Yutakayama Katsuo
Encyclopedia
Yutakayama Katsuo is a former sumo
wrestler from Niigata
, Japan
. His highest rank was ozeki. Although he never managed to win a top division tournament championship he was a runner-up on eight occasions. Before wrestling professionally he was an amateur champion at Tonodai University and he was the first former collegiate competitor to reach the ozeki rank. After retirement he was head coach of the Tokitsukaze stable
. From 1998 until 2002 he also served as head of the Japan Sumo Association
.
, he attended the Tokyo University of Agriculture
, and in amateur sumo earned the Collegiate Yokozuna title. He made his professional debut at the age of 23 in May 1961, joining Tokitsukaze stable
, run by the former yokozuna great Futabayama
. Due to his amateur achievements he was given makushita tsukedashi status and began in the third makushita division, fighting under his real name of Uchida. He reached the second juryo division in three tournaments and after winning the juryo division yusho
or championship with a perfect 15-0 score in November 1961 he was promoted to the top makuuchi
division.
He adopted the shikona
of Yutakayama upon his entry to the top division in January 1962 and was a runner-up to yokozuna Taiho
in his debut tournament with a score of 12-3, also receiving the Fighting Spirit prize
. He made komusubi rank in May 1962 but fell just short with seven wins. However, after a fine 12-3 score in September he was elevated straight to sekiwake and two more runner-up performances (to Taiho once again) saw him promoted to the second highest rank of ozeki. The 37 wins he had in the three tournaments prior to his promotion is tied with Hokutenyu and Wakanohana
as the best record in sumo history.
Yutakayama remained at ozeki for the rest of his career, and was ranked there for 34 tournaments, eighth on the all-time list. He was runner-up on five more occasions, but never managed to win a top division championship. He was perhaps unlucky to be fighting in the same era as the dominant Taiho, whom he was able to beat only four times in 32 meetings. There were a number of other strong yokozuna around as well, such as Sadanoyama and Kashiwado, with whom he also had a poor head-to-head record. After finishing as runner-up to Wakanami in March 1968 and Tamanoshima
in May, he then had two make-koshi (losing scores) in a row, managing only a poor 4-11 record in September. He announced his retirement at the end of that tournament at the age of 31.
, Oshio
, Oyutaka, Yutakayama Hiromitsu
, Tokitsunada, Aogiyama and Tokitsuumi. In February 1998 he successfully challenged Sakaigawa (the former Sadanoyama) for the chairmanship of the Japan Sumo Association, coming first in the ballot ahead of Kitanoumi. He remained in charge until February 2002. Later that year he handed control of Tokitsukaze stable over to former komusubi Futatsuryu and left the Sumo Association upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 65.
) and uwatenage (overarm throw). His most common winning kimarite
in his career were yori kiri (force out) and tsuri dashi (lift out).
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 Niigata
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...
. His highest rank was ozeki. Although he never managed to win a top division tournament championship he was a runner-up on eight occasions. Before wrestling professionally he was an amateur champion at Tonodai University and he was the first former collegiate competitor to reach the ozeki rank. After retirement he was head coach of 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...
. From 1998 until 2002 he also served as head of 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...
.
Career
Born in ShibataShibata, Niigata
is a city located in Niigata, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 103,101 and the density of 194 persons per km². The total area is 532.82 km².The city was founded on January 1, 1947....
, he attended the Tokyo University of Agriculture
Tokyo 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 :...
, and in amateur sumo earned the Collegiate Yokozuna title. He made his professional debut at the age of 23 in May 1961, joining 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...
, run by the former yokozuna great Futabayama
Futabayama Sadaji
Futabayama Sadaji , born as Akiyoshi Sadaji in Oita Prefecture, Japan, was the 35th Yokozuna in sumo wrestling, from 1937 until 1945. He won twelve top division championships and had a winning streak of 69 consecutive bouts, an all-time record. Despite his dominance he was extremely popular with...
