Kitanoumi Toshimitsu

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北の湖敏満
Kitanoumi Toshimitsu
Personal information

Birth name	Toshimitsu Obata
Date of birth	May 16, 1953 (1953-05-16) (age 55)
Place of birth	Hokkaido, Japan
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10+¹⁄₂ in)
Weight	169 kg (370 lb/26.6 st)
Career*
Heya	Mihogaseki
Record	951-350-107
Debut	January, 1967
Highest rank	Yokozuna (July, 1974)
Retired	January, 1985
Yusho	24 (Makuuchi)
Special Prizes	Outstanding Performance (2) Fighting Spirit (1)
Gold stars	1
* Career information is correct as of July 2007.

Kitanoumi Toshimitsu (北の湖敏満, born May 16, 1953 as Obata Toshimitsu, Japanese:小畑敏満) was the dominant yokozuna in sumo during the 1970s. He was promoted to yokozuna at 21 years old, becoming the youngest ever to achieve sumo's top rank, beating the previous record held by Taihō by one month. He won 24 tournament championships during his career and was one of a series of truly great yokozuna who came from Hokkaidō, the most northerly of the four main islands of Japan.

1 Career
2 After retirement
3 Top division record
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Career

Kitanoumi began his professional career in January 1967 at the age of just 13, whilst still in middle school. He was promoted to sumo's second highest juryo division in May 1971 and the top makuuchi division a year later. He won his first tournament championship in January 1974 and was promoted to ozeki immediately afterwards. He secured promotion to yokozuna just three tournaments after that. Kitanoumi was the most successful wrestler in sumo for the rest of the 1970s. His best year was 1978, in which he won five of the six tournaments and won 82 out of a possible 90 bouts, a record that stood until 2005.^[1] His chief rival during these years was Wajima,^[2] but Kitanoumi was much more consistent. He was heavy at 169kg, was extremely strong and had excellent balance. He was also remarkably injury free and never seemed to miss a tournament. Indeed, from July 1973 until September 1981 he chalked up fifty consecutive kachikoshi, or tournament records of at least 8 wins out of 15, which is a record for the top division.^[3]

However, by the beginning of the 1980s he had a new rival, Chiyonofuji, and in November 1981 he withdrew from a tournament for the first time. After that his record was patchy, with many absences. ^[2]His final title came in May 1984, and he announced his retirement in January 1985.

[edit] After retirement

Kitanoumi was honoured for his great achievements (24 tournament championships, 951 career wins, 804 top division wins) by being offered membership of the Japan Sumo Association without having to purchase a share. He was the second rikishi after Taiho to be given this honour. As a result, he was able to keep his sumo name after retirement. He opened up his own training stable, Kitanoumi-beya, which is currently the largest stable in sumo. It has produced a handful of top division wrestlers over the years, such as maegashira Kitazakura. Kitanoumi is also the Sumo Association's chairman, a position he has held since 2002.

[edit] Top division record

Kitanoumi Toshimitsu ^[4]
	January Hatsu basho, Tokyo	March Haru basho, Osaka	May Natsu basho, Tokyo	July Nagoya basho, Nagoya	September Aki basho, Tokyo	November Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
1972	East Maegashira #12 5–10	(Jūryō)	West Maegashira #11 9–6	East Maegashira #7 9–6	East Maegashira #3 6–9	West Maegashira #6 10–5
1973	East Komusubi 4–11	West Maegashira #5 9–6 F	West Maegashira #1 6–9 ★	East Maegashira #4 8–7	East Komusubi 8–7	East Sekiwake 10–5 O
1974	East Sekiwake 14–1 O	East Ōzeki 10–5	East Ōzeki 13–2	East Ōzeki 13–2	West Yokozuna 11–4	West Yokozuna 12–3
1975	East Yokozuna 12–3	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 9–6	East Yokozuna 12–3	East Yokozuna 12–3
1976	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 10–5	West Yokozuna 13–2	West Yokozuna 12–3	West Yokozuna 10–5	West Yokozuna 14–1
1977	East Yokozuna 12–3	West Yokozuna 15–0	East Yokozuna 12–3	East Yokozuna 13–2	West Yokozuna 15–0	East Yokozuna 13–2
1978	West Yokozuna 15–0	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 15–0	East Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 11–4
1979	East Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 15–0	East Yokozuna 13–2	West Yokozuna 12–3	West Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 10–5
1980	East Yokozuna 12–3	West Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 15–0	East Yokozuna 11–4	West Yokozuna 12–3
1981	East Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 10–5	West Yokozuna 5–4–6
1982	West Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 11–4	West Yokozuna 9–4–2	Sat out due to injury	East Yokozuna 10–5	East Yokozuna 9–3–3
1983	West Yokozuna 5–4–6	Sat out due to injury	Sat out due to injury	Sat out due to injury	East Yokozuna 4–1–10	East Yokozuna 11–4
1984	East Yokozuna 8–7	East Yokozuna 10–5	West Yokozuna 15–0	East Yokozuna 11–4	East Yokozuna 0–3–12	East Yokozuna 3–4–8
1985	West Yokozuna 0–3–retired	x	x	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