Takanosato Toshihide
Encyclopedia
Takanosato Toshihide was a sumo
wrestler from Namioka
, Aomori
, Japan
. He was the sport's 59th Yokozuna from 1983 to 1986 and won four top division tournament championships. After retirement he established Naruto stable
which he ran from 1989 until his death.
before turning to sumo. He was from the same area of Japan as Wakanohana Kanji II
and the two entered professional sumo together in July 1968, joining Futagoyama stable. Takanosato reached the top makuuchi
division in May 1975 but had some indifferent results and fell back to the jūryō division on several occasions. A late developer, he did not reach the sanyaku ranks until 1979, by which time Wakanohana was already a yokozuna. In 1980 he was runner-up in two consecutive tournaments, but he did so from the maegashira ranks. Nicknamed "Popeye
" because of his brawny physique, by 1981 he was a sanyaku regular, and in January 1982 he produced his third runner-up performance, this time at sekiwake rank, and earned promotion to ozeki. Following his promotion he announced that he had been suffering from diabetes for many years, and had devised a special diet to keep the illness under control. He won his first top division championship in September 1982 with a perfect 15-0 record. He was runner-up in the tournaments of March and May 1983, and then took his second championship in July. Following this tournament was promoted to yokozuna.
, and he defeated Chiyonofuji eight times in a row from July 1981 to September 1982. In all Takanosato emerged victorious from 18 of their 31 encounters.
Takanosato's fourth tournament championship in January 1984 proved to be his last, and thereafter his yokozuna career was disappointing. He missed most of 1985 through injury, only managing to complete one tournament. He announced his retirement in January 1986 at the age of 33.
, which has produced several top division wrestlers. The first was Rikio
(now a professional wrestler) in 1996 and he was followed by Wakanosato in 1998, Takanowaka in 1999, Kisenosato in 2004, and Takayasu
and Takanoyama in 2011. Naruto also worked as a shinpan or judge of tournament bouts and for NHK
as a sumo commentator.
so that the barely 100kg wrestler would increase his appetite and put on weight. Both Naruto and Takanoyama were summoned for questioning by chairman Hanaregoma
. Just days later, on November 7, 2011, Naruto died of respiratory failure
in Fukuoka
at the age of 59.
or technique was overwhelmingly yorikiri or force out, which accounted for about 45 percent of his victories at sekitori
level. He preferred a migi-yotsu grip (the same as Chiyonofuji), with his left hand outside and right hand inside his opponent's arms. He also regularly won by uwatenage (overarm throw) and tsuridashi (lift out), the latter a technique seldom seen today due to the increasing weight of wrestlers.
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 Namioka
Namioka, Aomori
was a town located in Minamitsugaru District in central Aomori Prefecture, Japan.Namioka Town was located in the plains of central Aomori prefecture, bordered by the Ōu Mountains to the east. The area was part of Hirosaki Domain during the Edo period. In 1889, after the Meiji Restoration, Namioka...
, 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 was the sport's 59th Yokozuna from 1983 to 1986 and won four top division tournament championships. After retirement he established Naruto stable
Naruto stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Nishonoseki group of stables.The stable was established on 1 February 1989 by former yokozuna Takanosato Toshihide. The stable's first sekitori was Rikio in 1994. Three more, Wakanosato, Takanowaka and Kisenosato, have reached sekiwake rank...
which he ran from 1989 until his death.
Early career
Takanosato played football and judoJudo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
before turning to sumo. He was from the same area of Japan as Wakanohana Kanji II
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:...
and the two entered professional sumo together in July 1968, joining Futagoyama stable. Takanosato 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 May 1975 but had some indifferent results and fell back to the jūryō division on several occasions. A late developer, he did not reach the sanyaku ranks until 1979, by which time Wakanohana was already a yokozuna. In 1980 he was runner-up in two consecutive tournaments, but he did so from the maegashira ranks. Nicknamed "Popeye
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor is a cartoon fictional character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, who has appeared in comic strips and animated cartoons in the cinema as well as on television. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929...
" because of his brawny physique, by 1981 he was a sanyaku regular, and in January 1982 he produced his third runner-up performance, this time at sekiwake rank, and earned promotion to ozeki. Following his promotion he announced that he had been suffering from diabetes for many years, and had devised a special diet to keep the illness under control. He won his first top division championship in September 1982 with a perfect 15-0 record. He was runner-up in the tournaments of March and May 1983, and then took his second championship in July. Following this tournament was promoted to yokozuna.
