Mōkonami Sakae
Encyclopedia
Mōkonami Sakae is a former sumo
wrestler from Mongolia
. After making his professional sumo debut in March 2001, he had his top makuuchi
division debut 8 years later in July 2009. His highest rank was maegashira 6. He has acquired Japanese citizenship. In April 2011 he was ordered to retire by the Japan Sumo Association
after an investigation found him guilty of match-fixing.
occasionally as recreation. But after seeing the well-known Mongolian sumo wrestler Kyokutenhō in action, he was inspired to try out sumo. He came to Japan in 2000 with an invitation to try out for Tatsunami stable
through a connection with Kyokutenhō's contemporary Kyokushūzan, and entered sumo in March, 2001, the same tournament as the later Mongolian yokozuna Hakuhō.
he took uses the pronunciation of "Mōko", the name the nomadic people of the Mongolian plateau called themselves and the plateau on which they lived, combined with the "nami" of Tatsunami stable. There is a now a movement among Mongolians residing in Japan to discontinue using the demonym
"Mōko" as it can be derogatory in Mongolia. This has been acknowledged by Mōkonami, but it is not known whether he has any plans to change his shikona
in the future.
Mōkonami had trouble gaining weight at first and struggled in the ranks of the sandanme fourth division. As his weight finally began to rise, however, his sumo improved, and he was promoted to the third division, makushita in January 2005. He proceeded to win a majority of bouts in 5 consecutive tournaments, and with a 5-2 record in his last makushita tournament, he finally became a sekitori
by gaining promotion to jūryō in January 2006. Being a fan of the Hanshin Tigers
, and recognizing that his coach is an old friend of the well-known Tiger player Katsuhito Yamada (as well as the fact that the second Chinese character in his ring name is "tiger") Mōkonami commemorated his jūryō debut with a new keshō-mawashi, approved by the Tigers' owners, that closely resembled the Tigers' logo.
Mōkonami proceeded to get a majority of wins in his first three tournaments after his jūryō debut. His performance in the March 2006 tournament would have granted him entry into the top division in the following May tournament had not Jūmonji, the maegashira #9 wrestler, narrowly managed to avoid relegation to jūryō by achieving a fourth win on the last day of the tournament. Perhaps succumbing to the pressure, Mōkonami only managed a 5-10 record at the jūryō top slot that he had earned for the May tournament. His fall continued, as he chalked up losing tournaments in for the remainder of 2006. He dropped back to makushita in 2007. Though he managed a 5-2 record in the January tournament at makushita #4, the successful records of a number of other wrestlers near his rank kept him from jūryō promotion in the following tournament. His 4-3 performance in the March tournament of 2007 was enough to grant him entry into jūryō again. After bouncing between winning and losing tournaments through the rest of 2007 and most of 2008 he managed to find some traction, and in four consecutive tournaments from November 2008 tournament to May 2009, he won a majority of his bouts. His May 2009 rank, again at the top spot of jūryō was almost a mirror image of his previous performance at this rank, as he pulled off a dominating 11-4 win which would catapult him into his top makuuchi division debut at the comparatively high rank of maegashira #7.
Possibly challenged by debuting at such a high rank, Mōkonami's first two tournaments in the top division have been losing performances. However, in the November 2009 tournament, he finally achieved a positive record of 9-6 at the 13th maegashira slot, staving off any fears of demotion from makuuchi for the time being. After clinching his kachi-koshi on the final day of the July 2010 tournament, he reached a new highest rank of maegashira 6 in September. He scored only five wins there, but managed a majority of wins in what was to be his final tournament in January 2011.
After an investigation by the Sumo Association into allegations of bout-rigging prompted by the discovery of text-messages on a mobile phone belonging to former maegashira Kasuganishiki, Mokonami was one of 23 wrestlers and coaches found guilty of involvement. He was ordered to retire, and submitted his letter of resignation on April 4, 2011.
), yori (force out) and tsuppari (a series of rapid thrusts to the chest). After yori-kiri, his next most frequently used kimarite
were uwatenage (overarm throw) and oshi-dashi (push out).
's limit of one foreign wrestler per stable, although this loophole has since been closed. Mokonami's legal name is now Sakae Ishikawa.
Mōkonami is married, with a daughter born in 2006.
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 Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
. After making his professional sumo debut in March 2001, he had his 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 debut 8 years later in July 2009. His highest rank was maegashira 6. He has acquired Japanese citizenship. In April 2011 he was ordered to retire by 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...
after an investigation found him guilty of match-fixing.
