Kotonowaka Terumasa
Encyclopedia
Kotonowaka Terumasa is a former sumo
wrestler from Obanazawa, Yamagata prefecture
, Japan
. He made his professional debut in 1984 and after reaching the top makuuchi
division in 1990 he remained there for 15 years until his retirement in 2005. His highest rank was sekiwake and he earned seven special prizes
and eight gold stars
during his long makuuchi career. He is now the head coach of Sadogatake stable
.
and shotput, and even represented his prefecture at the All Tohoku Shotput Championships. He was already tall by the age of 14. He was scouted into sumo by a supporter of Sadogatake stable. He had intended to join in March 1984 alongside Kotonishiki, but failed the physical because of high blood pressure, delaying his entry by two months.
At first he wrestled under the name "Imano" and then "Kotoimano" before finally settling on "Kotonowaka" in 1988. It took him six years to achieve sekitori
status by reaching the jūryō division in July 1990. He first reached makuuchi
in November 1990 and remained continuously in the top division from March 1991. He advanced several times into the sanyaku ranks, first making komusubi in September 1993. However he had to wait until January 1999 to achieve his highest rank of sekiwake, following a strong 10-5 showing at komusubi the previous November.
Kotonowaka never won a tournament, but he nevertheless triumphed eight times against yokozuna, with three coming against Takanohana. He also received five Fighting Spirit and two Outstanding Achievement prizes
in the course of his long career, the first coming in July 1995, nearly five years after his top division debut. He was ranked in the top division for 89 consecutive tournaments, which is the fourth best in history, and he was one of only a handful of rikishi to win over 600 top division bouts. He was relatively injury-free until March 2000, when he suffered a serious injury to his left knee in training which was to bother him for the rest of his career. He injured the knee again in November 2003.
His good looks meant he was popular with female sumo fans.
. His speciality was uwatenage, or the overarm throw, which he used to win over 20 percent of his matches (the average is only 7 percent).
, had reached the mandatory retirement age of 65. Kotonowaka had been in line to inherit the stable ever since he had married Kotozakura's daughter in March 1996. She gave birth to a son in November 1997.
Kotonowaka oversaw the promotion of Kotomitsuki to ozeki in July 2007, and Kotooshu's first top division championship in May 2008. The first wrestler from his stable to be promoted to the top division since he took over was Kotokasuga, also in May 2008. He produced his first new sekitori
, Kotokuni, in January 2009, followed by Kotoyutaka in July 2009 (although neither were ranked in jūryō as of 2010).
In July 2010 Kotomitsuki was dismissed from sumo for illegal betting on professional baseball
, and Sadogatake was punished for his lack of supervision of his top wrestler by being demoted two ranks in the Sumo Association's hierarchy.
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 Obanazawa, Yamagata prefecture
Yamagata Prefecture
-Fruit:Yamagata Prefecture is the largest producer of cherries and pears in Japan. A large quantity of other kinds of fruits such as grapes, apples, peaches, melons, persimmons and watermelons are also produced.- Demographics :...
, 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...
. He made his professional debut in 1984 and after reaching 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 1990 he remained there for 15 years until his retirement in 2005. His highest rank was sekiwake and he earned seven special prizes
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:...
and eight gold stars
Kinboshi
Kinboshi is a notation used in professional sumo wrestling to record a lower-ranked wrestler's victory over a yokozuna....
during his long makuuchi career. He is now the head coach of Sadogatake stable
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...
.
Career
At junior high school he practiced 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 shotput, and even represented his prefecture at the All Tohoku Shotput Championships. He was already tall by the age of 14. He was scouted into sumo by a supporter of Sadogatake stable. He had intended to join in March 1984 alongside Kotonishiki, but failed the physical because of high blood pressure, delaying his entry by two months.
At first he wrestled under the name "Imano" and then "Kotoimano" before finally settling on "Kotonowaka" in 1988. It took him six years to achieve 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 by reaching the jūryō division in July 1990. He first reached 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....
in November 1990 and remained continuously in the top division from March 1991. He advanced several times into the sanyaku ranks, first making komusubi in September 1993. However he had to wait until January 1999 to achieve his highest rank of sekiwake, following a strong 10-5 showing at komusubi the previous November.
Kotonowaka never won a tournament, but he nevertheless triumphed eight times against yokozuna, with three coming against Takanohana. He also received five Fighting Spirit and two Outstanding Achievement prizes
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:...
in the course of his long career, the first coming in July 1995, nearly five years after his top division debut. He was ranked in the top division for 89 consecutive tournaments, which is the fourth best in history, and he was one of only a handful of rikishi to win over 600 top division bouts. He was relatively injury-free until March 2000, when he suffered a serious injury to his left knee in training which was to bother him for the rest of his career. He injured the knee again in November 2003.
His good looks meant he was popular with female sumo fans.
Fighting style
Kotonowaka relied strongly on countering techniques against his opponents, and his bouts were often relatively long as compared to most other wrestlers. This proclivity led to him receiving the nickname "Mr. Ippun" ("Mr. One-Minute"). He favoured a migi-yotsu (left hand outside, right hand inside) 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:...
. His speciality was uwatenage, or the overarm throw, which he used to win over 20 percent of his matches (the average is only 7 percent).
Retirement from sumo
During the 2005 November tournament, in which, at 37, he was the oldest rikishi in his division, he announced his retirement. He took over immediately as stable master of Sadogatake stable, as the previous head, former Yokozuna KotozakuraKotozakura Masakatsu
Kotozakura Masakatsu was a former sumo wrestler from Kurayoshi, Tottori Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 53rd Yokozuna. He made his professional debut in 1959, reaching the top division in 1963...
, had reached the mandatory retirement age of 65. Kotonowaka had been in line to inherit the stable ever since he had married Kotozakura's daughter in March 1996. She gave birth to a son in November 1997.
Kotonowaka oversaw the promotion of Kotomitsuki to ozeki in July 2007, and Kotooshu's first top division championship in May 2008. The first wrestler from his stable to be promoted to the top division since he took over was Kotokasuga, also in May 2008. He produced his first new 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...
, Kotokuni, in January 2009, followed by Kotoyutaka in July 2009 (although neither were ranked in jūryō as of 2010).
In July 2010 Kotomitsuki was dismissed from sumo for illegal betting on professional baseball
Professional baseball in Japan
Professional baseball in Japan first started in the 1920s, but it was not until the was established in 1934 that the modern professional game had continued success.-History:...
, and Sadogatake was punished for his lack of supervision of his top wrestler by being demoted two ranks in the Sumo Association's hierarchy.