Takahama Tatsuro
Encyclopedia
Hamanishiki Tatsurō is a sumo
wrestler from Kumamoto
, Japan
. A former amateur champion, he made his professional debut in 1999. His highest rank has been maegashira 11, which he reached in 2002. He has been ranked in the lower divisions since 2005.
and joined the professional sport in March 1999. He made his debut alongside Kotomitsuki and Takamisakari. He began wrestling under his own name but upon promotion to the second highest jūryō division in July 2000 he adopted the shikona
of Hamanishiki.
After five tournaments in jūryō he made his debut in the top makuuchi
division in May 2001. However he was unable to progress higher than the lower maegashira ranks and fell back to the second division in September 2002. In November 2004, ranked at the very bottom of jūryō, he produced a disastrous 1-14 record and was demoted to the third makushita division, where he had begun his career. He reverted back to his own surname in November 2005 but this did little to change his fortunes. He missed two tournaments through injury in November 2006 and January 2007 and was demoted once more, to the fourth sandanme division.
He managed to return to the makushita division after a good 6-1 performance in January 2008, and he followed up with a 5-2 score in March and 4-3 in May, which took him to Makushita 26 for the July 2008 tournament, his highest rank since September 2006, before his injury. He returned to the Hamanishiki name in July 2009.
In May 2011 he earned promotion back to the juryo division for the first time in over six years after scoring 6-1 at Makushita 10. There were a large number of positions available in juryo due to the forced retirements of several wrestlers after a match-fixing scandal. The 39 tournaments it took him to return to juryo is the most in sumo history. His stay in juryo lasted only two tournaments however, as he could score only 5-10 in July and 2-13 in September.
is a straightforward yori-kiri or force out. His favourite grip on his opponent's mawashi
is migi-yotsu, a left hand outside, right hand inside position.
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 Kumamoto
Kumamoto, Kumamoto
is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. Greater Kumamoto has a population of 1,460,000, as of the 2000 census...
, 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 1999. His highest rank has been maegashira 11, which he reached in 2002. He has been ranked in the lower divisions since 2005.
Career
Takahama practised amateur sumo at Nihon UniversityNihon University
Nihon University is the largest university in Japan. Akiyoshi Yamada, the minister of justice, founded Nihon Law School in October 1889....
and joined the professional sport in March 1999. He made his debut alongside Kotomitsuki and Takamisakari. He began wrestling under his own name but upon promotion to the second highest jūryō division in July 2000 he adopted 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 Hamanishiki.
After five tournaments in jūryō he made his debut in 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 May 2001. However he was unable to progress higher than the lower maegashira ranks and fell back to the second division in September 2002. In November 2004, ranked at the very bottom of jūryō, he produced a disastrous 1-14 record and was demoted to the third makushita division, where he had begun his career. He reverted back to his own surname in November 2005 but this did little to change his fortunes. He missed two tournaments through injury in November 2006 and January 2007 and was demoted once more, to the fourth sandanme division.
He managed to return to the makushita division after a good 6-1 performance in January 2008, and he followed up with a 5-2 score in March and 4-3 in May, which took him to Makushita 26 for the July 2008 tournament, his highest rank since September 2006, before his injury. He returned to the Hamanishiki name in July 2009.
In May 2011 he earned promotion back to the juryo division for the first time in over six years after scoring 6-1 at Makushita 10. There were a large number of positions available in juryo due to the forced retirements of several wrestlers after a match-fixing scandal. The 39 tournaments it took him to return to juryo is the most in sumo history. His stay in juryo lasted only two tournaments however, as he could score only 5-10 in July and 2-13 in September.
Fighting style
Hamanishiki is a yotsu-sumo wrestler, who prefers grappling techniques to pushing or thrusting. His most common winning kimariteKimarite
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 a straightforward yori-kiri or force out. His favourite grip on 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:...
is migi-yotsu, a left hand outside, right hand inside position.