Ōzutsu Takeshi
Encyclopedia
Ōzutsu Takeshi is a former sumo
wrestler from Mie
, Japan
. Beginning his professional career in May 1971, he was ranked in the top makuuchi
division continuously from March 1979 to January 1992, and his record of 1170 consecutive bouts there is the second best in history after Takamiyama. His highest rank was sekiwake. He was runner-up in one tournament and earned ten kinboshi
or gold stars for defeating yokozuna. He also won four sansho
or special prizes. He wrestled for Taiho stable and after his retirement in May 1992 he worked there as a coach before leaving the Japan Sumo Association
in 2008
.
, he joined Nishonoseki stable
in May 1971 at the age of 15. The great yokozuna Taiho
retired in the same tournament and that December he followed Taiho to a newly created heya
, Taiho stable. In his early days he wrestled under a different shikona
, Daishin. In July 1977 he became a sekitori
for the first time upon promotion to the jūryō division. He was injured during the November 1977 tournament and had to withdraw, dropping back to makushita. However, he was never to miss another bout in his career. Upon his return to jūryō in March 1978 he adopted the shikona of Ozutsu (literally "big cannon"; he was sometimes nicknamed "Top Gun"). In September 1978 he claimed the jūryō championship with an 11-4 record (his only career yusho
), and in January 1979, after losing a playoff for the championship to Oshio
he was promoted to the top makuuchi
division for the March 1979 tournament.
Ozutsu won the Fighting Spirit Prize in his second top division tournament in May 1979, and in July he defeated two yokozuna, Wakanohana
and Mienoumi, the first of his ten career kinboshi
. In March 1980 he made his sanyaku debut at komusubi but fell short with a 6-9 record. He was runner-up to Kitanoumi with an 11-4 record in March 1981 and was promoted to sekiwake, the highest rank he was to achieve. He held it on two further occasions, in July 1981 and November 1983, and made his final appearance in sanyaku at komusubi in November 1984, continuing as a rank-and-file maegashira for the rest of his makuuchi career.
He won his first two bouts against Chiyonofuji before the latter became a yokozuna, and earned two kinboshi from him in September 1984 and March 1986, but was defeated by him on every one of the 37 other occasions they met. He was the man Chiyonofuji beat in September 1989 to reach 965 career wins, more than any other wrestler in history.
He remained in the top division for 78 consecutive tournaments but was finally demoted in January 1992 after recording only a 4-11 score at maegashira 15. His 1170th and final bout in makuuchi was a win over Mainoumi. He announced his retirement from sumo two tournaments later at the age of 36 after facing certain demotion to the makushita division.
of the Japan Sumo Association, and worked as a coach at Taiho stable, initially under the name Otake Oyakata. In 1997 he switched to the Tateyama kabu when it was vacated by the former ozeki Daiju
. In 2003 Taiho retired as head coach and the former Takatoriki took over, renaming the heya Otake stable
. Ozutsu continued to work as a coach there until 2008 when his Tateyama stock, which he was only borrowing, was needed by the retiring Tamakasuga. Ozutsu had to leave the Sumo Association as a result. He now runs a French-style restaurant in Yokohama
.
rather than push his opponents. His favourite grip was migi-yotsu, with a right hand inside and left hand outside his opponent's arms. His most common winning kimarite
was yori-kiri or force out, but he also regularly used his outside grip to win by uwatenage (overarm throw) and uwatedashinage (pulling overarm throw). He was also fond of tsuridashi, the 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 Mie
Mie Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan which is part of the Kansai regions on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Tsu.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, Mie prefecture was known as Ise Province and Iga 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...
. Beginning his professional career in May 1971, he was ranked 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 continuously from March 1979 to January 1992, and his record of 1170 consecutive bouts there is the second best in history after Takamiyama. His highest rank was sekiwake. He was runner-up in one tournament and earned ten kinboshi
Kinboshi
Kinboshi is a notation used in professional sumo wrestling to record a lower-ranked wrestler's victory over a yokozuna....
or gold stars for defeating yokozuna. He also won four sansho
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:...
or special prizes. He wrestled for Taiho stable and after his retirement in May 1992 he worked there as a coach before leaving 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...
in 2008
2008 in sumo
-Tournaments:*Hatsu basho, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, 13 January - 27 January*Haru basho, Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium, Osaka, 9 March - 23 March*Natsu basho, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, 11 May - 25 May...
