Hokuten'yu Katsuhiko
Encyclopedia
was a sumo
wrestler, from Muroran, Hokkaido
, Japan
. The highest rank he achieved was ozeki which he held for seven years from 1983 until 1990. He won two top division yusho
or tournament championships. After his retirement as an active wrestler he worked as a sumo coach until his death in 2006 from cancer.
of Mihogaseki stable
, and given 3,000 yen to ensure his commitment. He made his professional debut in March 1976. He served as a tsukebito or personal attendant to the great yokozuna Kitanoumi, another Hokkaidō native who belonged to the same stable
. In his early career he fought under his own surname of Chiba, but in 1978 he was given the shikona
of Hokutenyu, or "heavenly gift from the north", a reference to his birthplace. He was the first wrestler to have a fighting name including the "tenyu" character, which has since been used in a number of other shikona.
After four years in the lower ranks, Hokutenyu reached the second highest jūryō division in May 1980 and was promoted to the top makuuchi
division in November of that year. He made his sanyaku debut in July 1981 at komusubi rank.
At the beginning of 1983 Hokutenyu was promoted to sekiwake for the first time, and produced a strong 11-4 record. In March 1983 he shared second place with a 12-3 score, and in May he swept the rest of the field aside, losing only to Takanosato and winning his first tournament championship with a superb 14-1 record. After that tournament he was promoted to sumo's second highest rank of ozeki.
Hokutenyu had accumulated 37 wins over the course of the previous three tournaments, and it was seen as only a matter of time before he joined his stablemate Kitanoumi at the rank of yokozuna. He had been picked out as a potential yokozuna since he was first discovered and recruited by his stablemaster. He had a perfect physique for sumo, but he suffered from diabetes, and his fighting spirit was also sometimes questioned. His first two tournaments at ozeki ended with scores of 9-6 and 8-7. He did finish as runner-up in March 1984, and took a second championship in July 1985, but he never made a sustained challenge for yokozuna promotion. After finishing runner-up for the fourth time in November 1985, he was rarely in contention for the title in subsequent tournaments. Nonetheless, he fought as an ozeki for 44 tournaments, which places him fourth on the all-time list, behind Chiyotaikai
, Kaiō
and Takanohana I
.
He had a long rivalry with yokozuna Chiyonofuji
, whom he defeated 14 times in competition. There was a personal edge to their matches because of Hokutenyu's younger brother, who was a low ranking member of Chiyonofuji's Kokonoe stable
, but quit sumo after a training incident in 1979 for which Hokutenyu blamed his rival.
He was particularly popular among female sumo fans.
was migi-yotsu, with his left hand outside and right hand inside his opponent's arms. His most common winning kimarite
was yori-kiri, the force out. He also regularly employed both uwatenage (the overarm throw) and shitatenage (the underarm throw, which he listed as his preferred throw), as well as tsuri-dashi, the lift out.
he produced was Hakurozan
in 2004. He also served as a shimpan
or judge in tournament matches.
After suffering a stroke
in March 2006, he was hospitalised. He died of cancer of the kidney
in June 2006 at age 45. This left the heya
without a master, and all eleven of his wrestlers transferred to the Kitanoumi-beya
.
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 Muroran, Hokkaido
Muroran, Hokkaido
is a city and port located in Iburi, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is the capital city of Iburi Subprefecture.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 96,724 and a density of 1,210 people per km². The total area is 80.65 km².- 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...
. The highest rank he achieved was ozeki which he held for seven years from 1983 until 1990. He won two 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 championships. After his retirement as an active wrestler he worked as a sumo coach until his death in 2006 from cancer.
Career
Hokutenyu was scouted at the age of nine by former ozeki Masuiyama Daishiro IMasuiyama Daishiro I
Masuiyama Daishirō was a sumo wrestler from Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. His highest rank was ozeki. After his retirement he was the head coach of Mihogaseki stable and produced yokozuna Kitanoumi among other wrestlers.-Career:Born Kumiaki Sawaka, he joined Dewanoumi stable in 1935 and...
of 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...
, and given 3,000 yen to ensure his commitment. He made his professional debut in March 1976. He served as a tsukebito or personal attendant to the great yokozuna Kitanoumi, another Hokkaidō native who belonged to the same stable
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...
