Kitabayama Hidetoshi
Encyclopedia
Kitabayama Hidetoshi was a former sumo
wrestler and coach from Muroran, Hokkaidō
, Japan
. His highest rank was ozeki.
. He was recruited by the legendary former yokozuna Futabayama
. He was 173 cm tall and weighed 119 kg, which would make him extremely small by today's sumo standards. After winning the juryo championship in September 1958 with a 14-1 record he entered the top makuuchi
division in November 1958. He was a runner-up in only his second top division tournament and quickly made the sanyaku ranks, reaching sekiwake in November 1959. He was to remain at sekiwake rank for nine of the next ten tournaments. After finishing runner-up to maegashira Sadanoyama in the May 1961 tournament with an 11-4 record he was promoted to ozeki. He had won 28 bouts over the previous three tournaments, not normally enough for ozeki promotion, but there were only two ozeki at the time, and two ageing yokozuna (Asashio
and Wakanohana
) and so the standard was lowered slightly. In an era dominanted by Taihō
he was only able to win one tournament championship, in July 1963, when he defeated Sadanoyama in a playoff. He was also runner-up for a third time in the May 1964 tournament. He held his ozeki rank for a total of 30 tournaments over a period of five years.
name Edagawa and worked as a coach at Tokitsukaze stable. He was also on the board of Directors of the Japan Sumo Association
and worked as a shinpan or judge of tournament bouts. He left the Sumo Association in 2000 upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of sixty-five. He died in 2010 from cancer of the liver.
he regularly used were uwatenage (overarm throw) and tsuridashi (lift 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 and coach from Muroran, Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
, 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 ozeki.
Career
Kitabayama entered sumo in May 1954, joining Tokitsukaze stableTokitsukaze stable
The is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Tokitsukaze group of stables. It was originally founded in 1769 and was dominant during the Taishō period. In its modern form it dates from 1941 when it was established by Futabayama, who was still an active wrestler at the time. Initially known as...
. He was recruited by the legendary former yokozuna Futabayama
Futabayama Sadaji
Futabayama Sadaji , born as Akiyoshi Sadaji in Oita Prefecture, Japan, was the 35th Yokozuna in sumo wrestling, from 1937 until 1945. He won twelve top division championships and had a winning streak of 69 consecutive bouts, an all-time record. Despite his dominance he was extremely popular with...
. He was 173 cm tall and weighed 119 kg, which would make him extremely small by today's sumo standards. After winning the juryo championship in September 1958 with a 14-1 record he entered 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 1958. He was a runner-up in only his second top division tournament and quickly made the sanyaku ranks, reaching sekiwake in November 1959. He was to remain at sekiwake rank for nine of the next ten tournaments. After finishing runner-up to maegashira Sadanoyama in the May 1961 tournament with an 11-4 record he was promoted to ozeki. He had won 28 bouts over the previous three tournaments, not normally enough for ozeki promotion, but there were only two ozeki at the time, and two ageing yokozuna (Asashio
Asashio Taro III
Asashio Tarō III was a sumo wrestler from Kobe, Hyogo, Japan. He was the sport's 46th Yokozuna. He was also a sumo coach and head of Takasago stable.-Career:...
and Wakanohana
Wakanohana Kanji I
was a sumo wrestler, the sport's 45th Yokozuna .Wakanohana's younger brother was the late former ozeki Takanohana Kenshi and he was the uncle of Takanohana Koji and Wakanohana Masaru...
) and so the standard was lowered slightly. In an era dominanted by Taihō
Taiho Koki
Taihō Kōki is the 48th Yokozuna in the Japanese sport of sumo wrestling. He is generally regarded as the greatest sumo wrestler of the post-war period. He became a yokozuna in 1961 at the age of 21, the youngest ever at the time, and he won a record 32 tournaments between 1960 and 1971...
he was only able to win one tournament championship, in July 1963, when he defeated Sadanoyama in a playoff. He was also runner-up for a third time in the May 1964 tournament. He held his ozeki rank for a total of 30 tournaments over a period of five years.
Retirement from sumo
Kitabayama retired from active competition in May 1966, following two losing scores in his last two tournaments (a third would have seen him demoted from the ozeki rank). He remained in the sumo world as an elder under the 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...
name Edagawa and worked as a coach at Tokitsukaze stable. He was also on the board of Directors of the Japan Sumo Association
Japan Sumo Association
The is the body that operates and controls professional sumo wrestling in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Rikishi , gyōji , tokoyama , and yobidashi , are all on the Association's payroll, but the organisation is run...
and worked as a shinpan or judge of tournament bouts. He left the Sumo Association in 2000 upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of sixty-five. He died in 2010 from cancer of the liver.
Fighting style
Kitabayama's favoured techniques were hidari-yotsu (a right hand outside, left hand inside grip on his opponent's mawashi), yori kiri (force out) and utchari (ring edge throw). Other kimariteKimarite
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...
he regularly used were uwatenage (overarm throw) and tsuridashi (lift out).
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