Akinoshima Katsumi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

安芸乃島 勝巳
Akinoshima Katsumi
Personal information
Birth name Katsumi Yamanaka
Date of birth March 16, 1967 (1967-03-16) (age 41)
Place of birth Hiroshima, Japan
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight 158 kg (350 lb)
Career*
Heya Futagoyama
Record 822-757-78
Debut March, 1982
Highest rank Sekiwake (May, 1989)
Retired May, 2003
Yusho 1 (Juryo)
1 (Makushita)
1 (Jonidan)
Special Prizes Outstanding Performance (7)
Fighting Spirit (8)
Technique (4)
Gold stars 16 (Chiyonofuji (4), Hokutoumi (4),
Asahifuji (4), Onokuni (2),
Akebono (1), Musashimaru (1))

* Career information is correct as of July 2007.

Akinoshima Katsumi (born 16 March 1967 as Katsumi Yamanaka) is a former sumo wrestler from Akitsu, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. His highest rank was sekiwake. He was and still is known as the "giant killer" having defeated more yokozuna than any other untitled wrestler (maegashira) in the history of sumo, earning himself 16 gold stars or kinboshi over his career, 25% more than his nearest kinboshi earning rival, Takamiyama. He also has received 19 performance prizes (sansho), another record in sumo history.

Akinoshima was a member of Futagoyama stable and was a stablemate of the wrestling brothers Takanohana II and Wakanohana III during their rise in sumo and subsequent yokozuna reigns. Akinoshima was a wrestler always capable of surprise wins, but lacked consistency, spending most of his career as a maegashira.

Contents

[edit] Early years

Though he played judo in his junior high school years, Katsumi had dreamed from a very young age of becoming a sumo wrestler, and eventually was able to enter a sumo competition while still in junior high. Sometime later, he had a chance meeting with then ozeki Takanohana I on one of the ozeki's visits to Hiroshima. Katsumi was invited to join Takanohana's heya, Futagoyama-beya (then known as Fujishima-beya). He made his 2nd division juryo debut in September of 1987. He entered the top division makuuchi just days shy of his 20th birthday.

[edit] Career

Akinoshima received his first kinboshi on his defeat of the yokozuna Onokuni in September of 1988. He went on to receive at least one kinboshi from every yokozuna he faced. He won 14 of his 16 kinboshi in a period of just four years from 1988 to 1992-- he would earn only two more in the last 11 years of his top division career. It is notable that due to sumo rules, Akinoshima never faced his stablemates, Wakanohana and Takanohana in the sumo ring. Had he had this chance, he may have attained even more kinboshi than his already unrivaled record.

He had an ongoing rivalry with another maegashira star Kotonishiki, and managed to chalk up only a 9-39 win/loss record against him during their respective sumo careers. No wrestler in the history of sumo has ever lost more times to another than Akinoshima did against Kotonishiki. He won his last bout against Kotonishiki, but injured his elbow in the win. Ironically, this injury would be one factor that led to his eventual retirement in May 2003. He was the last top division wrestler from the Showa era to retire. He competed in the top division for 91 tournaments, which is the third highest in history, after Takamiyama and Terao. He never won a top division tournament title, his best result being 12-3 in March 1992 when he finished runner-up to Konishiki. He was ranked in the titled sanyaku ranks for 28 tournaments, 15 at komusubi and 13 at sekiwake. However, he was never consistent enough to earn promotion to ozeki, often dropping matches to less talented opponents.

He was an extremely diligent trainer, setting himself the target of 100 practice bouts every day.[1] He suffered a severe shoulder injury in 1995, which required surgery.

[edit] Retirement

Upon retirement, Akinoshima became a coach (oyakata) at his heya. But disagreements with stablemaster Takanohana II over how to run the heya would eventually lead to Akinoshima moving to coach another heya, Takadagawa, a fairly rare occurrence in the world of sumo. He is now known as Sendagawa Oyakata.

