive tournaments in May and July 2010 and has earned two sansho
or special prizes for Fighting Spirit. He wrestles for Mihogaseki stable
.
, North Ossetia-Alania
, Russia
, the same area as Roho and Hakurozan. He began as an amateur wrestler
, winning the Russian National Junior Championships. In October 2006 he won the open division of the World Amateur Sumo Championships held in Saitama
, Japan
, defeating Ichihara. In December of that year, he joined Mihogaseki stable
. Sumo rules allow only one foreigner per heya
, and the departure of Baruto to the newly formed Onoe stable
created an opening for him.
He made his professional debut in January 2007, alongside Yamamotoyama
. Although he was able to win only 2 out of 5 bouts in maezumo, he won the jonokuchi division championship in the next tournament with a perfect 7-0 record, and reached the second highest jūryō division after one and a half years in July 2008. He became the fourth Russian sekitori
, after Roho, Hakurozan, and Wakanoho. (Following the dismissal of these three for cannabis
use, Aran is now the only one left.) He made the top makuuchi
division just two tournaments later in November 2008, after winning the jūryō division championship with a 12-3 record. The 11 tournaments it took him to reach makuuchi from his professional debut is an all-time record, shared with Kotooshu.
Until the January 2009 tournament, in which he scored only 5-10, Aran had maintained a winning record in every tournament he had participated in. However, he responded two consecutive winning tournaments, which sent him up the banzuke
to maegashira 1 for the July 2009 tournament in Nagoya. He defeated ōzeki Harumafuji there but was able to win only three other bouts. After three tournaments out of the limelight, he returned to the upper maegashira ranks in the March 2010 tournament, but lost 14 of his 15 matches. However, he put this disastrous performance behind him by scoring 12-3 in May, finishing runner-up to yokozuna Hakuho and receiving a share of the Fighting Spirit prize, his first sansho
award. He had another good tournament in July, winning eleven bouts from maegashira 2 and once again finishing runner-up with a share of the Kanto-sho.
In the September 2010 tournament he made his sanyaku debut at sekiwake, becoming the first member of Mihogaseki stable to reach sumo's third highest rank since the current head coach, the former Masuiyama II
, took over in 1984. He fell short with a 7-8 record, his only notable victory coming against the aging ōzeki Kaio
on the final day. He stayed in the sanyaku ranks at komusubi but could score only 4-11 in July. In January 2011 he beat ozeki Baruto but finished on 5-10, and his 6-9 mark in May, despite a win over Kotooshu, was his fourth consecutive losing score. He returned to form in July 2011, scoring 10-5 which led to his return to the komusubi rank. However, he had a losing 5-10 record in September 2011 which will certainly drop him to the maegashira ranks for November.
as migi-yotsu (a left hand outside, right hand inside grip on his opponent's mawashi
), yori (grappling) and oshi (pushing).
He has been criticised for not moving forward enough during his bouts and for relying heavily on henka (side-stepping) and slap down techniques
. Approximately one third of his wins have been by hataki-komi (slap down), a much higher figure than most other wrestlers.
In January 2010 he revealed that in December 2008 he had undergone treatment for mouth cancer. The operation to remove the malignant
tumour was a success, but caused him to drop 20 kilos in weight.
Sumo
is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...
wrestler. He began his professional career in January 2007 and made the top division in a record eleven tournaments. The highest rank he has reached is sekiwake. He was runner-up in consecutive tournaments in May and July 2010 and has earned two sansho
Sansho (Sumo)
Sanshō are the three special prizes awarded to top division sumo wrestlers for exceptional performance during a sumo honbasho or tournament. The prizes were first awarded in November 1947.-Criteria:...
or special prizes for Fighting Spirit. He wrestles for Mihogaseki stable
Mihogaseki stable
The is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ichimon or group of stables. Its current head coach, former ozeki Masuiyama Daishiro II took charge in November 1984. He is the son of the previous head, also an ozeki under the name Masuiyama, making it one of only three current stables...
.
Career
Aran was born in VladikavkazVladikavkaz
-Notable structures:In Vladikavkaz, there is a guyed TV mast, tall, built in 1961, which has six crossbars with gangways in two levels running from the mast structure to the guys.-Twin towns/sister cities:...
, North Ossetia-Alania
North Ossetia-Alania
The Republic of North Ossetia–Alania is a federal subject of Russia . Its population according to the 2010 Census was 712,877.-Name:...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, the same area as Roho and Hakurozan. He began as an amateur wrestler
Amateur wrestling
Amateur wrestling is the most widespread form of sport wrestling. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games under the supervision of FILA : Greco-Roman and freestyle. Freestyle is possibly derived from the English Lancashire style...
, winning the Russian National Junior Championships. In October 2006 he won the open division of the World Amateur Sumo Championships held in Saitama
Saitama, Saitama
' is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture in Japan, situated in the south-east of the prefecture. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, defeating Ichihara. In December of that year, he joined Mihogaseki stable
Mihogaseki stable
The is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ichimon or group of stables. Its current head coach, former ozeki Masuiyama Daishiro II took charge in November 1984. He is the son of the previous head, also an ozeki under the name Masuiyama, making it one of only three current stables...
. Sumo rules allow only one foreigner per heya
Heya
In sumo wrestling, a heya , usually translated into English as stable, is an organization of sumo wrestlers where they train and live. All wrestlers in professional sumo must belong to one. There are currently 49 heya , all but four of which belong to one of five ichimon...
