Taihō Kōki

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

大鵬幸喜
Taiho Kōki

Personal information
Birth name	Naya Kōki
Date of birth	May 29, 1940 (1940-05-29) (age 68)
Place of birth	Hokkaido
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 1+1⁄2 in)
Weight	153 kg (340 lb/24.1 st)
Career*
Heya	Nishonoseki
Record	872-181-136
Debut	September, 1956
Highest rank	Yokozuna (November, 1961)
Retired	May, 1971
Yusho	32 (Makuuchi) 1 (Juryo) 1 (Sandanme)
Special Prizes	Fighting Spirit (2) Technique (1)
Gold stars	1 (Asashio)
* Career information is correct as of August 2007.

Taihō Kōki (大鵬幸喜, born May 29, 1940 as Naya Kōki) is the 48th Yokozuna in the Japanese sport of sumo wrestling. He is regarded generally as the greatest sumo wrestler of the post-war period. He won a record 32 tournaments between 1960 and 1971, and is the only wrestler to win at least one championship every year of his top division career. After his retirement he was the head coach of Taihō stable.

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

[edit] Career

He was born on the island of Sakhalin of mixed Japanese and Ukrainian parentage,^[1] but is regarded as having come from Hokkaidō, where he moved to as a child. He was the first of three great yokozuna who all hailed from Hokkaidō, the most northerly of the main islands of Japan, and who among them dominated sumo during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The others were Kitanoumi and Chiyonofuji.

He entered sumo in September 1956, joining Nishonoseki stable. He initially fought under his own surname of Naya. Upon promotion to the second juryo division in May 1959 he was given the shikona (wrestler name) of "Taihō", meaning "Great peng" ("peng" is often translated to "phoenix"). Taihō rapidly rose through the ranks after his debut in the top makuuchi division in January 1960. He was a runner-up in his first top division tournament and was awarded the Fighting Spirit prize. At sekiwake rank in November 1960 he won the first of his record 32 tournament championships and earned promotion to ozeki. Following two consecutive tournament victories (his second and third) he became a yokozuna in September 1961, less than two years after his top division debut. At the time of his promotion he was the youngest ever wrestler to achieve sumo's highest rank of yokozuna aged 21 years and three months, a record subsequently surpassed by Kitanoumi. Exceptionally for a newly promoted yokozuna he also managed to win his first tournament subsequent to his promotion. He was promoted simultaneously with Kashiwado, and their rivalry created what became known as the Hakuhō era.^[1]

During his tenure in sumo's highest rank he was dominant, especially in the early part of his career. Taihō was particularly diligent about training, and he was noted for his skill and power when he grabbed his opponents' mawashi or belt– techniques known as yotsu-sumo.^[1] He was a popular grand champion, especially amongst women and children.^[1] Until 2005—when the 68th Yokozuna Asashōryū bettered his record—he was the only post-war yokozuna to have achieved six tournament victories consecutively, a feat he managed on two separate occasions. He came back from a long term injury in 1968 and embarked on a 45 bout winning streak that was broken in March 1969 only after an incorrect decision by the judges. ^[2] His final championship came in January 1971 after a playoff with Tamanoumi. He had a good score of 12-3 in the following tournament, but announced his retirement five days into the May 1971 tournament after losing to the promising young wrestler Takanohana for the second time.^[1] He had been a yokozuna for nearly ten years. His career win ratio was in excess of 80%, which is also a post-war record. He became the first former rikishi to be offered (and accept) membership of the Sumo Association without having to purchase a share, in recognition of his great achievements.

[edit] After Retirement

Taihō branched off form his old heya and opened Taihō stable after his retirement. Although he produced Ozutsu, a sekiwake who fought in 78 top division tournaments, he did not, in general, manage to replicate his own wrestling success as a trainer. In part this may be due to health problems he has suffered from, which also played a role in him being passed over for the chairmanship of the Sumo Association. He performed the kanreki dohyō-iri ceremony on his 60th birthday in 2000, despite being restricted by the effects of a stroke. He handed the stable over to his son-in-law, ex sekiwake Takatoriki, in February 2003.

[edit] Top division record

Taihō Kōki^[3]

	January Hatsu basho, Tokyo	March Haru basho, Osaka	May Natsu basho, Tokyo	July Nagoya basho, Nagoya	September Aki basho, Tokyo	November Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
1960	West Maegashira #13 12–3 F	East Maegashira #4 7–8	East Maegashira #6 11–4 F★	West Komusubi 11–4	West Sekiwake 12–3 T	East Sekiwake 13–2
1961	East Ōzeki 10–5	West Ōzeki 12–3	West Ōzeki 11–4	East Ōzeki 13–2	East Ōzeki 12–3	West Yokozuna 13–2
1962	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 11–4	East Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 13–2
1963	East Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 15–0	East Yokozuna 12–3	East Yokozuna 14–1	West Yokozuna 12–3
1964	East Yokozuna 15–0	East Yokozuna 15–0	East Yokozuna 10–5	East Yokozuna 1–4–10	West Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 14–1
1965	East Yokozuna 11–4	East Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 9–6	West Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 11–4	East Yokozuna 13–2
1966	Sat out due to injury	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 15–0
1967	East Yokozuna 15–0	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 2–1–12	East Yokozuna 15–0	East Yokozuna 11–2–2
1968	East Yokozuna 1–3–11	Sat out due to injury	Sat out due to injury	Sat out due to injury	West Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 15–0
1969	East Yokozuna 15–0	East Yokozuna 3–2–10	West Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 11–4	East Yokozuna 11–4	East Yokozuna 6–4–5
1970	Sat out due to injury	East Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 12–3	West Yokozuna 2–2–11	East Yokozuna 12–3	West Yokozuna 14–1
1971	West Yokozuna 14–1	West Yokozuna 12–3	West Yokozuna 3–3–retired	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

[edit] See also

• Glossary of sumo terms
• List of past sumo wrestlers
• List of sumo tournament winners
• List of yokozuna

[edit] External links

• Japan Sumo Association profile

previous: Kashiwado Tsuyoshi

48th Yokozuna 1961 - 1971

next: Tochinoumi Teruyoshi

Preceded by Yomiuri Giants

Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize Winner 1970

Succeeded by Shigeo Nagashima