Dejima Takeharu
Encyclopedia
Dejima Takeharu is a former sumo
wrestler from Kanazawa
, Ishikawa
, Japan
. A former amateur champion, he made his professional debut in 1996, reaching the top makuuchi
division the following year. In 1999 he won the yusho
or tournament championship and earned promotion to the second highest rank of ōzeki, but he lost the rank in 2001
and, for the most part, remained a maegashira until his retirement in 2009
. He won ten special prizes
and six gold stars
over his long career. He wrestled for Musashigawa stable
.
. He was an amateur champion at Chuo University
. Dejima joined professional sumo in March 1996 at the age of 22, recruited by Musashigawa stable
, home to then ōzeki Musashimaru. Due to his amateur success he was given makushita tsukedashi status and was allowed to make his debut in the third makushita division. He did not adopt a traditional shikona
, and he only ever used his real name as an active wrestler. In January 1997 he captured the tournament championship in the second jūryō division and was promoted to the top makuuchi
division. His rise was so rapid that his hair had not yet grown long enough to be fashioned into the traditional oichonmage
topknot.
Dejima scored an impressive 11 wins in his top division debut, and was awarded two special prizes
for Technique and Fighting Spirit. After another 11-4 score in September, in which he won two more prizes and earned his first two kinboshi
or gold stars for defeating yokozuna, he made his sanyaku debut at sekiwake in November 1997. However, after winning five of his first six matches he injured himself on the seventh day and missed the next two tournaments. He made a full recovery and after reappearing in May 1998 he quickly returned to the sanyaku ranks at komusubi in September 1998, a rank he held for four straight tournaments.
in July 1999 he won his first top division yusho
or tournament championship, defeating Yokozuna Akebono
and Takanohana
and both ōzeki to score 13-2 and then beating Akebono once again in a playoff. Dejima chose to henka the yokozuna in this bout, for which he received some criticism. Nevertheless, in addition to his yusho he was awarded all three special prizes on offer, for Technique, Outstanding Performance and Fighting Spirit. He was only the second wrestler after Takahanada to achieve this feat. After the tournament his promotion to ōzeki was confirmed. He was the fourth former amateur champion, after Yutakayama
, Wajima
and Asashio
, to reach sumo's second highest rank. His stablemates Musōyama
and Miyabiyama
subsequently made ōzeki also, in March and May 2000 respectively. With Musashimaru at yokozuna, Dejima had three of his colleagues in the top two ranks, an advantage as sumo wrestlers never fight members of their own stables except in playoffs.
Dejima held onto his ōzeki rank for two years, with his best result being an 11-4 score in March 2000, but in July 2001 he was forced to pull out of the tournament with only three wins. As he had also made a losing score in May 2001, he was demoted from ōzeki. Returning in September, he needed ten wins to return to ōzeki but still in poor condition he could only manage a 5-10 record.
Subsequent injuries prevented Dejima from making any sustained attempt to regain ōzeki status, and aside from an 11-4 runner-up performance in January 2003 which briefly returned him to sanyaku, he largely remained in the maegashira ranks. He competed for 48 tournaments after dropping from the ozeki rank - longer than any other former ozeki in history until Miyabiyama overtook him. Near the end of his career he was still capable of producing strong results, as he proved in January 2007 by defeating Yokozuna Asashōryū
, the only wrestler to do so in that tournament.
In May 2007 he produced a strong 12-3 record, his second runner-up performance in makuuchi and his highest score in a tournament since his title win, and was awarded his fourth fighting spirit prize
. In November 2007 he earned ten wins from the maegashira 2 rank, and won promotion to komusubi for the January 2008 tournament. His return to the sanyaku ranks after 27 tournaments away was the third slowest in the modern era. He was however able to win only three bouts there. In November 2008 he won his first six matches, but then lost nine in a row. In May 2009, ranked at maegashira 12, he seemed in danger of demotion from makuuchi after recording only three wins in the first nine days, but he made a partial recovery to score 7-8.