.
Career
Born in YokkaichiYokkaichi, Mie
is a city located in Mie, Japan.As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 314,393. The total area is 205.53 km².The closest major city is Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture....
, he joined Nishonoseki stable
Nishonoseki Stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Nishonoseki group of stables named after it. It first appeared in the late eighteenth century and was re-established in its current form in 1935 by the 32nd Yokozuna Tamanishiki while still active...
in May 1971 at the age of 15. The great 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...
retired in the same tournament and that December he followed Taiho to a newly created 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...
, Taiho stable. In his early days he wrestled under a different 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...
, Daishin. In July 1977 he became a 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...
for the first time upon promotion to the jūryō division. He was injured during the November 1977 tournament and had to withdraw, dropping back to makushita. However, he was never to miss another bout in his career. Upon his return to jūryō in March 1978 he adopted the shikona of Ozutsu (literally "big cannon"; he was sometimes nicknamed "Top Gun"). In September 1978 he claimed the jūryō championship with an 11-4 record (his only career 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...
), and in January 1979, after losing a playoff for the championship to 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...
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 for the March 1979 tournament.
Ozutsu won the Fighting Spirit Prize in his second top division tournament in May 1979, and in July he defeated two yokozuna, Wakanohana
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 Mienoumi, the first of his ten career kinboshi
Kinboshi
Kinboshi is a notation used in professional sumo wrestling to record a lower-ranked wrestler's victory over a yokozuna....
. In March 1980 he made his sanyaku debut at komusubi but fell short with a 6-9 record. He was runner-up to Kitanoumi with an 11-4 record in March 1981 and was promoted to sekiwake, the highest rank he was to achieve. He held it on two further occasions, in July 1981 and November 1983, and made his final appearance in sanyaku at komusubi in November 1984, continuing as a rank-and-file maegashira for the rest of his makuuchi career.
He won his first two bouts against Chiyonofuji before the latter became a yokozuna, and earned two kinboshi from him in September 1984 and March 1986, but was defeated by him on every one of the 37 other occasions they met. He was the man Chiyonofuji beat in September 1989 to reach 965 career wins, more than any other wrestler in history.
He remained in the top division for 78 consecutive tournaments but was finally demoted in January 1992 after recording only a 4-11 score at maegashira 15. His 1170th and final bout in makuuchi was a win over Mainoumi. He announced his retirement from sumo two tournaments later at the age of 36 after facing certain demotion to the makushita division.
Retirement from sumo
Ozutsu remained in sumo as an elderToshiyori
A toshiyori is a sumo elder of the Japan Sumo Association. Also known as oyakata, former wrestlers who reached a sufficiently high rank are the only people eligible...
of the Japan Sumo Association, and worked as a coach at Taiho stable, initially under the name Otake Oyakata. In 1997 he switched to the Tateyama kabu when it was vacated by the former ozeki Daiju
Daiju Hisateru
Daiju Hisateru is a former sumo wrestler from Hokkaidō, Japan. His highest rank was ozeki, but he held the rank for only five tournaments, fewer than any ozeki in the modern era. He won eleven sansho or special prizes during his top division career which lasted from 1970 to 1977...
. In 2003 Taiho retired as head coach and the former Takatoriki took over, renaming the heya Otake stable
Otake stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers.It was set up in 1971, as Taihō stable, by yokozuna Taihō Kōki on his retirement from wrestling. It passed on to his son-in-law Ōtake on his retirement...
. Ozutsu continued to work as a coach there until 2008 when his Tateyama stock, which he was only borrowing, was needed by the retiring Tamakasuga. Ozutsu had to leave the Sumo Association as a result. He now runs a French-style restaurant in Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
.
Fighting style
Ozutsu was a yotsu-sumo wrestler, preferring to fight on the 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:...
rather than push his opponents. His favourite grip was migi-yotsu, with a right hand inside and left hand outside his opponent's arms. 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...
was yori-kiri or force out, but he also regularly used his outside grip to win by uwatenage (overarm throw) and uwatedashinage (pulling overarm throw). He was also fond of tsuridashi, the lift out.
Top division record
See also
- List of past sumo wrestlers
- List of sumo record holders
- List of sumo tournament second division winners