Goeido Gotaro
Encyclopedia
Gōeidō Gōtarō is a sumo
wrestler from Osaka Prefecture
, Japan
. He made his professional debut in January 2005 and reached the top makuuchi
division in September 2007. His highest rank to date has been sekiwake, which he achieved in May 2009. He is regarded as one the most promising Japanese wrestlers in sumo today.
in December 2004, in which he was the only high school student to compete, he finished in the top four. He made his professional debut one month later in January 2005, joining Sakaigawa stable
. He initially fought under his own surname of Sawai. He moved through the lower ranks quickly and took the championship in the third highest makushita division in September 2006 with a perfect 7–0 record, which earned him promotion to the second highest jūryō division. At this point he adopted the shikona
of Gōeidō.
Gōeidō was promoted to the top makuuchi
division after a 12–3 score and runner-up honours at the rank of jūryō 5 in July 2007. He had a very successful top division debut, leading the race for the championship after the 11th day with a score of 10–1. Pitted against higher ranked opposition on the next three days, he lost to Ama, ozeki Chiyotaikai
and Yokozuna Hakuhō
. He was the first makuuchi debutant to face a yokozuna since Tosanoumi in 1995. He ended the tournament with an 11–4 score and was awarded the Fighting Spirit prize. In the November tournament he won six of his first seven bouts, and though he began losing in the second week he still finished with a majority of wins (8–7).
He was promoted up the ranks to maegashira 3 in January 2008. For this tournament he faced all the top-ranked men at the beginning instead of during the second week as had been the case in his debut. He fell short with five wins against ten losses, although did upset ozeki Kotomitsuki on the third day. Back at maegashira 8 for the March 2008 tournament, he clinched his kachi-koshi score of 8–7 with victory on the final day. He produced the same score in the May 2008 tournament, in which his best result was a victory over tournament runner-up Toyonoshima.
In the September 2008 tournament he was the tournament co-leader with only one loss up to Day 10, although he lost 4 of his last 5 matches. He did defeat tournament runner-up Ama for the first time on Day 14 and finished with a strong 10–5 record. He was awarded his second Fighting Spirit prize and was promoted to a sanyaku position at komusubi for the November 2008 tournament. He could only win one bout in the first ten days (over Ama once again) and finished with a 5–10 score.
In the January 2009 tournament he won ten bouts from the maegashira 3 ranking, earning his first Technique prize and promotion back to komusubi. His second attempt at komusubi, in his hometown tournament, proved more successful and he compiled a 9-6 score which included a first win in five attempts over Kotooshu and two other victories over ozeki. This earned him promotion to sekiwake for the first time for the May 2009 tournament. He began the tournament brightly, defeating three ozeki in the first three days (the best start by a new sekiwake since Tochinowaka in September 1987), but he faded after that and recorded a disappointing 6-9. Ranked at maegashira 1 in July, he could only score 5-10. In August he had endoscopic surgery on his right elbow. Despite this, he fought his way to a 10-5 record in the September tournament after a poor start, and returned to komusubi for the Kyushu tournament in November. After scoring only seven wins there he was demoted back to the maegashira ranks.
In January 2010 he earned his first kinboshi
by defeating Asashōryū
on Day 5. This was his first victory over a yokozuna, discounting a win by default in September 2008. However a defeat to Aminishiki on the final day meant he finished on 7-8 and he missed out on the Outstanding Performance prize as a result. He was forced to pull out of the March tournament, his first career withdrawal, after injuring his left knee in a defeat to Homasho on Day 5.
He was suspended along with over a dozen other wrestlers from the July 2010 tournament after admitting involvement in illegal betting on baseball. As a result, he fell to the jūryō division in September. Ranked at jūryō 1 East, he had no problem in securing an immediate return to the top division by scoring 12-3. In the May 2011 'technical examination' tournament he defeated all four ozeki and was awarded his second Technique prize. His 11-4 score meant he scored double-digit wins from the maegashira ranks in three consecutive tournaments, a rare feat. However, his return to the sanyaku ranks in the July 2011 tournament was unsuccessful as he lost eight of his first nine bouts, finishing on 5-10.
, who Gōeidō had fought a number of times in high school amateur sumo competitions and regards as his chief rival. He reached sekitori
status one tournament later than Tochiōzan, who also preceded him into the top division. Gōeidō made his sekiwake debut in the same tournament that Tochiōzan made his debut at komusubi. In their head-to-head clashes in professional sumo, Gōeidō leads 5-3.
is migi-yotsu, a left hand outside, right hand inside position. His most common winning kimarite
is yori-kiri, or force out, but he has used a wide variety of techniques in his short career to date, including sotogake, an outer leg trip, and kubinage, the neck throw.
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 Osaka Prefecture
Osaka Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Kansai region on Honshū, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area.- History :...
, 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...
. He made his professional debut in January 2005 and reached 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 in September 2007. His highest rank to date has been sekiwake, which he achieved in May 2009. He is regarded as one the most promising Japanese wrestlers in sumo today.
Career
Born in Neyagawa, he attended Sakami Sakae high school, where, as a member of the school sumo club, he won 11 national titles. At the 53rd All Japan Sumo Championships held at the Ryogoku KokugikanRyogoku 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...
in December 2004, in which he was the only high school student to compete, he finished in the top four. He made his professional debut one month later in January 2005, joining Sakaigawa stable
Sakaigawa stable
Sakaigawa stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi group of stables. It was established in its modern form on 25 May 1998 by former komusubi Ryogoku, who branched off from Dewanoumi stable...