Dejima has stayed in the sumo world as a coach at Musashigawa stable under the elder
name Onaruto Oyakata. His official retirement ceremony or danpatsu-shiki will be held at the Ryogoku Kokugikan
on 29 May 2010.
Dejima was an oshi-sumo specialist, favouring pushing and thrusting techniques
(tsuki-oshi) over fighting on the mawashi
or belt. His most common winning technique was oshi-dashi, or push-out, followed closely by yori-kiri or force out. These two techniques accounted for around 70 percent of his wins. He rarely employed throwing moves, his most common being the beltless sukuinage or scoop throw which he used for only 3 percent of his victories.
He was famed for his explosive start at the tachi-ai
and so was often prone to being sidestepped at the initial charge. The technique which he has been defeated most often, aside from yori-kiri, is hataki-komi, a slap down move that is often the result of a sidestep. He was also vulnerable to the pull down, hiki-otoshi.
He suffered from knee and ankle problems in recent years and had lost much of his speed and mobility. He remarked upon this at his retirement press conference, saying, "I have been battling with injuries and old wounds for some years now."
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 from Kanazawa
Kanazawa, Ishikawa
is the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.-Geography, climate, and population:Kanazawa sits on the Sea of Japan, bordered by the Japan Alps, Hakusan National Park and Noto Peninsula National Park. The city sits between the Sai and Asano rivers. Its total area is 467.77 km².Kanazawa's...
, Ishikawa
Ishikawa Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is Kanazawa.- History :Ishikawa was formed from the merger of Kaga Province and the smaller Noto Province.- Geography :Ishikawa is on the Sea of Japan coast...
, 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...
. A former amateur champion, he made his professional debut in 1996, reaching 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 the following year. In 1999 he won the yusho
Yusho
A Yūshō is a tournament championship in sumo. It is awarded in each of the six annual honbasho or official tournaments, to the wrestler who wins the most number of bouts. Yūshō are awarded in all six professional sumo divisions...
or tournament championship and earned promotion to the second highest rank of ōzeki, but he lost the rank in 2001
2001 in sumo
-Tournaments:*Hatsu basho, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, 7 January - 21 January*Haru basho, Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium, Osaka, 11 March - 25 March*Natsu basho, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, 13 May - 27 May...
and, for the most part, remained a maegashira until his retirement in 2009
2009 in sumo
-Tournaments:*Hatsu basho, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, 11 January - 25 January*Haru basho, Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium, Osaka, 15 March - 29 March*Natsu basho, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, 10 May - 24 May...
. He won ten special prizes
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:...
and six gold stars
Kinboshi
Kinboshi is a notation used in professional sumo wrestling to record a lower-ranked wrestler's victory over a yokozuna....
over his long career. He wrestled for Musashigawa stable
Musashigawa stable
Fujishima stable is a heya or stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Dewanoumi group of stables. It was set up on 29 August 1981 by Musashigawa Oyakata, the former yokozuna Mienoumi, who branched off from Dewanoumi stable...
.
Early career
Dejima did sumo at elementary school, where he was a rival of fellow top division wrestler TochinonadaTochinonada Taiichi
Tochinonada Taiichi is a sumo wrestler from Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. A former amateur sumo champion, he turned professional in 1996 and has been ranked in the top makuuchi division since 1997. He has earned twelve kinboshi or gold stars for defeating yokozuna, the second highest ever...
. He was an amateur champion at Chuo University
Chuo University
Chuo University is a one of the Japanese leading universities. Thus it is competitive in several rankings such as shown below.-General Rankings:The university has been ranked 27th, 25th, 34th during 2008-2010 respectively in the ranking "Truly Strong Universities" by Toyo Keizai.-Research...
. Dejima joined professional sumo in March 1996 at the age of 22, recruited by Musashigawa stable
Musashigawa stable
Fujishima stable is a heya or stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Dewanoumi group of stables. It was set up on 29 August 1981 by Musashigawa Oyakata, the former yokozuna Mienoumi, who branched off from Dewanoumi stable...
