Gojōrō Katsuhiro
Encyclopedia
Gojōrō Katsuhiro is a former sumo
wrestler from Aoba-ku, Sendai
, Japan
. Making his professional debut in 1989, he spent a total of 53 tournaments as an elite sekitori
ranked wrestler, reaching a highest rank of maegashira 3 in 1998. After a number of injury problems he retired in 2005 at the age of 32. He is now a sumo coach under the name Hamakaze Oyakata.
and fencing
. He was recruited by former yokozuna Wakanohana
of the Magaki stable
. He made his debut in November 1989 at the age of 16. After very briefly having shikona
based on his own surname of Kojima, in 1990 he was given the name Wakasenryu, which was modified to Wakatenryu in the following year. In January 1992 he reached the third highest makushita division, although he was able to score only two wins and five losses. He responded with his first ever yusho
, a perfect 7-0 record in sandanme, which earned him immediate promotion back to makushita. However, in 1993 he missed four successive tournaments, which saw him drop all the way down to the rank of jonidan 52.
After another shikona change to Gojōrō, he returned to the dohyo
in November 1993, winning 14 straight bouts and quick promotion back to makushita. In May 1995 a 6-1 performance at the rank of Makushita 4 saw him promoted to the jūryō division for the first time, alongside his stablemate, the Hawaiian born Yamato
. He moved steadily up the division, and an 8-7 score at jūryō 1 in January 1997 was enough to see him promoted to the top makuuchi
division in March. He dropped back to jūryō after three tournaments but returned to makuuchi in January 1998 and a fine performance in May, when he recovered from 3-6 down to score 9-6, saw him promoted to his highest ever rank of maegashira 3 for the July 1998 basho
. However, he was pitched against all the top ranked wrestlers for the first time, including three yokozuna and two ozeki, and he finished with a 3-12 record.
In 1999 Gojōrō slipped back into the juryo division, and he suffered a number of injury problems over the next couple of years. He went 4-4-7, 0-0-15, 7-7-1, 0-0-15 in the four tournaments from September 1999 to March 2000, but due to the kosho (public injury) system he was able to stay in jūryō. However, yet another withdrawal in the September 2000 tournament on Day 5 saw him demoted back to makushita. It took him some time to recover from his injuries and return to the top ranks, but he collected two makushita yusho on the way (both perfect 7-0 scores), and in September 2002 he finally returned to makuuchi after twenty tournaments away. He climbed to maegashira 4 in November 2002, and fought three ozeki, but was unable to beat any and finished on 4-11.
Gojoro's return to makuuchi was unfortunately short-lived, as yet more injury problems struck him in July 2003, when he was forced to pull out on Day 8 with only four wins and was demoted back to jūryō. Sitting out the September 2003 basho, he returned in November but had a disastrous tournament. Not only did he become the first wrestler in sumo history to suffer hansoku (disqualification) twice in one basho after he was judged to have pulled the topknot
of Kokkai
on Day 4 and Ushiomaru on Day 6, but he was injured again on Day 8 and had to pull out. He missed the January 2004 tournament as well, but the public injury system once again kept him at sekitori level. He was one of the last wrestlers to benefit from it as the system was abolished after this tournament.
He struggled on in jūryō until May 2005, when on Day 7 he was injured during a bout with Kotokasuga that was declared too close to call. Unable to take part in the rematch, he lost by default and was unable to compete the next day as well. He thus became the first wrestler since Fujinoshin in September 1989 to lose by default two days in a row. He did return to the tournament, only to drop out again after his eighth loss on Day 12. Demoted to makushita once again, he fought only four more matches before finally announcing his retirement in November 2005.
or elder name for a year, giving him time to acquire full stock. In November 2006 he switched to the Hamakaze name after it was vacated by the former Misugisato. In November 2007 he transferred to another stable in the same ichimon, Sadogatake
, and took up coaching duties there.
, using both yotsu-sumo (grappling) and oshi-sumo (pushing) techniques. He preferred a hidari-yotsu (right hand outside, left hand inside) grip on his opponent's mawashi
, and often won by yori-kiri or force out. However, his three most regularly used kimarite
were oshi-dashi (the push out), hataki-komi (the slap down) and tsuki-dashi (the thrust out).
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 Aoba-ku, Sendai
Aoba-ku, Sendai
is one of five wards of Sendai, the largest city in the Tōhoku region of Japan. Aoba-ku encompasses 302.28 km² and had a population of 282,903 as of August 1, 2005.-Infrastructure:...
, 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...
. Making his professional debut in 1989, he spent a total of 53 tournaments as an elite 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...
ranked wrestler, reaching a highest rank of maegashira 3 in 1998. After a number of injury problems he retired in 2005 at the age of 32. He is now a sumo coach under the name Hamakaze Oyakata.