. In his early career he fought under his own surname of Chiba, but in 1978 he was given 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 Hokutenyu, or "heavenly gift from the north", a reference to his birthplace. He was the first wrestler to have a fighting name including the "tenyu" character, which has since been used in a number of other shikona.
After four years in the lower ranks, Hokutenyu reached the second highest jūryō division in May 1980 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 in November of that year. He made his sanyaku debut in July 1981 at komusubi rank.
At the beginning of 1983 Hokutenyu was promoted to sekiwake for the first time, and produced a strong 11-4 record. In March 1983 he shared second place with a 12-3 score, and in May he swept the rest of the field aside, losing only to Takanosato and winning his first tournament championship with a superb 14-1 record. After that tournament he was promoted to sumo's second highest rank of ozeki.
Hokutenyu had accumulated 37 wins over the course of the previous three tournaments, and it was seen as only a matter of time before he joined his stablemate Kitanoumi at the rank of yokozuna. He had been picked out as a potential yokozuna since he was first discovered and recruited by his stablemaster. He had a perfect physique for sumo, but he suffered from diabetes, and his fighting spirit was also sometimes questioned. His first two tournaments at ozeki ended with scores of 9-6 and 8-7. He did finish as runner-up in March 1984, and took a second championship in July 1985, but he never made a sustained challenge for yokozuna promotion. After finishing runner-up for the fourth time in November 1985, he was rarely in contention for the title in subsequent tournaments. Nonetheless, he fought as an ozeki for 44 tournaments, which places him fourth on the all-time list, behind 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...
, Kaiō
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...
and Takanohana I
Takanohana Kenshi
Takanohana Kenshi 貴ノ花健士 was a sumo wrestler from Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. His highest rank was ozeki, which he held for fifty tournaments. As an active rikishi he was extremely popular and was nicknamed the "prince of sumo" due to his good looks and relatively slim build...
.
He had a long rivalry with yokozuna Chiyonofuji
Chiyonofuji Mitsugu
, born June 1, 1955, as in Hokkaidō, Japan, is a former champion sumo wrestler and the 58th yokozuna of the sport. He is now the head coach of Kokonoe stable....
, whom he defeated 14 times in competition. There was a personal edge to their matches because of Hokutenyu's younger brother, who was a low ranking member of Chiyonofuji's Kokonoe stable
Kokonoe stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Takasago group of stables. It was formed in 1967 and is located in Ishiwara, Sumida, Tokyo. As of April 2008 it had 16 sumo wrestlers.-History:...
, but quit sumo after a training incident in 1979 for which Hokutenyu blamed his rival.
He was particularly popular among female sumo fans.
Fighting style
Hokutenyu was a yotsu-sumo wrestler, preferring grappling to pushing techniques. His favourite 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:...
was migi-yotsu, with his left hand outside and right hand inside his opponent's arms. 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...
was yori-kiri, the force out. He also regularly employed both uwatenage (the overarm throw) and shitatenage (the underarm throw, which he listed as his preferred throw), as well as tsuri-dashi, the lift out.
Retirement
Hokutenyu withdrew from the September 1990 tournament after suffering four losses in a row and announced his retirement from sumo at the age of 30. He opened up his own training stable, Hatachiyama-beya in 1993. The first sekitoriSekitori
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...
he produced was Hakurozan
Hakurozan Yuta
Hakurozan Yūta is a former sumo wrestler. The highest rank he reached was maegashira 2. His older brother is also a former sumo wrestler, under the name of Rohō of Ōtake stable...
in 2004. He also served as a shimpan
Shimpan
are the judges of a professional sumo bout. In a sumo honbasho tournament five shimpan sit around the ring to observe which wrestler wins the matchup. When judging tournament bouts they wear formal Japanese dress of otokomono, haori with mon, and hakama...
or judge in tournament matches.
After suffering a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in March 2006, he was hospitalised. He died of cancer of the kidney
Kidney cancer
Kidney cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the cells in the kidney.The two most common types of kidney cancer are renal cell carcinoma and urothelial cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis...
in June 2006 at age 45. This left the 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...
without a master, and all eleven of his wrestlers transferred to the Kitanoumi-beya
Kitanoumi stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ichimon or group of stables. It was set up in 1985 by former yokozuna Kitanoumi, who branched off from Mihogaseki stable. It absorbed Hatachiyama stable in 2006, following the death of its head coach, former ozeki Hokuten'yū...
.
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 past sumo wrestlers
- List of sumo tournament winners