[edit] Trivia

  • Akinoshima was known for often avoiding interviews after big wins. Though an interview immediately after a big win is a long time sumo tradition, Akinoshima would refuse, saying that it was disrespectful to the defeated wrestler.[3]
  • Unusually for someone in the sumo world, he does not drink alcohol.[4]

[edit] Top division record

Akinoshima Katsumi[5]
January
Hatsu basho, Tokyo		 March
Haru basho, Osaka		 May
Natsu basho, Tokyo		 July
Nagoya basho, Nagoya		 September
Aki basho, Tokyo		 November
Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
1988 x East Maegashira #12
7–8
 		 (Jūryō) West Maegashira #10
11–4
F		 East Maegashira #2
8–7
F★		 West Komusubi
7–8
 
1989 East Maegashira #1
7–8
★		 West Maegashira #1
8–7
F		 West Sekiwake
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #1
7–8
★★		 East Maegashira #2
7–8
★★		 West Maegashira #2
5–10
 
1990 West Maegashira #6
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #2
8–7
O★★		 East Maegashira #1
10–5
OT★		 East Sekiwake
9–6
 East Sekiwake
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #1
10–5
O★★
1991 East Komusubi
5–10
 		 West Maegashira #3
8–7
★		 East Maegashira #1
9–6
F★		 East Komusubi
8–7
 		 East Komusubi #1
9–6
 		 West Sekiwake
4–11
 
1992 East Maegashira #5
8–7
★		 West Maegashira #2
12–3
O		 East Komusubi
9–6
 		 East Sekiwake
10–5
 		 East Sekiwake
8–7
 		 East Sekiwake
7–8
 
1993 East Maegashira #1
9–6
 		 West Sekiwake
0–2–13
 		 Sat out due to injury East Maegashira #10
9–6
O★		 West Maegashira #2
9–6
 		 West Komusubi
6–9
 
1994 East Maegashira #2
4–11
 		 East Maegashira #10
9–6
 		 East Maegashira #3
3–12
 		 East Maegashira #14
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #13
11–4
 		 West Maegashira #4
10–5
 
1995 East Komusubi
11–4
F		 West Sekiwake
11–4
F		 East Sekiwake
7–8
 		 East Komusubi
1–2–12
 		 Sat out due to injury West Maegashira #7
8–7
 
1996 East Maegashira #4
9–6
 		 West Komusubi
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #2
5–10
 		 West Maegashira #5
10–5
 		 West Maegashira #1
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #2
9–6
 
1997 West Komusubi
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #2
7–8
 		 West Maegashira #2
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #3
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #5
8–7
 		 West Komusubi
7–8
 
1998 West Maegashira #1
6–9
 		 West Maegashira #2
9–6
 		 West Komusubi
10–5
T		 East Sekiwake
3–4–8
 		 Sat out due to injury West Maegashira #5
8–7
 
1999 East Maegashira #3
11–4
T		 East Komusubi
11–4
O		 East Sekiwake
6–9
 		 West Maegashira #1
6–9
★		 West Maegashira #3
11–4
FT		 West Komusubi
3–12
 
2000 West Maegashira #4
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #5
5–10
 		 West Maegashira #7
10–5
 		 East Maegashira #1
8–7
 		 East Komusubi
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #1
5–10
 
2001 East Maegashira #4
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #5
5–10
 		 West Maegashira #9
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #6
4–11
 		 West Maegashira #11
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #6
8–7
 
2002 West Maegashira #1
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #4
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #5
3–12
 		 West Maegashira #11
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #13
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #14
9–6
 
2003 West Maegashira #9
6–9
 		 West Maegashira #12
6–9
 		 West Maegashira #15
6–9
 		 x x x
Record given as win-loss-absent    Championship Retired Demoted from makuuchi

Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique     Also shown: ★=Kinboshi
Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna — Ōzeki — Sekiwake — Komusubi — Maegashira

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Yukikaze" (June 2003). "Giant Killer" Calls It A Career. Sumo Shimpo. Retrieved on 2008-04-22.
  2. ^ Four Flicks DVD out in Japan today (English). Rolling Stones Fan Club of Europe (2003-12-010). Retrieved on 2007-07-06.
  3. ^ 安芸乃島 (Jpanese). ja.wikipedia. Retrieved on 2007-07-06.
  4. ^ Sharnoff, Lorna (1993). Grand Sumo. Weatherhill. ISBN 0-8348-0283-x. 
  5. ^ Rikishi in Juryo and Makunouchi (English). szumo.hu. Retrieved on 2007-07-06.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Languages