Kongo Masahiro
Encyclopedia
Kongō Masahiro is a former sumo wrestler from Hokkaidō, Japan
. His highest rank was sekiwake. He is now a sumo coach and head of the Nishonoseki stable
.
, and joined Nishonoseki stable (home of the great Taihō
) in May 1964 at the age of 15. He initially wrestled under the shikona
of Oyoshizawa, based on his own surname. He first appeared on the banzuke
ranking sheets in July 1964 and won all seven of his bouts, taking the jonokuchi championship with a perfect 7-0 record. However his progress slowed somewhat after that. In 1966 he made the third makushita division, and gradually climbed up to Makushita 3 before dropping to Makushita 6 for the July 1969 tournament. There he took his second divisional championship, again with an unbeaten 7-0 score, and was promoted to the second juryo division, giving him elite sekitori
status. He was relatively light for a sumo wrestler at just 82 kg (180.8 lb). To mark his promotion he was given the new name of Kongo. He remained in the juryo division for just over a year, recording a couple of make-koshi or losing scores, but in May and July 1970 he won two consecutive juryo championships to earn promotion to the top makuuchi
division.
He had put on a little more weight, and was now around 100 kg (220.5 lb), but he remained in the maegashira ranks until May 1972, when a 9-6 score saw him reach the titled sanyaku ranks for the first time at komusubi. He was unable to maintain the rank however, scoring only 5-10. In September 1974 he defeated yokozuna Kitanoumi on the opening day, earning him his first kinboshi
or gold star, and at the end of the tournament he was awarded his first sanshō
or special prize for Outstanding Performance. He returned to komusubi for the following tournament.
The highlight of his career came in July 1975 when he won the top division championship from the maegashira 1 ranking. Yokozuna Wajima
and ozeki Takanohana
both missed the tournament through injury. Kongo defeated Kitanoumi once again on the 7th day and finished one win ahead of fellow maegashira Aobajo with a fine 13-2 record. He won his third Outstanding Performance prize and was promoted straight to sekiwake for the following tournament. This was to be his highest rank, as he could score only 6-9 in the September 1975 tournament and never managed to return to sekiwake.
, already in the top division when Kongo took over, remained active until 1988, and Kongo produced several other sekitori, such as Ho-o, Daitetsu and Daizen. However the stable has declined somewhat in recent years, and as of 2010 has just five active wrestlers, all in the lower divisions.
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 sekiwake. He is now a sumo coach and head of the Nishonoseki stable
Nishonoseki Stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Nishonoseki group of stables named after it. It first appeared in the late eighteenth century and was re-established in its current form in 1935 by the 32nd Yokozuna Tamanishiki while still active...
.
Career
He was born in FukagawaFukagawa, Hokkaido
is a city located in Sorachi Subprefecture, Hokkaidō, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 24,448 and the density of 50.36 persons per km². The total area is 529.12 km².The city was founded on May 1, 1963....
, and joined Nishonoseki stable (home of the great 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...
) in May 1964 at the age of 15. He initially wrestled under 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 Oyoshizawa, based on his own surname. He first appeared on the banzuke
Banzuke
This article is about the banzuke document, for a list of wrestlers as ranked on an actual banzuke see List of active sumo wrestlersA , officially called is a document listing the rankings of professional sumo wrestlers published before each official tournament or honbasho. The term can also...
ranking sheets in July 1964 and won all seven of his bouts, taking the jonokuchi championship with a perfect 7-0 record. However his progress slowed somewhat after that. In 1966 he made the third makushita division, and gradually climbed up to Makushita 3 before dropping to Makushita 6 for the July 1969 tournament. There he took his second divisional championship, again with an unbeaten 7-0 score, and was promoted to the second juryo division, giving him 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...
status. He was relatively light for a sumo wrestler at just 82 kg (180.8 lb). To mark his promotion he was given the new name of Kongo. He remained in the juryo division for just over a year, recording a couple of make-koshi or losing scores, but in May and July 1970 he won two consecutive juryo championships to earn promotion 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.
He had put on a little more weight, and was now around 100 kg (220.5 lb), but he remained in the maegashira ranks until May 1972, when a 9-6 score saw him reach the titled sanyaku ranks for the first time at komusubi. He was unable to maintain the rank however, scoring only 5-10. In September 1974 he defeated yokozuna Kitanoumi on the opening day, earning him his first kinboshi
Kinboshi
Kinboshi is a notation used in professional sumo wrestling to record a lower-ranked wrestler's victory over a yokozuna....
or gold star, and at the end of the tournament he was awarded his first sanshō
Sansho (Sumo)
Sanshō are the three special prizes awarded to top division sumo wrestlers for exceptional performance during a sumo honbasho or tournament. The prizes were first awarded in November 1947.-Criteria:...
or special prize for Outstanding Performance. He returned to komusubi for the following tournament.
The highlight of his career came in July 1975 when he won the top division championship from the maegashira 1 ranking. Yokozuna Wajima
Wajima Hiroshi
is a former sumo wrestler and professional wrestler from Nanao, Ishikawa, Japan. He was sumo's 54th Yokozuna. He won a total of 14 tournament championships or yusho during his career and retired in March 1981....
and ozeki Takanohana
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...
both missed the tournament through injury. Kongo defeated Kitanoumi once again on the 7th day and finished one win ahead of fellow maegashira Aobajo with a fine 13-2 record. He won his third Outstanding Performance prize and was promoted straight to sekiwake for the following tournament. This was to be his highest rank, as he could score only 6-9 in the September 1975 tournament and never managed to return to sekiwake.
Retirement from sumo
In 1975 Kongo's stablemaster, former ozeki Sagonohana, died and his widow asked Kongo to marry her second daughter and take over the running of Nishonoseki stable. Kongo agreed and he retired from active competition in 1976 at the age of 27. However, before the marriage could be officially registered, the daughter ran out on Kongo and so the widow adopted him as her foster son instead. Kongo has run the stable ever since. Veteran KirinjiKirinji Kazuharu
Kirinji Kazuharu is a former sumo wrestler from Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. His highest rank was sekiwake. During his long career he won several awards and set a number of longevity records. He is now a sumo coach.-Career:He made his professional debut in May 1967 at the age of just 14,...
, already in the top division when Kongo took over, remained active until 1988, and Kongo produced several other sekitori, such as Ho-o, Daitetsu and Daizen. However the stable has declined somewhat in recent years, and as of 2010 has just five active wrestlers, all in the lower divisions.
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
- List of sumo tournament second division winners