Satoyama Kosaku
Encyclopedia
Satoyama Kōsaku is a professional sumo
wrestler from Oshima
, Kagoshima Prefecture
, Japan
. His highest rank has been maegashira 12. Somewhat unusually for a sekitori
wrestler, he continues to compete under his birth name.
, Satoyama made his professional debut in March 2004, joining Mihogaseki stable
alongside his team-mate at Nichidai Sumo Club, Shiraishi. Initially he was somewhat overshadowed by Shiraishi and Baruto, who made their jūryō division debuts together in September 2005. However, Satoyama was still highly regarded, despite his short height and relatively light weight. He made his way quickly up the ranks, recording only one make-koshi along the way to sekitori
status, which he achieved in January 2006 upon promotion to the jūryō division. In September 2006 Satoyama, Shiraishi, Baruto and a number of other wrestlers scouted by the former komusubi Hamanoshima joined his newly created Onoe stable
.
In March 2007 Satoyama won the jūryō division championship or yusho
with a 12-3 record and he entered the top makuuchi
division for the first time in May 2007 at maegashira 12, where he scored seven wins against eight losses. After a poor 2-13 record in July he was demoted back to jūryō. Restricted by a neck injury, he had two more losing scores in September and November 2007, pushing him towards the bottom of the second division. In January 2008 he won only two bouts in the first 11 days, and although he won his last four matches to finish on a 6-9 score, it was not enough to prevent demotion to the third makushita division.
Satoyama produced a 2-5 score in March 2008, and 3-4 in May, meaning he had chalked up seven consecutive losing scores. In July 2008 he returned to form and won the makushita championship with a 6-1 score after an eight-way playoff, defeating his 232 kg stablemate Yamamotoyama Ryūta
in the final. It was his first kachi-koshi or winning score since his jūryō division championship in March 2007. However he could only manage two wins in each of his next two tournaments. Remaining firmly stuck in the makushita ranks, he became a tsukebito, or personal attendant, to Baruto. However in the July 2011 basho he scored 5-2 at makushita 6 which returned him to juryo for the first time in 21 tournaments. His score of 7-8 in September was enough to keep him in the second division, but not the 6–9 that followed in November.
profile Satoyama favours yotsu-sumo, fighting on the mawashi
or belt. His preferred grip is listed as hidari-yotsu, with his right hand outside and left hand inside his opponent's arms. He is known for his underarm throw, or shitatenage. However, his most common winning kimarite
is actually oshi-dashi, or push 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 from Oshima
Oshima
-Places: :** Nii Ōshima Island, part of Niihama in Ehime Prefecture** Ōshima, Ehime, an island connected by the Hakata-Ōshima Bridge and the Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge...
, Kagoshima Prefecture
Kagoshima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Kagoshima.- Geography :Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu and includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest for a few hundred kilometers...
, 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 has been maegashira 12. Somewhat unusually for 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...
wrestler, he continues to compete under his birth name.
Career
A former amateur sumo champion at Nichidai UniversityNihon University
Nihon University is the largest university in Japan. Akiyoshi Yamada, the minister of justice, founded Nihon Law School in October 1889....
, Satoyama made his professional debut in March 2004, joining Mihogaseki stable
Mihogaseki stable
The is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ichimon or group of stables. Its current head coach, former ozeki Masuiyama Daishiro II took charge in November 1984. He is the son of the previous head, also an ozeki under the name Masuiyama, making it one of only three current stables...
alongside his team-mate at Nichidai Sumo Club, Shiraishi. Initially he was somewhat overshadowed by Shiraishi and Baruto, who made their jūryō division debuts together in September 2005. However, Satoyama was still highly regarded, despite his short height and relatively light weight. He made his way quickly up the ranks, recording only one make-koshi along the way to 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, which he achieved in January 2006 upon promotion to the jūryō division. In September 2006 Satoyama, Shiraishi, Baruto and a number of other wrestlers scouted by the former komusubi Hamanoshima joined his newly created Onoe stable
Onoe stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi group of stables. It was established in August 2006 by former komusubi Hamanoshima, who branched off from Mihogaseki stable and took several of its leading wrestlers with him...
.
In March 2007 Satoyama won the jūryō division championship or yusho
Yusho
A Yūshō is a tournament championship in sumo. It is awarded in each of the six annual honbasho or official tournaments, to the wrestler who wins the most number of bouts. Yūshō are awarded in all six professional sumo divisions...
with a 12-3 record and 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 for the first time in May 2007 at maegashira 12, where he scored seven wins against eight losses. After a poor 2-13 record in July he was demoted back to jūryō. Restricted by a neck injury, he had two more losing scores in September and November 2007, pushing him towards the bottom of the second division. In January 2008 he won only two bouts in the first 11 days, and although he won his last four matches to finish on a 6-9 score, it was not enough to prevent demotion to the third makushita division.
Satoyama produced a 2-5 score in March 2008, and 3-4 in May, meaning he had chalked up seven consecutive losing scores. In July 2008 he returned to form and won the makushita championship with a 6-1 score after an eight-way playoff, defeating his 232 kg stablemate Yamamotoyama Ryūta
Yamamotoyama Ryuta
Yamamotoyama Ryūta is a former sumo wrestler from the city of Saitama in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Making his professional debut in January 2007, he reached the top makuuchi division in January 2009. His highest rank was maegashira 9. At , he is the heaviest Japanese-born sumo wrestler ever...
in the final. It was his first kachi-koshi or winning score since his jūryō division championship in March 2007. However he could only manage two wins in each of his next two tournaments. Remaining firmly stuck in the makushita ranks, he became a tsukebito, or personal attendant, to Baruto. However in the July 2011 basho he scored 5-2 at makushita 6 which returned him to juryo for the first time in 21 tournaments. His score of 7-8 in September was enough to keep him in the second division, but not the 6–9 that followed in November.
Fighting style
According to his 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...
profile Satoyama favours yotsu-sumo, fighting on the mawashi
Mawashi
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 belt. His preferred grip is listed as hidari-yotsu, with his right hand outside and left hand inside his opponent's arms. He is known for his underarm throw, or shitatenage. However, 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...
is actually oshi-dashi, or push out.
Tournament 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 second division winners
- List of active sumo wrestlers