, home to then ōzeki Musashimaru. Due to his amateur success he was given makushita tsukedashi status and was allowed to make his debut in the third makushita division. He did not adopt a traditional shikona
Shikona
A shikona is a sumo wrestler's ring name.As with standard Japanese names, a shikona consists of a 'surname' and a 'given' name, and the full name is written surname first. However, the given name is rarely used outside formal or ceremonial occasions. Thus, the former yokozuna Asashōryū Akinori is...
, and he only ever used his real name as an active wrestler. In January 1997 he captured the tournament championship in the second jūryō division and was promoted to 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. His rise was so rapid that his hair had not yet grown long enough to be fashioned into the traditional oichonmage
Chonmage
The chonmage is a form of Japanese traditional haircut worn by men. It is most commonly associated with the Edo Period and samurai, and in recent times with sumo wrestlers...
topknot.
Dejima scored an impressive 11 wins in his top division debut, and was awarded two special prizes
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:...
for Technique and Fighting Spirit. After another 11-4 score in September, in which he won two more prizes and earned his first two kinboshi
Kinboshi
Kinboshi is a notation used in professional sumo wrestling to record a lower-ranked wrestler's victory over a yokozuna....
or gold stars for defeating yokozuna, he made his sanyaku debut at sekiwake in November 1997. However, after winning five of his first six matches he injured himself on the seventh day and missed the next two tournaments. He made a full recovery and after reappearing in May 1998 he quickly returned to the sanyaku ranks at komusubi in September 1998, a rank he held for four straight tournaments.
Ōzeki
Dejima returned to sekiwake in May 1999 and produced a strong 11-4 record, and in the following bashoHonbasho
A is an official professional sumo tournament. There are six held each year, a system established in 1958. Only honbasho results matter in determining promotion and relegation for rikishi ....
in July 1999 he won his first top division yusho
Yusho
A Yūshō is a tournament championship in sumo. It is awarded in each of the six annual honbasho or official tournaments, to the wrestler who wins the most number of bouts. Yūshō are awarded in all six professional sumo divisions...
or tournament championship, defeating Yokozuna Akebono
Akebono Taro
is a retired American born-Japanese sumo wrestler from Waimānalo, Hawaii. Joining the professional sport in Japan in 1988, he was trained by pioneering Hawaiian sumo wrestler Takamiyama and rose swiftly up the rankings, reaching the top division in 1990...
and Takanohana
Takanohana Koji
is a former sumo wrestler from Suginami, Tokyo, Japan. He was the 65th man in history to reach sumo's highest rank of yokozuna, and he won 22 tournament championships between 1992 and 2001, the fifth highest total ever...
and both ōzeki to score 13-2 and then beating Akebono once again in a playoff. Dejima chose to henka the yokozuna in this bout, for which he received some criticism. Nevertheless, in addition to his yusho he was awarded all three special prizes on offer, for Technique, Outstanding Performance and Fighting Spirit. He was only the second wrestler after Takahanada to achieve this feat. After the tournament his promotion to ōzeki was confirmed. He was the fourth former amateur champion, after Yutakayama
Yutakayama Katsuo
Yutakayama Katsuo is a former sumo wrestler from Niigata, Japan. His highest rank was ozeki. Although he never managed to win a top division tournament championship he was a runner-up on eight occasions...
, Wajima
Wajima Hiroshi
is a former sumo wrestler and professional wrestler from Nanao, Ishikawa, Japan. He was sumo's 54th Yokozuna. He won a total of 14 tournament championships or yusho during his career and retired in March 1981....
and Asashio
Asashio Taro IV
Asashio Tarō IV is a former sumo wrestler from Muroto, Kochi, Japan. His highest rank was ozeki...
, to reach sumo's second highest rank. His stablemates Musōyama
Musoyama Masashi
Musōyama Masashi is a former sumo wrestler from Mito, Ibaraki, Japan. A former amateur champion, he turned professional in January 1993, and he won promotion to the top makuuchi division in just four tournaments...
and Miyabiyama
Miyabiyama Tetsushi
Miyabiyama Tetsushi is a sumo wrestler from Mito, Ibaraki, Japan. A former amateur champion, he turned professional in 1998. He has been ranked in the top division of professional sumo since 1999, holding the second highest rank of ōzeki from 2000 to 2001...
subsequently made ōzeki also, in March and May 2000 respectively. With Musashimaru at yokozuna, Dejima had three of his colleagues in the top two ranks, an advantage as sumo wrestlers never fight members of their own stables except in playoffs.