Early years and entry into sumo
Ganbold Bazarsad was born and raised in Ulan Bator. It has been reported that he lived in the same apartment complex as later makuuchi contemporary Shōtenrō, though they never met in person. During his school years, he was focused on basketball and only participated in Mongolian wrestlingMongolian wrestling
Mongolian wrestling, known as Bökh , is the folk wrestling style of Mongols in Mongolia, Inner Mongolia and other regions...
occasionally as recreation. But after seeing the well-known Mongolian sumo wrestler Kyokutenhō in action, he was inspired to try out sumo. He came to Japan in 2000 with an invitation to try out for Tatsunami stable
Tatsunami stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, and the head stable of the Tatsunami ichimon or group.-History:The stable is one of the most prestigious in sumo. It was originally founded in 1876 by Onigazaki, but the current incarnation dates from 1915...
through a connection with Kyokutenhō's contemporary Kyokushūzan, and entered sumo in March, 2001, the same tournament as the later Mongolian yokozuna Hakuhō.
Career
The ring nameRing name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
he took uses the pronunciation of "Mōko", the name the nomadic people of the Mongolian plateau called themselves and the plateau on which they lived, combined with the "nami" of Tatsunami stable. There is a now a movement among Mongolians residing in Japan to discontinue using the demonym
Demonym
A demonym , also referred to as a gentilic, is a name for a resident of a locality. A demonym is usually – though not always – derived from the name of the locality; thus, the demonym for the people of England is English, and the demonym for the people of Italy is Italian, yet, in english, the one...
"Mōko" as it can be derogatory in Mongolia. This has been acknowledged by Mōkonami, but it is not known whether he has any plans to change his 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...
in the future.
Mōkonami had trouble gaining weight at first and struggled in the ranks of the sandanme fourth division. As his weight finally began to rise, however, his sumo improved, and he was promoted to the third division, makushita in January 2005. He proceeded to win a majority of bouts in 5 consecutive tournaments, and with a 5-2 record in his last makushita tournament, he finally became a 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...
by gaining promotion to jūryō in January 2006. Being a fan of the Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
, and recognizing that his coach is an old friend of the well-known Tiger player Katsuhito Yamada (as well as the fact that the second Chinese character in his ring name is "tiger") Mōkonami commemorated his jūryō debut with a new keshō-mawashi, approved by the Tigers' owners, that closely resembled the Tigers' logo.
Mōkonami proceeded to get a majority of wins in his first three tournaments after his jūryō debut. His performance in the March 2006 tournament would have granted him entry into the top division in the following May tournament had not Jūmonji, the maegashira #9 wrestler, narrowly managed to avoid relegation to jūryō by achieving a fourth win on the last day of the tournament. Perhaps succumbing to the pressure, Mōkonami only managed a 5-10 record at the jūryō top slot that he had earned for the May tournament. His fall continued, as he chalked up losing tournaments in for the remainder of 2006. He dropped back to makushita in 2007. Though he managed a 5-2 record in the January tournament at makushita #4, the successful records of a number of other wrestlers near his rank kept him from jūryō promotion in the following tournament. His 4-3 performance in the March tournament of 2007 was enough to grant him entry into jūryō again. After bouncing between winning and losing tournaments through the rest of 2007 and most of 2008 he managed to find some traction, and in four consecutive tournaments from November 2008 tournament to May 2009, he won a majority of his bouts. His May 2009 rank, again at the top spot of jūryō was almost a mirror image of his previous performance at this rank, as he pulled off a dominating 11-4 win which would catapult him into his top makuuchi division debut at the comparatively high rank of maegashira #7.
Possibly challenged by debuting at such a high rank, Mōkonami's first two tournaments in the top division have been losing performances. However, in the November 2009 tournament, he finally achieved a positive record of 9-6 at the 13th maegashira slot, staving off any fears of demotion from makuuchi for the time being. After clinching his kachi-koshi on the final day of the July 2010 tournament, he reached a new highest rank of maegashira 6 in September. He scored only five wins there, but managed a majority of wins in what was to be his final tournament in January 2011.
After an investigation by the Sumo Association into allegations of bout-rigging prompted by the discovery of text-messages on a mobile phone belonging to former maegashira Kasuganishiki, Mokonami was one of 23 wrestlers and coaches found guilty of involvement. He was ordered to retire, and submitted his letter of resignation on April 4, 2011.
Fighting style
Mokonami's favourite techniques as listed by the Sumo Association were hidari-yotsu (a right hand outside, left hand inside grip on 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:...
), yori (force out) and tsuppari (a series of rapid thrusts to the chest). After yori-kiri, his next most frequently used 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...
were uwatenage (overarm throw) and oshi-dashi (push out).
Private life
On December 21, 2009, it was announced that Mōkonami had been granted Japanese citizenship. This allowed his stable to take on another foreign wrestler, Mongolian Battugs Bugaujargal, bypassing the Japan Sumo AssociationJapan 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...
's limit of one foreign wrestler per stable, although this loophole has since been closed. Mokonami's legal name is now Sakae Ishikawa.
Mōkonami is married, with a daughter born in 2006.
Top division record
External links
- Japanese Sumo Association Biography (English)(Japanese)