Shimotori Norio
Encyclopedia
Shimotori Norio is a former sumo
wrestler from Arai, Niigata Prefecture
, Japan
. A former amateur champion, he made his professional debut in 2000 and first reached the top division in 2002
, although due to injuries he had trouble maintaining that position. He earned one special prize, for Fighting Spirit. His highest rank was komusubi. He was forced to retire in April 2011 after an investigation by the Japan Sumo Association
found him guilty of match-fixing.
. He was recruited by the Tokitsukaze stable
and made his professional debut in May 2000, almost a year later than intended due to injuries from a traffic accident. Due to his amateur record he was given makushita tsukedashi status and began at the bottom of the third highest makushita division.
Shimotori reached sekitori
status in May 2001 upon promotion to the second highest jūryō division, and he made steady progess, rising to jūryō 3 by January 2002, where a 12-3 score and a playoff for the yusho
or championship with Takamisakari earned him promotion to the top makuuchi
division for March 2002. In July 2002 in only his third top division tournament he earned a kinboshi
or gold star for defeating Musashimaru in his first ever bout against a yokozuna, easily the best win of his career. He was also awarded the Fighting Spirit prize
in this tournament. He was not able to follow up this promising performance however, and slipped back into the jūryō division briefly in 2003. In January 2004 he produced a strong 11-4 record from the maegashira 7 ranking (although fighting only his fellow maegashira) and was promoted all the way to komusubi for the March 2004 tournament. However he managed only a 6-9 score fighting all the top ranked wrestlers in his komusubi debut and never managed to return to the titled sanyaku ranks.
After missing the whole of the November 2005 tournament through injury Shimotori has struggled to maintain his position in the top division, spending most of 2006 in jūryō. He returned to the top division in March 2007, but his stay was short-lived as he was unable to compete at all in the May 2007 tournament due to a herniated disk suffered during training in April. In November 2007 he produced a 10-5 score at the rank of Jūryō 4 which was enough to earn promotion back to the top division for the January 2008 tournament. A recurrence of his injury in winning his opening bout forced him to withdraw from the rest of this tournament and sent him back in the jūryō division for another year.
Shimotori ensured himself of his seventh promotion to the top division with his 10-5 performance at the rank of jūryō 2 in January 2009, and came through with a winning record at Maegashira 14 in March. He could score only 4-11 at Maegashira 8 in September 2009 but his final day victory over Masatsukasa kept him in the division. In the May 2010 tournament he was on the leaderboard early on after going 6-0 and then 8-2, although he finished on 10-5. This was his first top division winning record in double figures since January 2004. He maintained his top division position until he turned in a poor 2-13 record at Maegashira 11 in January 2011, which would have seen him demoted to juryo had the March 2011 tournament not been cancelled.
Shimotori was one of 23 wrestlers found guilty of fixing the result of bouts after an investigation by the Japan Sumo Association
, and he was forced to retire in April 2011. He also had to give up the rights to the elder
name of Nishikijima which he would have used to stay in sumo as a coach.
Unusually for the sumo world, he used his family name as his fighting name
. For a short interim from July 2007 until January 2008 he changed his fighting name to the similar sounding Shimoōtori, but has since returned again to using his family name after it brought no change in fortune.
and grabbing his opponent's mawashi
or belt. His favourite grip was migi-yotsu, which is left hand outside, right hand inside his opponent's arms. His most common winning technique was yori-kiri, a straightforward force-out, which accounted for roughly half his wins.
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 Arai, Niigata Prefecture
Niigata Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...
, 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...
. A former amateur champion, he made his professional debut in 2000 and first reached the top division in 2002
2002 in sumo
-Tournaments:*Hatsu basho, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, 13 January - 27 January*Haru basho, Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium, Osaka, 10 March - 24 March*Natsu basho, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, 12 May - 26 May...
, although due to injuries he had trouble maintaining that position. He earned one special prize, for Fighting Spirit. His highest rank was komusubi. He was forced to retire in April 2011 after an investigation 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...
found him guilty of match-fixing.
Career
Shimotori competed in amateur sumo at Tokyo University of AgricultureTokyo University of Agriculture
The , abbreviated as Nodai or Tokyo nodai , is a private university which treats agriculture in Japan.The campus is in three places, Setagaya, Atsugi, and Okhotsk .- Outline :...
. He was recruited by the Tokitsukaze stable
Tokitsukaze 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...
and made his professional debut in May 2000, almost a year later than intended due to injuries from a traffic accident. Due to his amateur record he was given makushita tsukedashi status and began at the bottom of the third highest makushita division.
Shimotori reached 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 in May 2001 upon promotion to the second highest jūryō division, and he made steady progess, rising to jūryō 3 by January 2002, where a 12-3 score and a playoff for the 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...
or championship with Takamisakari earned him 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 for March 2002. In July 2002 in only his third top division tournament he earned a 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 for defeating Musashimaru in his first ever bout against a yokozuna, easily the best win of his career. He was also awarded the Fighting Spirit prize
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 this tournament. He was not able to follow up this promising performance however, and slipped back into the jūryō division briefly in 2003. In January 2004 he produced a strong 11-4 record from the maegashira 7 ranking (although fighting only his fellow maegashira) and was promoted all the way to komusubi for the March 2004 tournament. However he managed only a 6-9 score fighting all the top ranked wrestlers in his komusubi debut and never managed to return to the titled sanyaku ranks.
Shimotori ensured himself of his seventh promotion to the top division with his 10-5 performance at the rank of jūryō 2 in January 2009, and came through with a winning record at Maegashira 14 in March. He could score only 4-11 at Maegashira 8 in September 2009 but his final day victory over Masatsukasa kept him in the division. In the May 2010 tournament he was on the leaderboard early on after going 6-0 and then 8-2, although he finished on 10-5. This was his first top division winning record in double figures since January 2004. He maintained his top division position until he turned in a poor 2-13 record at Maegashira 11 in January 2011, which would have seen him demoted to juryo had the March 2011 tournament not been cancelled.
Shimotori was one of 23 wrestlers found guilty of fixing the result of bouts after an investigation 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...
, and he was forced to retire in April 2011. He also had to give up the rights to the elder
Toshiyori
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 of Nishikijima which he would have used to stay in sumo as a coach.
Unusually for the sumo world, he used his family name as his fighting name
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...
. For a short interim from July 2007 until January 2008 he changed his fighting name to the similar sounding Shimoōtori, but has since returned again to using his family name after it brought no change in fortune.
Fighting style
Shimotori was a yotsu-sumo wrestler, preferring grappling techniquesKimarite
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...
and grabbing his opponent's 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 favourite grip was migi-yotsu, which is left hand outside, right hand inside his opponent's arms. His most common winning technique was yori-kiri, a straightforward force-out, which accounted for roughly half his wins.