Takanonami Sadahiro
Encyclopedia
Takanonami Sadahiro is a former sumo
wrestler from Aomori
, Japan
. He held sumo's second highest rank of ōzeki from 1994 until 2000 and won two tournament titles. He is now a sumo coach.
, the young Namioka did sumo at elementary school, but did not initially consider it as a profession, intending to follow his father and work in local government. However, he was introduced to Fujishima Oyakata (the former Takanohana Kenshi
) who was in Misawa to give a speech, and was persuaded to join Fujishima Stable.
Takanonami made his professional debut in 1987. He became an elite sekitori
ranked wrestler in March 1991 when he was promoted to the second highest jūryō division, and he reached the top makuuchi
division in November 1991. He led the race for the championship in the first week of the tournament, the first debutant to do so, and defeated Kotonishiki, the winner of the previous tournament. However he started losing in the second week and finished with a score of 8-7. He earned his first special prize
in his first tournament at komusubi rank in May 1993. After a 13-2 runner-up performance from sekiwake rank in January 1994, he earned promotion to ozeki simultaneously with Musashimaru. His two tournament victories in January 1996 and November 1997 both came after playoff wins against stablemate Takanohana. He normally avoided having to meet Takanohana, as well as other top division stars such as Wakanohana
, Takatoriki and Akinoshima, as they were all members of Futagoyama stable, a large and dominant heya
which had merged with Fujishima in 1993. At his peak he consistently scored 11 or 12 wins in a tournament and was runner-up three times in 1996. He was ranked as an ozeki for 37 tournaments in total. He lost the rank at the end of 1999 after two make-koshi or losing scores, but was promoted back after scoring ten wins as a sekiwake in January 2000: the first wrestler to achieve this since Mienoumi in 1976. However, after two more losing scores in March and May 2000 he was demoted once again, and was never able to return.
.
before using his long reach to lean over and grab his opponent's arms and launch a counter-offensive. He regularly won by kimedashi, a technique seldom seen today. In his later years his various injuries (particularly those to his ankles) meant he was less effective at this, and his results suffered. He largely remained in the maegashira ranks and had six consecutive losing scores in 2003.
Along with five other oyakata (Magaki
, Onomatsu
, Otake, Tokiwayama and Futagoyama), he was forced to leave the Nishonoseki ichimon or group of stables in January 2010 after declaring his support for his former stablemate Takanohana's unsanctioned bid to be elected to the board of directors of the Sumo Association.
As an oyakata, he is known as one of the more bright personalities in his stable, and he has appeared on a number of variety programs on Japanese TV largely due to his accessible personality.
Takanonami is reportedly a big fan of American Football
and has appeared as a commentator on sports programs in Japan.
, in 1998. He spent some time in hospital whilst still an active wrestler, but in February 2006 he was admitted to hospital once again with septicemia, pneumonia
and other complications. He fell into cardiac arrest
and had to undergo emergency surgery.
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 Aomori
Aomori Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region. The capital is the city of Aomori.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Aomori prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
, 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 held sumo's second highest rank of ōzeki from 1994 until 2000 and won two tournament titles. He is now a sumo coach.
Career
Born in Misawa, AomoriMisawa, Aomori
is a city located in eastern Aomori Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of Japan. As of 2009, the city had an estimated population of 42,399 and a density of 353 persons per km²...
, the young Namioka did sumo at elementary school, but did not initially consider it as a profession, intending to follow his father and work in local government. However, he was introduced to Fujishima Oyakata (the former Takanohana Kenshi
Takanohana Kenshi
Takanohana Kenshi 貴ノ花健士 was a sumo wrestler from Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. His highest rank was ozeki, which he held for fifty tournaments. As an active rikishi he was extremely popular and was nicknamed the "prince of sumo" due to his good looks and relatively slim build...
) who was in Misawa to give a speech, and was persuaded to join Fujishima Stable.
Takanonami made his professional debut in 1987. He became an elite 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...
ranked wrestler in March 1991 when he was promoted to the second highest jūryō division, and he reached 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 November 1991. He led the race for the championship in the first week of the tournament, the first debutant to do so, and defeated Kotonishiki, the winner of the previous tournament. However he started losing in the second week and finished with a score of 8-7. He earned his first special 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 his first tournament at komusubi rank in May 1993. After a 13-2 runner-up performance from sekiwake rank in January 1994, he earned promotion to ozeki simultaneously with Musashimaru. His two tournament victories in January 1996 and November 1997 both came after playoff wins against stablemate Takanohana. He normally avoided having to meet Takanohana, as well as other top division stars such as Wakanohana
Wakanohana Masaru
is a former sumo wrestler from Tokyo, Japan. As an active wrestler he was known as Wakanohana III Masaru , and his rise through the ranks alongside his younger brother Takanohana Koji saw a boom in sumo's popularity in the early 1990s...