. Due to his amateur achievements he was given makushita tsukedashi status and began in the third makushita division, fighting under his real name of Uchida. He reached the second juryo division in three tournaments and after winning the juryo division 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 a perfect 15-0 score in November 1961 he was promoted 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.
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 Yutakayama upon his entry to the top division in January 1962 and was a runner-up to yokozuna Taiho
Taiho Koki
Taihō Kōki is the 48th Yokozuna in the Japanese sport of sumo wrestling. He is generally regarded as the greatest sumo wrestler of the post-war period. He became a yokozuna in 1961 at the age of 21, the youngest ever at the time, and he won a record 32 tournaments between 1960 and 1971...
in his debut tournament with a score of 12-3, also receiving 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:...
. He made komusubi rank in May 1962 but fell just short with seven wins. However, after a fine 12-3 score in September he was elevated straight to sekiwake and two more runner-up performances (to Taiho once again) saw him promoted to the second highest rank of ozeki. The 37 wins he had in the three tournaments prior to his promotion is tied with Hokutenyu and 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...
as the best record in sumo history.
Yutakayama remained at ozeki for the rest of his career, and was ranked there for 34 tournaments, eighth on the all-time list. He was runner-up on five more occasions, but never managed to win a top division championship. He was perhaps unlucky to be fighting in the same era as the dominant Taiho, whom he was able to beat only four times in 32 meetings. There were a number of other strong yokozuna around as well, such as Sadanoyama and Kashiwado, with whom he also had a poor head-to-head record. After finishing as runner-up to Wakanami in March 1968 and Tamanoshima
Tamanoumi Masahiro
Tamanoumi Masahiro , was a sumo wrestler, born in Aichi, Japan. He was the sport's 51st yokozuna.-Career:...
in May, he then had two make-koshi (losing scores) in a row, managing only a poor 4-11 record in September. He announced his retirement at the end of that tournament at the age of 31.
Retirement from sumo
Yutakayama remained in the sumo world as an elder, initially under the name of Nishikijima. When his stablemaster Futabayama died a few months later in December 1968, a previous yokozuna from the stable, Kagamisato, briefly took charge, but Yutakayama was asked by Futabayama's widow to assume control instead. Kagamisato left to found another stable and Yutakayama took on the Tokitsukaze name in 1969. Over the years he produced a number of top division wrestlers such as KuramaKurama Tatsuya
Kurama Tatsuya was a sumo wrestler from Yasu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. He fought under his real name for his entire career, never adopting a traditional shikona. He made his debut for the Tokitsukaze stable in September 1968, retiring 21 years later in September 1989, at which point he was the...
, Oshio
Oshio Kenji
Ōshio Kenji is a former sumo wrestler from Kitakyushu, Japan. His highest rank was komusubi. His career lasted twenty six years, from 1962 until 1988, and he holds the record for the most bouts contested in professional sumo.-Career:He was born in Yahata Higashi ward...
, Oyutaka, Yutakayama Hiromitsu
Yutakayama Hiromitsu
Yutakayama Hiromitsu is a former sumo wrestler from Shibata, Niigata, Japan. A former amateur champion at Tonodai University, he joined the professional sport in March 1970, debuting in the third highest makushita division...
, Tokitsunada, Aogiyama and Tokitsuumi. In February 1998 he successfully challenged Sakaigawa (the former Sadanoyama) for the chairmanship of the Japan Sumo Association, coming first in the ballot ahead of Kitanoumi. He remained in charge until February 2002. Later that year he handed control of Tokitsukaze stable over to former komusubi Futatsuryu and left the Sumo Association upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 65.
Fighting style
Yutakayama's favoured techniques were migi-yotsu (a left hand outside, right hand inside grip on his opponent's 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 uwatenage (overarm throw). His most common winning kimarite
Kimarite
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...
in his career were yori kiri (force out) and tsuri dashi (lift out).
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 second division winners
- List of past sumo wrestlers