Kotonishiki Katsuhiro
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Hideyuki Matsuzawa | |
| Date of birth | June 8, 1968 | |
| Place of birth | Gunma, Japan | |
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 91⁄2 in) | |
| Weight | 131.5 kg (290 lb) | |
| Career* | ||
| Heya | Sadogatake | |
| Record | 663-557-58 | |
| Debut | March, 1984 | |
| Highest rank | Sekiwake (November, 1990) | |
| Retired | September, 2000 | |
| Yusho | 2 (Makuuchi) | |
| Special Prizes | Outstanding Performance (7) Fighting Spirit (3) Technique (8) |
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| Gold stars | 8 (Hokutoumi (1), Chiyonofuji (1) Takanohana (3), Akebono (1) Wakanohana (2)) |
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* Career information is correct as of July 2007. |
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Kotonishiki Katsuhiro (born June 8, 1968 as Hideyuki Matsuzawa) is a former sumo wrestler from Gunma Prefecture, Japan. He won two top division tournament titles from the maegashira ranks, the only wrestler ever to do so. His highest rank was sekiwake, which he held 21 times. He is now a sumo coach.
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[edit] Early career
He was born in Misato, Gunma. At the wish of his father, he practised both sumo and judo from a young age. After competing in the National Junior High School Sumo Championships at the age of 14, he met former yokozuna Kotozakura who persuaded him to join Sadogatake stable.[1] He made his professional debut in March 1984. His first shikona or fighting name was Kotomatsuzawa, based on his own surname. He switched to Kotonishiki in late 1987 and shortly afterwards made the elite sekitori ranks, being promoted to the juryo division in March 1988. A losing score of 4-11 meant he was demoted back to the unsalaried makushita division after only one tournament, but he returned to the second division in September 1988 and was promoted to the top makuuchi division in May 1989 after an 11-4 record at Juryo 6 in March.
Kotonishiki steadily made his way up the maegashira ranks, and in May 1990 earned his first sansho or special prize. He was to win 18 such prizes over his course of his career, a record second only to Akinoshima. In this tournament he also defeated yokozuna Hokutoumi to win the first of his eight kinboshi. He made his debut in the titled sanyaku ranks at komusubi in September 1990 and came through with a winning record. This earned him promotion to sekiwake for November. He was to spend a total of 34 tournaments ranked at either sekiwake or komusubi, which is an all-time record.
[edit] First tournament win
In the latter half of 1991 Kotonishiki made a strong drive for ozeki promotion. He recovered from losing his sekiwake rank after the July tournament and falling back to the maegashira ranks, by coming back to win the tournament championship in September 1991, blowing away Mainoumi in seconds on the final day to finish with a 13-2 record, one win ahead of ozeki Kirishima. He followed up with an excellent 12-3 in November, finishing as runner-up to Konishiki. He needed one more good performance in the following January 1992 tournament to earn promotion to ozeki, but he lost his opening four matches and could only score 7-8. He made a second attempt in late 1992 when he produced two consecutive runner-up performances, but after standing at 7-3 on the 10th day of the January 1993 tournament he collapsed to lose his last five bouts and finished with a losing 7-8 score. Although he produced many good performances over the next few years, he was never consistent enough to mount another challenge for ozeki promotion, and was overtaken by younger wrestlers such as the Hanada brothers Takanohana and Wakanohana, and then Takanonami and Musashimaru.
[edit] Later career
In May 1998 Kotonishiki was runner-up for the fourth time and returned to komusubi, but he was sidelined through injury in the next tournament and managed only five wins on his return. This sent him down to maegashira 12 for the November 1998 tournament, his lowest rank since his top division debut in May 1989. Kotonishiki responded by winning his first 11 matches and though he lost to yokozuna Wakanohana on Day 12, he defeated Takanohana and Takanonami over the next two days to clinch the championship. He finished with an outstanding 14-1 record. This victory made him the only wrestler ever to win two tournaments from the maegashira ranks. The seven year gap between his first and second championships is also the longest ever.
Now over 30 years of age, Kotonishiki was no longer able to maintain a position in the sanyaku ranks, but he was still a threat, as he defeated yokozuna in three consecutive tournaments from March to July 1999.