, Takatoriki and Akinoshima, as they were all members of Futagoyama stable, a large and dominant heya
Heya
In sumo wrestling, a heya , usually translated into English as stable, is an organization of sumo wrestlers where they train and live. All wrestlers in professional sumo must belong to one. There are currently 49 heya , all but four of which belong to one of five ichimon...
which had merged with Fujishima in 1993. At his peak he consistently scored 11 or 12 wins in a tournament and was runner-up three times in 1996. He was ranked as an ozeki for 37 tournaments in total. He lost the rank at the end of 1999 after two make-koshi or losing scores, but was promoted back after scoring ten wins as a sekiwake in January 2000: the first wrestler to achieve this since Mienoumi in 1976. However, after two more losing scores in March and May 2000 he was demoted once again, and was never able to return.
Rivalry with Musashimaru
Takanonami had a well-known rivalry with fellow ōzeki and later yokozuna, Musashimaru. They met a total of 58 times in the top division, which is a record number of bouts for an individual rivalry in the history of sumo. In all, Musashimaru had the upper hand, winning 37 bouts to Takanonami's 21, although Takanonami did manage to beat him seven times in a row from November 1996 to January 1998, and also won their last three matches, after he had fallen from the ozeki rank. Two of those wins provided Takanonami with his only kinboshiKinboshi
Kinboshi is a notation used in professional sumo wrestling to record a lower-ranked wrestler's victory over a yokozuna....
.
Fighting style
Takanonami had an unusual defensive style, often being driven back to the edge of the dohyoDohyo
thumb|A dohyōThe dohyō is the ring in which sumo wrestling bouts are held. A modern dohyo is a circle of rice-straw bales 4.55 meters in diameter, mounted on a square platform of clay 6.7m on a side, and 34 to 60 cm high. The surface is covered by sand.A new dohyō is built prior to each...
before using his long reach to lean over and grab his opponent's arms and launch a counter-offensive. He regularly won by kimedashi, a technique seldom seen today. In his later years his various injuries (particularly those to his ankles) meant he was less effective at this, and his results suffered. He largely remained in the maegashira ranks and had six consecutive losing scores in 2003.
Retirement
By May 2004 Takanonami was the only top division wrestler left from the once dominant Futagoyama stable, which had been renamed Takanohana stable a few months earlier. He had slipped to maegashira 13 in the rankings and after losing his first two bouts, he announced his retirement. He now works as a coach in his old stable under the name Otowayama.Along with five other oyakata (Magaki
Wakanohana Kanji II
Wakanohana Kanji II is a former sumo wrestler from Ōwani, Aomori, Japan. He was the sport's 56th Yokozuna. He is now the head coach of Magaki stable.-Early career:...
, Onomatsu
Masurao Hiroo
is a Japanese former sumo wrestler, born in Itoda, Fukuoka Prefecture. Making his professional debut in 1979, he reached the top division in 1985. His highest rank was sekiwake and he won five special prizes in his top division career. He was one of the lightest wrestlers in the top division, and...
, Otake, Tokiwayama and Futagoyama), he was forced to leave the Nishonoseki ichimon or group of stables in January 2010 after declaring his support for his former stablemate Takanohana's unsanctioned bid to be elected to the board of directors of the Sumo Association.
As an oyakata, he is known as one of the more bright personalities in his stable, and he has appeared on a number of variety programs on Japanese TV largely due to his accessible personality.
Takanonami is reportedly a big fan of American Football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and has appeared as a commentator on sports programs in Japan.
Health concerns
Takanonami was first diagnosed as having a possible heart condition, specifically atrial fibrillationAtrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia . It is a common cause of irregular heart beat, identified clinically by taking a pulse. Chaotic electrical activity in the two upper chambers of the heart result in the muscle fibrillating , instead of achieving coordinated contraction...
, in 1998. He spent some time in hospital whilst still an active wrestler, but in February 2006 he was admitted to hospital once again with septicemia, pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
and other complications. He fell into cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
and had to undergo emergency surgery.
Top division 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 past sumo wrestlers
- List of sumo tournament winners