Takamisakari Seiken

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高見盛 精彦
Takamisakari Seiken
Personal information
Real name Katō Seiken
Date of birth May 12, 1976
Place of birth Aomori, Japan
Height 188.0cm (6'2")
Weight 140.0kg (308lb)
Career*
Heya Azumazeki
Rank Maegashira 5
Record 324-283-41
Debut March 1999
Highest rank Komusubi (September 2002, November 2003)
Yushos 1 (Jūryō)
Special Prizes Outstanding Performance (1)
Fighting Spirit (2)
Technique (2)
Gold stars 2 (Asashōryū, Musashimaru)

* Career information is correct as of January 2007.

Takamisakari Seiken (Japanese: 高見盛 精彦, born May 12, 1976 as Katō Seiken (加藤 精彦) in Aomori Prefecture, Japan), is a sumo wrestler. The highest rank he has reached is komusubi.

Katō began his sumo career as a makushita tsukedashi (a promising amateur allowed to start at a level significantly higher than entry level) in March 1999, wrestling under his own name. He reached jūryō, the second-highest division, in January 2000, at which point he changed his shikona to Takamisakari. Three tournaments later, in July of the same year, he was promoted to the top makuuchi division. In September he acted as tsuyuharai ("dew-sweeper", an honorary attendant) in Yokozuna Akebono's ring-entering ceremony, but he was injured on the third day of that tournament. Enforced absence from the next two tournaments saw him demoted all the way back to makushita. It took him until March 2002 to work his way back up to makuuchi, and in September he reached komusubi, his highest rank to date. He only held this rank for one tournament, however, dropping back to maegashira in November. Although he again reached komusubi in November 2003, he again failed to retain the rank and has been a middle-level maegashira for the last three years.

Takamisakari again appeared in a yokozuna's ring-entered ceremony in September 2005, when he replaced Asasekiryū, who was injured, as sword-bearer. On the first day he accidentally scraped the sword against the ceiling.

Takamisakari is a hugely popular wrestler. He builds himself up for each bout with a somewhat eccentric series of muscle flexes and slaps, and throws a copious amount of salt onto the dohyō. In a culture where impassivity is the norm, he makes no attempt to hide his emotions, obviously elated after each win and inconsolably dejected after each loss.

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