[edit] Retirement from sumo
In March 2000 Kotonishiki had to withdraw on the 5th day of the tournament through injury, with only two wins. As a result, he fell to the juryo division for the first time since 1989. On his comeback in July he scored an 8-7 majority of wins at the rank of Juryo 1 but did not get promoted back to the top division; a extremely rare occurrence. In the September 2000 tournament, after losing six of his first seven bouts, he announced his retirement from sumo, saying that he had reached his physical limit and could no longer overcome his various injuries.
Kotonishiki has remained in the sumo world as a coach at Sadogatake stable. He has so far been unable to acquire a permanent toshiyori or elder name. For the first two years of his retirement he had jun-toshiyori status and was known as Kotonishiki Oyakata. When that expired he borrowed the Wakamatsu name in 2002 and then the Takenawa name in 2003. Since July 2007 he has been borrowing Kaiō's toshiyori name and is now known as Asakayama Oyakata.
[edit] Personal life
In early 1991 Kotonishiki personal life hit the headlines when it was revealed he had proposed to one woman having already secretly married another.[1] In the event he returned to his legal wife and they had a daughter together.[1]
[edit] Top division record
| January Hatsu basho, Tokyo |
March Haru basho, Osaka |
May Natsu basho, Tokyo |
July Nagoya basho, Nagoya |
September Aki basho, Tokyo |
November Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | x | x | West Maegashira #14 8–7 |
East Maegashira #12 8–7 |
West Maegashira #9 7–8 |
East Maegashira #11 8–7 |
| 1990 | East Maegashira #6 8–7 |
East Maegashira #2 4–11 |
West Maegashira #6 9–6 F★ |
East Maegashira #1 9–6 O★ |
East Komusubi #1 9–6 O |
East Sekiwake #1 10–5 OT |
| 1991 | East Sekiwake #1 11–4 T |
East Sekiwake #1 9–6 |
East Sekiwake #1 8–7 |
East Sekiwake #1 4–11 |
East Maegashira #5 13–2 F |
West Komusubi #1 12–3 O |
| 1992 | East Sekiwake #1 7–8 |
East Maegashira #1 9–6 |
East Komusubi #2 9–6 |
West Sekiwake #1 6–9 |
East Maegashira #1 11–4 |
East Komusubi #1 13–2 T |
| 1993 | West Sekiwake #1 7–8 |
East Komusubi #1 5–10 |
East Maegashira #3 8–7 |
West Maegashira #1 12–3 F |
West Sekiwake #2 9–6 |
West Sekiwake #1 9–6 |
| 1994 | East Sekiwake #2 9–6 |
East Sekiwake #1 10–5 T |
East Sekiwake #1 9–6 |
East Sekiwake #1 3–12 |
West Maegashira #3 8–7 |
West Komusubi #1 8–7 |
| 1995 | West Sekiwake #1 4–5–6 |
Sat out due to injury | West Maegashira #3 8–7 |
East Maegashira #1 8–7 O★ |
West Komusubi #2 10–5 T |
West Sekiwake #2 8–7 |
| 1996 | West Sekiwake #1 9–6 |
West Sekiwake #1 8–7 |
East Sekiwake #2 4–11 |
West Maegashira #2 9–6 |
West Komusubi #2 10–5 T |
West Sekiwake #2 8–7 |
| 1997 | West Sekiwake #1 4–11 |
West Maegashira #3 8–7 |
West Maegashira #1 5–10 |
East Maegashira #5 5–10 |
West Maegashira #9 8–7 |
East Maegashira #4 8–7 |
| 1998 | West Komusubi #1 10–5 T |
East Komusubi #1 6–9 |
East Maegashira #2 11–4 O★ |
Komusubi 1–2–12 |
East Maegashira #7 5–10 |
West Maegashira #12 14–1 OT★ |
| 1999 | East Komusubi #2 6–9 |
West Maegashira #1 6–9 ★ |
West Maegashira #3 9–6 ★ |
East Maegashira #1 8–7 ★ |
East Komusubi #1 5–10 |
West Maegashira #2 7–8 |
| 2000 | East Maegashira #3 3–12 |
West Maegashira #8 2–3–10 |
(Jūryō) | (Jūryō) | (Jūryō) | 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 |
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[edit] References
- ^ a b c Sharnoff, Lorna (1993). Grand Sumo. Weatherhill, 210. ISBN 0-8348-0283-x.
- ^ Rikishi in Juryo and Makunouchi (English). szumo.hu. Retrieved on 2007-07-23.
