Aotsurugi Kenta
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Tebita Rato Taufa | |
| Date of birth | December 16, 1982 | |
| Place of birth | Tonga | |
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | |
| Weight | 126.5 kg (279 lb) | |
| Career* | ||
| Heya | Tagonoura | |
| Current rank | Sandanme 73 | |
| Record | 133-112-35 | |
| Debut | March, 2001 | |
| Highest rank | Sandanme 24 (November, 2004) | |
| Yusho | 1 (Jonokuchi) | |
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* Career information is correct as of May 2008. |
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Aotsurugi Kenta (born December 16, 1982 as Tebita Rato Taufa) is a professional sumo wrestler from Tongatapu, Tonga. In 2006, he obtained Japanese citizenship, adopting the official name of Tebita Togawa.
[edit] Career
He made his professional debut in March 2001, joining the small Tagonoura stable. His first shikona or fighting name was Hisanoumi. He reached his highest rank to date of sandanme 24 in the fourth highest division in November 2004, but injury meant he was not able to participate in any tournaments from November 2005 until September 2006. As a result, he fell off the banzuke (ranking list) completely in July 2006. He finally returned to the ring in November 2006 and fought three maezumo (pre-sumo) bouts - effectively beginning his career all over again from the very bottom. He won all three bouts and reappeared on the banzuke in January 2007, ranked at jonokuchi 29. He then took the jonokuchi championship with a 6-1 record. By May 2007 he had progressed to jonidan 20 where he turned in another fine 6-1 score. This earned him promotion back to sandanme for July. In his first tournament in sandanme since September 2005 he could manage only a 2-5 score. In the September 2007 tournament, despite missing his first bout, he went on to record five wins and just one loss. At the end of 2007 he changed his shikona from Hisanoumi Taiyō to Aotsurugi Kenta.