Dejima held onto his ōzeki rank for two years, with his best result being an 11-4 score in March 2000, but in July 2001 he was forced to pull out of the tournament with only three wins. As he had also made a losing score in May 2001, he was demoted from ōzeki. Returning in September, he needed ten wins to return to ōzeki but still in poor condition he could only manage a 5-10 record.
Later career
Asashōryū Akinori
is a former sumo wrestler from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. He was the 68th yokozuna in the history of the sport in Japan and became the first Mongol to reach sumo's highest rank in January 2003. He was one of the most successful yokozuna ever. In 2005 he became the first man to win all six official...
, the only wrestler to do so in that tournament.
In May 2007 he produced a strong 12-3 record, his second runner-up performance in makuuchi and his highest score in a tournament since his title win, and was awarded his fourth fighting spirit prize
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:...
. In November 2007 he earned ten wins from the maegashira 2 rank, and won promotion to komusubi for the January 2008 tournament. His return to the sanyaku ranks after 27 tournaments away was the third slowest in the modern era. He was however able to win only three bouts there. In November 2008 he won his first six matches, but then lost nine in a row. In May 2009, ranked at maegashira 12, he seemed in danger of demotion from makuuchi after recording only three wins in the first nine days, but he made a partial recovery to score 7-8.
Retirement from sumo
In the July 2009 tournament, which came exactly ten years after his championship win, Dejima announced his retirement from active competition after suffering nine losses in the first eleven days, rather than face demotion to the second jūryō division. He said he had no regrets and had done his best.Dejima has stayed in the sumo world as a coach at Musashigawa stable under the elder
Toshiyori
A toshiyori is a sumo elder of the Japan Sumo Association. Also known as oyakata, former wrestlers who reached a sufficiently high rank are the only people eligible...
name Onaruto Oyakata. His official retirement ceremony or danpatsu-shiki will be held at the Ryogoku Kokugikan
Ryogoku Kokugikan
, also known as Sumo Hall, is an indoor sporting arena located in the Ryōgoku neighborhood of Sumida, one of the 23 wards of Tokyo in Japan, next to the Edo-Tokyo Museum. It is the third building built in Tokyo associated with the name kokugikan. The current building was opened in 1985 and has a...
on 29 May 2010.
Fighting style
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...
(tsuki-oshi) over fighting on the 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:...
or belt. His most common winning technique was oshi-dashi, or push-out, followed closely by yori-kiri or force out. These two techniques accounted for around 70 percent of his wins. He rarely employed throwing moves, his most common being the beltless sukuinage or scoop throw which he used for only 3 percent of his victories.
He was famed for his explosive start at the tachi-ai
Tachi-ai
The tachi-ai is the initial charge between two sumo wrestlers at the beginning of a bout.There are several common techniques that wrestlers use at the tachi-ai, with the aim of getting a decisive advantage in the bout:...
and so was often prone to being sidestepped at the initial charge. The technique which he has been defeated most often, aside from yori-kiri, is hataki-komi, a slap down move that is often the result of a sidestep. He was also vulnerable to the pull down, hiki-otoshi.
He suffered from knee and ankle problems in recent years and had lost much of his speed and mobility. He remarked upon this at his retirement press conference, saying, "I have been battling with injuries and old wounds for some years now."
Top division record
See also
- Glossary of sumo termsGlossary of sumo termsThe following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. azukari : Hold. A kind of draw. After a mono-ii, the gyōji or the shimpan "holds" the result if it was too close to call...
- List of sumo tournament winners
- List of sumo tournament second division winners
- List of past sumo wrestlers
External links
- Sumo Association Biography (English) (Japanese)
- Official profile
- Complete biography and basho results (Japanese)