Kenko Satoshi
Encyclopedia
Kenkō Satoshi was a sumo
wrestler from Osaka
, Japan
. His highest rank was komusubi.
division was in July 1992. Scoring only three wins there he fell back to jūryō, but reappeared in makuuchi in March 1993. He reached his highest rank of komusubi in May 1995. He fell back to maegashira 4 in July but turned in a strong 11-4 record, defeating yokozuna Akebono
and returning to komusubi in September 1995. He also defeated yokozuna Takanohana in May 1996, the only wrestler to do so in that tournament.
In May 1997 Kenko managed an 8-7 record at maegashira 11, but that was to be the last tournament in which he competed. He was hospitalised from July 1997, suffering from pancytopenia
caused by an extremely rare form of leukemia
(only four previous cases had ever been reported in Japan). His name remained on the ranking sheets, but unable to compete he had dropped to makushita 55 by March 1998. He died on 10 March, from a pulmonary embolism
.
, or yotsu-sumo. His favourite grip was hidari-yotsu, with his right hand outside and left hand inside his opponent's arms. His most common winning kimarite
was yorikiri, a straightforward force out, followed by uwatenage (overarm throw) and yoritaoshi (force out and down).
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
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...
. His highest rank was komusubi.
Career
Debuting in November 1984, he reached the second highest jūryō division in March 1991. His first tournament in the top makuuchiMakuuchi
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 was in July 1992. Scoring only three wins there he fell back to jūryō, but reappeared in makuuchi in March 1993. He reached his highest rank of komusubi in May 1995. He fell back to maegashira 4 in July but turned in a strong 11-4 record, 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 returning to komusubi in September 1995. He also defeated yokozuna Takanohana in May 1996, the only wrestler to do so in that tournament.
In May 1997 Kenko managed an 8-7 record at maegashira 11, but that was to be the last tournament in which he competed. He was hospitalised from July 1997, suffering from pancytopenia
Pancytopenia
Pancytopenia is a medical condition in which there is a reduction in the number of red and white blood cells, as well as platelets.If only two parameters from the full blood count are low, the term bicytopenia can be used...
caused by an extremely rare form of leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
(only four previous cases had ever been reported in Japan). His name remained on the ranking sheets, but unable to compete he had dropped to makushita 55 by March 1998. He died on 10 March, from a pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism is a blockage of the main artery of the lung or one of its branches by a substance that has travelled from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream . Usually this is due to embolism of a thrombus from the deep veins in the legs, a process termed venous thromboembolism...
.
Fighting style
Kenko favoured techniques involving grabbing the 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:...
, or yotsu-sumo. His favourite grip was hidari-yotsu, with his right hand outside and left 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 yorikiri, a straightforward force out, followed by uwatenage (overarm throw) and yoritaoshi (force out and down).