Yokozuna
Takanosato was almost thirty one years old when he reached sumo's highest rank, and the 91 tournaments it took him to reach yokozuna from his professional debut is the second slowest in sumo history, behind only Mienoumi. Most yokozuna struggle to perform well in the tournament immediately following their promotion, but Takanosato won it with a perfect record—the first yokozuna to do so since Futabayama in the 1930s. Although his yokozuna career was relatively short, he had a great rivalry with fellow yokozuna Chiyonofuji. In the four tournaments from July 1983 to January 1984, the two wrestlers came into the final day with the same score. This is a unique occurrence in sumo. It was Takanosato who won three out of the four tournament-deciding bouts, and he was one of the few wrestlers to have a winning record against Chiyonofuji. He was often able to keep his rival from getting his favoured left hand grip on his 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:...
, and he defeated Chiyonofuji eight times in a row from July 1981 to September 1982. In all Takanosato emerged victorious from 18 of their 31 encounters.
Takanosato's fourth tournament championship in January 1984 proved to be his last, and thereafter his yokozuna career was disappointing. He missed most of 1985 through injury, only managing to complete one tournament. He announced his retirement in January 1986 at the age of 33.
Retirement from sumo
Takanosato took the name Naruto upon joining the Sumo Association as an oyakata, or elder, and in 1989 opened his own stable, NarutoNaruto stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Nishonoseki group of stables.The stable was established on 1 February 1989 by former yokozuna Takanosato Toshihide. The stable's first sekitori was Rikio in 1994. Three more, Wakanosato, Takanowaka and Kisenosato, have reached sekiwake rank...
, which has produced several top division wrestlers. The first was Rikio
Takeshi Rikio
Takeshi Inoue, known by his stage name , born December 20, 1972, is a Japanese professional wrestler, who works for Pro Wrestling Noah. He is also a former sumo wrestler.- Sumo career :...
(now a professional wrestler) in 1996 and he was followed by Wakanosato in 1998, Takanowaka in 1999, Kisenosato in 2004, and Takayasu
Takayasu Akira
Takayasu Akira is a sumo wrestler of Japanese and Filipino ancestry. He made his professional debut in 2005, and reached the top makuuchi division in 2011, the first wrestler born in the Heisei era to do so...
and Takanoyama in 2011. Naruto also worked as a shinpan or judge of tournament bouts and for NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
as a sumo commentator.
Death
In October 2011 the Sumo Association launched an investigation into allegations made by the tabloid Shukan Shincho that Naruto had beaten a former junior member of his stable with a block of wood and had injected Takanoyama with insulinInsulin
Insulin is a hormone central to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body. Insulin causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood, storing it as glycogen in the liver and muscle....
so that the barely 100kg wrestler would increase his appetite and put on weight. Both Naruto and Takanoyama were summoned for questioning by chairman Hanaregoma
Kaiketsu Masateru
Kaiketsu Masateru is a former sumo wrestler, who reached the second highest rank of ōzeki on two separate occasions. He also won two top division tournament championships...
. Just days later, on November 7, 2011, Naruto died of respiratory failure
Respiratory failure
The term respiratory failure, in medicine, is used to describe inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, with the result that arterial oxygen and/or carbon dioxide levels cannot be maintained within their normal ranges. A drop in blood oxygenation is known as hypoxemia; a rise in arterial...
in Fukuoka
Fukuoka
Fukuoka most often refers to the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture.It can also refer to:-Locations:* Fukuoka, Gifu, a town in Gifu Prefecture, Japan* Fukuoka, Toyama, a town in Toyama Prefecture, Japan...
at the age of 59.
Fighting style
Takanosato's 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...
or technique was overwhelmingly yorikiri or force out, which accounted for about 45 percent of his victories at 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...
level. He preferred a migi-yotsu grip (the same as Chiyonofuji), with his left hand outside and right hand inside his opponent's arms. He also regularly won by uwatenage (overarm throw) and tsuridashi (lift out), the latter a technique seldom seen today due to the increasing weight of wrestlers.
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 sumo tournament winners
- List of sumo tournament second division winners
- List of past sumo wrestlers
- List of yokozuna