Takekaze Akira
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Akira Narita | |
| Date of birth | June 21, 1979 | |
| Place of birth | Akita, Japan | |
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 71⁄2 in) | |
| Weight | 142 kg (310 lb) | |
| Career* | ||
| Heya | Oguruma | |
| Current rank | Maegashira 8 | |
| Record | 259-239-41 | |
| Debut | May 2002 | |
| Highest rank | Komusubi (March, 2008) | |
| Yusho | 1 (Jūryō) | |
| Special Prizes | Fighting Spirit (1) | |
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* Career information is correct as of May 2008. |
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Takekaze Akira (born June 21, 1979 as Akira Narita) is a professional sumo wrestler from Moriyoshi, Kitaakita District, Akita prefecture, Japan. His highest rank has been komusubi .
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[edit] Career
Takekaze practised sumo in college and was a very dominant player, having achieved the student equivalent of yokozuna after winning a college sumo tournament in his fourth year at Chuo University. He made his professional debut in May 2002, joining former ozeki Kotokaze's Oguruma stable. He was allowed to enter at makushita level due to his amateur achievements. He reached sekitori status in just two tournaments, and was promoted to the top makuuchi division in March 2003, the first wrestler from his stable to achieve this. He had to pull out of his debut tournament in the top division due to injury and fell back to the juryo division. However upon winning the juryo championship in September 2003 with a 13-2 record he was promoted back to the top division. Since then his success began to slow somewhat. He has tended to struggle when pitted against the top rankers, not managing to defeat a yokozuna or achieve a winning record above the mid maegashira ranks. However, in January 2008 he produced his best score in the top division, 12-3, which included a defeat of ozeki Kotooshu. He was awarded his first special prize, for Fighting Spirit. Consequently, in the March, 2008 tournament he debuted at the komusubi rank, finally breaking into sanyaku. He is the first wrestler from his stable to make the titled ranks. He would manage only three wins in his komusubi debut and was demoted to maegashira 8 for the May 2008 tournament, where he produced a disappointing 6-9 score.
Takekaze was married in August of 2006.[1] He has a son, born at the end of 2007.
[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 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | x | West Maegashira #13 1–3–11 |
(Jūryō) | (Jūryō) | (Jūryō) | West Maegashira #11 9–6 |
| 2004 | West Maegashira #6 4–11 |
West Maegashira #11 9–6 |
East Maegashira #8 9–6 |
East Maegashira #5 6–9 |
West Maegashira #7 8–7 |
West Maegashira #6 6–9 |
| 2005 | Sat out due to injury | (Jūryō) | East Maegashira #15 9–6 |
East Maegashira #11 8–7 |
East Maegashira #9 7–8 |
West Maegashira #9 9–6 |
| 2006 | East Maegashira #3 4–11 |
West Maegashira #9 9–6 |
West Maegashira #4 2–13 |
West Maegashira #13 9–6 |
East Maegashira #10 10–5 |
East Maegashira #4 6–9 |
| 2007 | West Maegashira #8 8–7 |
West Maegashira #4 7–8 |
East Maegashira #5 8–7 |
East Maegashira #3 4–11 |
East Maegashira #8 9–6 |
East Maegashira #5 6–9 |
| 2008 | East Maegashira #7 12–3 F |
West Komusubi 3–12 |
West Maegashira #8 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 |
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