Tochiozan Yuichiro
Encyclopedia
Tochiōzan Yūichirō is a sumo
wrestler from Kōchi Prefecture
, Japan
. He made his professional debut in January 2005 and reached the top makuuchi
division in March 2007. His highest rank has been sekiwake. He is regarded as one of the most promising Japanese rikishi in sumo today.
were interested in recruiting him for professional sumo, but he chose Kasugano stable
. He made his ring debut at the March 2005 tournament, under his family name Kageyama. He rose through the divisions quickly, winning the third lowest sandanme division championship in November of that same year. In September 2006 at the age of 19 he became a salaried sekitori
wrestler when he entered jūryō, the second highest division, adopting the ring name Tochiōzan.
He made his debut in the top makuuchi
division in March 2007, where he was in contention for the championship until the 14th day. He finished with a strong 11-4 record and won the Fighting Spirit award
. Promoted to maegashira for the May tournament, he faced all the top ranked wrestlers for the first time and faltered with a 6-9 record, suffering the first tournament in his career where he had more losses than wins (make-koshi). At the July tournament the same year he suffered a dislocated shoulder on the tenth day and was forced to withdraw. Ranked at maegashira 13 in September, he finished the tournament with a disappointing 7-8 score, losing his last five bouts. He remained at the bottom of the division for the next few tournaments, struggling with lower back pain, but returned to form in March 2008, finishing with 11-4 and winning the Technique award. He struggled once again in May however, losing his first eight bouts before staging a partial recovery to finish on 5-10.
After disappointing 6-9 scores in September and November 2008, he fell to maegashira 12, where he responded by winning his first eight matches in January 2009, finishing on 10-5. This resulted in promotion to maegashira 2 for the March 2009 tournament. He had a good start to this tournament as well, defeating three ozeki (Kotooshu, Harumafuji and Chiyotaikai) and standing at 7-3 after ten days. He then lost four matches in a row, before securing his kachi-koshi with a win on the final day.
This was enough to earn Tochiōzan promotion to the sanyaku ranks for the first time for the May 2009 tournament, at the rank of komusubi. When the banzuke
for the tournament was released in late April he held a press conference and said he would like to go one win better than his rival from high school sumo days, Gōeidō
, who had just made sekiwake for the first time. They began their professional careers in the same tournament and Tochiōzan preceded him into the jūryō and makuuchi divisions, but he had beaten Gōeidō just once in six meetings, in September 2007. In the end both wrestlers finished on 6-9, although Tochiōzan did beat his rival for the second time in their individual match. Falling back to the maegashira ranks for July, he could only produce a very poor 2-13 record, with one of his wins coming against Gōeidō. An 11-4 score in September 2009 put him back up to maegashira 3 for the November tournament in Kyushu, where he beat two ozeki (Harumafuji and the struggling Chiyotaikai) but fell short with a 5-10 record.
At maegashira 6 in March 2010 he defeated ozeki Kotomitsuki and scored 11-4, returning to komusubi. A strong 9-6 record in July, which included defeats of two more ozeki, earned him promotion to sekiwake for the first time for the September 2010 tournament. His sekiwake debut was a success as he scored 11-4 and was awarded his second Technique prize. However, two losing scores in his next two tournaments saw him fall out of sanyaku, and a disappointing 4-11 in May 2011 will see him lose further ground. He withdrew from the November tournament on the 11th day after suffering a ligament injury to his right ankle.
are yori-kiri, oshi-dashi, yori-taoshi and oshi-taoshi, meaning he wins most often by simply forcing his opponents out and down with a grip on the mawashi
or push to the chest. He rarely uses throwing moves or slap downs. His preferred mawashi grip is migi-yotsu, with his left arm outside and right arm inside his opponent's arms.
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 Kōchi Prefecture
Kochi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the south coast of Shikoku. The capital is the city of Kōchi.- History :Prior to the Meiji Restoration, Kōchi was known as Tosa Province and was controlled by the Chosokabe clan in the Sengoku period and the Yamauchi family during the Edo period.- Geography...