Career
As a teenager he did judoJudo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
and fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
. He was recruited by former yokozuna Wakanohana
Wakanohana Kanji II
Wakanohana Kanji II is a former sumo wrestler from Ōwani, Aomori, Japan. He was the sport's 56th Yokozuna. He is now the head coach of Magaki stable.-Early career:...
of the Magaki stable
Magaki Stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, formerly one of the Nishonoseki group of stables. Wakanohana Kanji II, the 56th Yokozuna in sumo history, re-established the stable in 1983 and is its current oyakata. Its first wrestler to reach the top division was the Hawaiian born Yamato in 1997...
. He made his debut in November 1989 at the age of 16. After very briefly having 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...
based on his own surname of Kojima, in 1990 he was given the name Wakasenryu, which was modified to Wakatenryu in the following year. In January 1992 he reached the third highest makushita division, although he was able to score only two wins and five losses. He responded with his first ever 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...
, a perfect 7-0 record in sandanme, which earned him immediate promotion back to makushita. However, in 1993 he missed four successive tournaments, which saw him drop all the way down to the rank of jonidan 52.
After another shikona change to Gojōrō, he returned to the dohyo
Dohyo
thumb|A dohyōThe dohyō is the ring in which sumo wrestling bouts are held. A modern dohyo is a circle of rice-straw bales 4.55 meters in diameter, mounted on a square platform of clay 6.7m on a side, and 34 to 60 cm high. The surface is covered by sand.A new dohyō is built prior to each...
in November 1993, winning 14 straight bouts and quick promotion back to makushita. In May 1995 a 6-1 performance at the rank of Makushita 4 saw him promoted to the jūryō division for the first time, alongside his stablemate, the Hawaiian born Yamato
Yamato Go
Yamato Go is a former sumo wrestler from Oahu, Hawaii, United States. His highest rank was maegashira 12.-Career:...
. He moved steadily up the division, and an 8-7 score at jūryō 1 in January 1997 was enough to see him 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 in March. He dropped back to jūryō after three tournaments but returned to makuuchi in January 1998 and a fine performance in May, when he recovered from 3-6 down to score 9-6, saw him promoted to his highest ever rank of maegashira 3 for the July 1998 basho
Honbasho
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 ....
. However, he was pitched against all the top ranked wrestlers for the first time, including three yokozuna and two ozeki, and he finished with a 3-12 record.
In 1999 Gojōrō slipped back into the juryo division, and he suffered a number of injury problems over the next couple of years. He went 4-4-7, 0-0-15, 7-7-1, 0-0-15 in the four tournaments from September 1999 to March 2000, but due to the kosho (public injury) system he was able to stay in jūryō. However, yet another withdrawal in the September 2000 tournament on Day 5 saw him demoted back to makushita. It took him some time to recover from his injuries and return to the top ranks, but he collected two makushita yusho on the way (both perfect 7-0 scores), and in September 2002 he finally returned to makuuchi after twenty tournaments away. He climbed to maegashira 4 in November 2002, and fought three ozeki, but was unable to beat any and finished on 4-11.
Gojoro's return to makuuchi was unfortunately short-lived, as yet more injury problems struck him in July 2003, when he was forced to pull out on Day 8 with only four wins and was demoted back to jūryō. Sitting out the September 2003 basho, he returned in November but had a disastrous tournament. Not only did he become the first wrestler in sumo history to suffer hansoku (disqualification) twice in one basho after he was judged to have pulled the topknot
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...
of Kokkai
Kokkai Futoshi
Kokkai Futoshi is a professional sumo wrestler from Georgia. He began his career in May 2001. He is the first Caucasian rikishi to reach sumo's highest division, makuuchi, which he achieved in 2004. His highest rank has been komusubi, which he reached in 2006...
on Day 4 and Ushiomaru on Day 6, but he was injured again on Day 8 and had to pull out. He missed the January 2004 tournament as well, but the public injury system once again kept him at sekitori level. He was one of the last wrestlers to benefit from it as the system was abolished after this tournament.
He struggled on in jūryō until May 2005, when on Day 7 he was injured during a bout with Kotokasuga that was declared too close to call. Unable to take part in the rematch, he lost by default and was unable to compete the next day as well. He thus became the first wrestler since Fujinoshin in September 1989 to lose by default two days in a row. He did return to the tournament, only to drop out again after his eighth loss on Day 12. Demoted to makushita once again, he fought only four more matches before finally announcing his retirement in November 2005.
Retirement from sumo
Staying in the sumo world as a coach at his stable, he was allowed to use his old fighting name as his toshiyoriToshiyori
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...
or elder name for a year, giving him time to acquire full stock. In November 2006 he switched to the Hamakaze name after it was vacated by the former Misugisato. In November 2007 he transferred to another stable in the same ichimon, Sadogatake
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 the stable in 1974 following Kotonishiki's death. Over the next...
, and took up coaching duties there.
Fighting style
Gojoro was something of an all-rounderAll-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
, using both yotsu-sumo (grappling) and oshi-sumo (pushing) techniques. He preferred a hidari-yotsu (right hand outside, left 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:...
, and often won by yori-kiri or force out. However, his three most regularly used 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...
were oshi-dashi (the push out), hataki-komi (the slap down) and tsuki-dashi (the thrust out).