. He initially fought under his own surname of Sawai. He moved through the lower ranks quickly and took the championship in the third highest makushita division in September 2006 with a perfect 7–0 record, which earned him promotion to the second highest jūryō division. At this point he adopted the 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...
of Gōeidō.
Gōeidō 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 after a 12–3 score and runner-up honours at the rank of jūryō 5 in July 2007. He had a very successful top division debut, leading the race for the championship after the 11th day with a score of 10–1. Pitted against higher ranked opposition on the next three days, he lost to Ama, ozeki Chiyotaikai
Chiyotaikai Ryuji
Chiyotaikai Ryūji , is a Japanese former sumo wrestler. He made his professional debut in 1992 and reached the top makuuchi division in 1997. He held the second highest rank of ōzeki or champion for 65 consecutive tournaments from 1999 until 2009, making him the longest serving ōzeki in the modern...
and Yokozuna Hakuhō
Hakuho Sho
is a professional sumo wrestler from Ulan Bator, Mongolia. Making his debut in March 2001, he reached the top makuuchi division in May 2004. On May 30, 2007 at the age of 22 he became the second native of Mongolia, and the fourth non-Japanese overall, to be promoted to the highest rank in sumo,...
. He was the first makuuchi debutant to face a yokozuna since Tosanoumi in 1995. He ended the tournament with an 11–4 score and was awarded the Fighting Spirit prize. In the November tournament he won six of his first seven bouts, and though he began losing in the second week he still finished with a majority of wins (8–7).
He was promoted up the ranks to maegashira 3 in January 2008. For this tournament he faced all the top-ranked men at the beginning instead of during the second week as had been the case in his debut. He fell short with five wins against ten losses, although did upset ozeki Kotomitsuki on the third day. Back at maegashira 8 for the March 2008 tournament, he clinched his kachi-koshi score of 8–7 with victory on the final day. He produced the same score in the May 2008 tournament, in which his best result was a victory over tournament runner-up Toyonoshima.
In the January 2009 tournament he won ten bouts from the maegashira 3 ranking, earning his first Technique prize and promotion back to komusubi. His second attempt at komusubi, in his hometown tournament, proved more successful and he compiled a 9-6 score which included a first win in five attempts over Kotooshu and two other victories over ozeki. This earned him promotion to sekiwake for the first time for the May 2009 tournament. He began the tournament brightly, defeating three ozeki in the first three days (the best start by a new sekiwake since Tochinowaka in September 1987), but he faded after that and recorded a disappointing 6-9. Ranked at maegashira 1 in July, he could only score 5-10. In August he had endoscopic surgery on his right elbow. Despite this, he fought his way to a 10-5 record in the September tournament after a poor start, and returned to komusubi for the Kyushu tournament in November. After scoring only seven wins there he was demoted back to the maegashira ranks.
In January 2010 he earned his first kinboshi
Kinboshi
Kinboshi is a notation used in professional sumo wrestling to record a lower-ranked wrestler's victory over a yokozuna....
by defeating Asashōryū
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...
on Day 5. This was his first victory over a yokozuna, discounting a win by default in September 2008. However a defeat to Aminishiki on the final day meant he finished on 7-8 and he missed out on the Outstanding Performance prize as a result. He was forced to pull out of the March tournament, his first career withdrawal, after injuring his left knee in a defeat to Homasho on Day 5.
He was suspended along with over a dozen other wrestlers from the July 2010 tournament after admitting involvement in illegal betting on baseball. As a result, he fell to the jūryō division in September. Ranked at jūryō 1 East, he had no problem in securing an immediate return to the top division by scoring 12-3. In the May 2011 'technical examination' tournament he defeated all four ozeki and was awarded his second Technique prize. His 11-4 score meant he scored double-digit wins from the maegashira ranks in three consecutive tournaments, a rare feat. However, his return to the sanyaku ranks in the July 2011 tournament was unsuccessful as he lost eight of his first nine bouts, finishing on 5-10.
Rivalry with Tochiōzan
Gōeidō joined professional sumo at the same time as TochiōzanTochiozan Yuichiro
Tochiōzan Yūichirō is a sumo wrestler from Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. He made his professional debut in January 2005 and reached the top makuuchi division in March 2007. His highest rank has been sekiwake...
, who Gōeidō had fought a number of times in high school amateur sumo competitions and regards as his chief rival. He reached 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...
status one tournament later than Tochiōzan, who also preceded him into the top division. Gōeidō made his sekiwake debut in the same tournament that Tochiōzan made his debut at komusubi. In their head-to-head clashes in professional sumo, Gōeidō leads 5-3.
Fighting style
Gōeidō is a yotsu-sumo wrestler, preferring grappling rather than pushing or thrusting techniques. His preferred grip on his opponent's mawashiMawashi
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:...
is migi-yotsu, a left hand outside, right hand inside position. His most common winning kimarite
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...
is yori-kiri, or force out, but he has used a wide variety of techniques in his short career to date, including sotogake, an outer leg trip, and kubinage, the neck throw.