, 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 made his professional debut in January 2005 and 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 March 2007. His highest rank has been sekiwake. He is regarded as one of the most promising Japanese rikishi in sumo today.
Career
He practiced sumo at Meitoku Gijuku High School, where he was a kōhai of Asashoryu. Several different heyaHeya
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...
were interested in recruiting him for professional sumo, but he chose Kasugano stable
Kasugano stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi group of stables. As of November 2007 it had 24 wrestlers. It is currently one of the most successful stables, with five sekitori wrestlers, including the Georgian Tochinoshin and the Korean born Tochinowaka, who uses the current head coach's...
. He made his ring debut at the March 2005 tournament, under his family name Kageyama. He rose through the divisions quickly, winning the third lowest sandanme division championship in November of that same year. In September 2006 at the age of 19 he became a salaried 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 when he entered jūryō, the second highest division, adopting the ring name Tochiōzan.
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 March 2007, where he was in contention for the championship until the 14th day. He finished with a strong 11-4 record and won the Fighting Spirit award
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:...
. Promoted to maegashira for the May tournament, he faced all the top ranked wrestlers for the first time and faltered with a 6-9 record, suffering the first tournament in his career where he had more losses than wins (make-koshi). At the July tournament the same year he suffered a dislocated shoulder on the tenth day and was forced to withdraw. Ranked at maegashira 13 in September, he finished the tournament with a disappointing 7-8 score, losing his last five bouts. He remained at the bottom of the division for the next few tournaments, struggling with lower back pain, but returned to form in March 2008, finishing with 11-4 and winning the Technique award. He struggled once again in May however, losing his first eight bouts before staging a partial recovery to finish on 5-10.
This was enough to earn Tochiōzan promotion to the sanyaku ranks for the first time for the May 2009 tournament, at the rank of komusubi. When the banzuke
Banzuke
This article is about the banzuke document, for a list of wrestlers as ranked on an actual banzuke see List of active sumo wrestlersA , officially called is a document listing the rankings of professional sumo wrestlers published before each official tournament or honbasho. The term can also...
for the tournament was released in late April he held a press conference and said he would like to go one win better than his rival from high school sumo days, Gōeidō
Goeido Gotaro
Gōeidō Gōtarō is a sumo wrestler from Osaka Prefecture, Japan. He made his professional debut in January 2005 and reached the top makuuchi division in September 2007. His highest rank to date has been sekiwake, which he achieved in May 2009...
, who had just made sekiwake for the first time. They began their professional careers in the same tournament and Tochiōzan preceded him into the jūryō and makuuchi divisions, but he had beaten Gōeidō just once in six meetings, in September 2007. In the end both wrestlers finished on 6-9, although Tochiōzan did beat his rival for the second time in their individual match. Falling back to the maegashira ranks for July, he could only produce a very poor 2-13 record, with one of his wins coming against Gōeidō. An 11-4 score in September 2009 put him back up to maegashira 3 for the November tournament in Kyushu, where he beat two ozeki (Harumafuji and the struggling Chiyotaikai) but fell short with a 5-10 record.
At maegashira 6 in March 2010 he defeated ozeki Kotomitsuki and scored 11-4, returning to komusubi. A strong 9-6 record in July, which included defeats of two more ozeki, earned him promotion to sekiwake for the first time for the September 2010 tournament. His sekiwake debut was a success as he scored 11-4 and was awarded his second Technique prize. However, two losing scores in his next two tournaments saw him fall out of sanyaku, and a disappointing 4-11 in May 2011 will see him lose further ground. He withdrew from the November tournament on the 11th day after suffering a ligament injury to his right ankle.
Fighting style
Tochiozan's most common winning techniques or 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...
are yori-kiri, oshi-dashi, yori-taoshi and oshi-taoshi, meaning he wins most often by simply forcing his opponents out and down with a grip 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 push to the chest. He rarely uses throwing moves or slap downs. His preferred mawashi grip is migi-yotsu, with his left arm outside and right arm inside his opponent's arms.