, and the departure of Baruto to the newly formed Onoe stable
Onoe stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi group of stables. It was established in August 2006 by former komusubi Hamanoshima, who branched off from Mihogaseki stable and took several of its leading wrestlers with him...
created an opening for him.
He made his professional debut in January 2007, alongside Yamamotoyama
Yamamotoyama Ryuta
Yamamotoyama Ryūta is a former sumo wrestler from the city of Saitama in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Making his professional debut in January 2007, he reached the top makuuchi division in January 2009. His highest rank was maegashira 9. At , he is the heaviest Japanese-born sumo wrestler ever...
. Although he was able to win only 2 out of 5 bouts in maezumo, he won the jonokuchi division championship in the next tournament with a perfect 7-0 record, and reached the second highest jūryō division after one and a half years in July 2008. He became the fourth Russian sekitori
Sekitori
A sekitori is a sumo wrestler who is ranked in one of the top two professional divisions: makuuchi and juryo.Currently there are 70 rikishi in these divisions...
, after Roho, Hakurozan, and Wakanoho. (Following the dismissal of these three for cannabis
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
use, Aran is now the only one left.) He made the top makuuchi
Makuuchi
or is the top division of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers , ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments....
division just two tournaments later in November 2008, after winning the jūryō division championship with a 12-3 record. The 11 tournaments it took him to reach makuuchi from his professional debut is an all-time record, shared with Kotooshu.
Banzuke
This article is about the banzuke document, for a list of wrestlers as ranked on an actual banzuke see List of active sumo wrestlersA , officially called is a document listing the rankings of professional sumo wrestlers published before each official tournament or honbasho. The term can also...
to maegashira 1 for the July 2009 tournament in Nagoya. He defeated ōzeki Harumafuji there but was able to win only three other bouts. After three tournaments out of the limelight, he returned to the upper maegashira ranks in the March 2010 tournament, but lost 14 of his 15 matches. However, he put this disastrous performance behind him by scoring 12-3 in May, finishing runner-up to yokozuna Hakuho and receiving a share of the Fighting Spirit prize, his first sansho
Sansho (Sumo)
Sanshō are the three special prizes awarded to top division sumo wrestlers for exceptional performance during a sumo honbasho or tournament. The prizes were first awarded in November 1947.-Criteria:...
award. He had another good tournament in July, winning eleven bouts from maegashira 2 and once again finishing runner-up with a share of the Kanto-sho.
In the September 2010 tournament he made his sanyaku debut at sekiwake, becoming the first member of Mihogaseki stable to reach sumo's third highest rank since the current head coach, the former Masuiyama II
Masuiyama Daishiro II
Masuiyama Daishirō is a former sumo wrestler from Hyōgo, Japan. In 1980 he became the oldest man to be promoted to the rank of ozeki in the modern era...
, took over in 1984. He fell short with a 7-8 record, his only notable victory coming against the aging ōzeki Kaio
Kaio Hiroyuki
Kaiō Hiroyuki is a former professional sumo wrestler from Nōgata, Fukuoka, Japan.He made his debut in 1988, reaching the top makuuchi division in 1993. He held the second highest rank of ōzeki or champion for eleven years from 2000 to 2011, and is the longest-serving ozeki of all time in terms of...
on the final day. He stayed in the sanyaku ranks at komusubi but could score only 4-11 in July. In January 2011 he beat ozeki Baruto but finished on 5-10, and his 6-9 mark in May, despite a win over Kotooshu, was his fourth consecutive losing score. He returned to form in July 2011, scoring 10-5 which led to his return to the komusubi rank. However, he had a losing 5-10 record in September 2011 which will certainly drop him to the maegashira ranks for November.
Fighting style
Aran's favoured techniques are listed with the Japan Sumo AssociationJapan Sumo Association
The is the body that operates and controls professional sumo wrestling in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Rikishi , gyōji , tokoyama , and yobidashi , are all on the Association's payroll, but the organisation is run...
as migi-yotsu (a left hand outside, right hand inside grip on his opponent's mawashi
Mawashi
In sumo, a mawashi is the belt that the rikishi wears during training or in competition. Upper ranked professional wrestlers wear a keshō-mawashi as part of the ring entry ceremony or dohyo-iri.-Mawashi:...
), yori (grappling) and oshi (pushing).
He has been criticised for not moving forward enough during his bouts and for relying heavily on henka (side-stepping) and slap down techniques
Kimarite
Kimarite are winning techniques in a sumo bout. For each bout in a Grand Sumo tournament , a sumo referee, or gyoji, will decide and announce the type of kimarite used by the winner...
. Approximately one third of his wins have been by hataki-komi (slap down), a much higher figure than most other wrestlers.
Personal life
In January 2009 he announced his marriage, to a fellow Russian, although the couple had in fact wed in June 2008. They had a son in February 2010.In January 2010 he revealed that in December 2008 he had undergone treatment for mouth cancer. The operation to remove the malignant
Malignant
Malignancy is the tendency of a medical condition, especially tumors, to become progressively worse and to potentially result in death. Malignancy in cancers is characterized by anaplasia, invasiveness, and metastasis...
tumour was a success, but caused him to drop 20 kilos in weight.
Tournament record
See also
- List of active sumo wrestlers
- List of sumo tournament second division winners
- List of sumo record holders