| 魁傑 將晃 Kaiketsu Masateru |
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Kaiketsu on opening day of September 2011 tournament. To left is future Ōzeki Kisenosato. |
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| Personal information | |
| Born | Teriyuki Nishimori February 16, 1948 Yamaguchi, Japan |
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Weight | 128 kg (280 lb) |
| Career | |
| Heya | Hanakago |
| Record | 528-410-0 |
| Debut | September 1966 |
| Highest rank | Ozeki (March 1975) |
| Retired | January 1979 |
| Yūshō | 2 (Makuuchi) 1 (Sandanme) 1 (Jonokuchi) |
| Sanshō | Outstanding Performance (2) Fighting Spirit (7) Technique(1) |
| Kinboshi | 3 |
| * Career information is correct as of December 2007. | |
Kaiketsu Masateru (Japanese: 魁傑 將晃, born February 16, 1948 as Teriyuki Nishimori) is a former sumo wrestler, who reached the second highest rank of ōzeki on two separate occasions. He also won two top division tournament championships. He is now known as Hanaregoma-oyakata and is the head coach of Hanaregoma stable, and chairman of the Japan Sumo Association.
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While at Nihon University he practiced judo. He made his professional sumo debut in September 1966 at the age of 18. Initially fighting under his own surname of Nishimori, he reached the second juryo division in January 1970. He adopted the shikona of Hananishiki before switching to Kaiketsu in November 1970. He reached the top makuuchi division in September 1971. In March 1972 from the maegashira 7 ranking he was the tournament runner-up to Hasegawa, who defeated him in a playoff, and he was given special prizes for Outstanding Performance and Technique. At the following tournament in May 1972 he made his sanyaku debut at komusubi rank. After scoring 11 wins there and finishing as runner-up to Wajima he was promoted to sekiwake. He was also a runner-up in January 1973.
In September 1974 Kaiketsu turned in a losing score of 7-8 at sekiwake rank but then took his first top division yusho or championship in November as a komusubi. He scored twelve wins against three losses, and defeated Kitanoumi in a playoff. He followed this up with an 11-4 score in January 1975. His combined total of wins over the last three tournaments was 31, below the normal standard for ozeki promotion of 33, but there was only one ozeki at the time, Takanohana, so the Sumo Association decided to promote Kaiketsu.[1]
After suffering from hepatitus and lower back pain,[2] Kaiketsu was demoted from ozeki less than a year after reaching the rank following two consecutive make-koshi or losing scores. However, in September 1976 ranked at maegashira 4, he took his second tournament championship with a 14-1 record, followed by consecutive 11-4 scores at sekiwake in November 1976 and January 1977. He was promoted to ozeki once again, alongside Wakamisugi, to whom he had a superior three tournament record.[1] However, he held the rank for only four more tournaments, and soon fell back to the maegashira ranks. He retired in January 1979, having not missed a single bout in his 12 year career. He once said, "Being absent from a tournament means deliberately abandoning a bout."[2] In addition to his two yusho he had accumulated ten special prizes (including seven for Fighting Spirit) and three kinboshi.
Kaiketsu set up his own training stable, Hanaregoma stable, in 1981 after breaking away from Hanakago.[1] Joining him was future yokozuna Onokuni. In 1985, when Hanakago stable was wound up, all its wrestlers transferred to Hanaregoma. Other top division wrestlers he trained included Hananokuni, Hananoumi and Shunketsu. He also became a Director of the Japan Sumo Association, responsible for managing the shimpan or judges, and supervising the examination of new recruits. In August 2010 he took over as head of the Association after the resignation of Musashigawa.[3] Following a match-fixing scandal which broke in February 2011 he announced an independent investigation and the cancellation of the March 2011 Osaka honbasho.[2] He insisted that there was no match-fixing in the past, a claim that drew criticism from sumo commentator and former wrestler Mainoumi.[4]
Kaiketsu's favourite kimarite or techniques were tsuppari (a series of rapid thrusts to the chest), hidari yotsu (a right hand outside, left hand inside grip on the mawashi), yori kiri (force out) and uwatenage (overarm throw).
| year in sumo | January Hatsu basho, Tokyo |
March Haru basho, Osaka |
May Natsu basho, Tokyo |
July Nagoya basho, Nagoya |
September Aki basho, Tokyo |
November Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | x | x | x | x | East Maegashira #9 7–8 |
West Maegashira #10 8–7 |
| 1972 | East Maegashira #5 7–8 |
West Maegashira #7 12–3–P TO★ |
East Komusubi 11–4 F |
West Sekiwake 10–5 |
West Sekiwake 7–8 |
West Sekiwake 7–8 |
| 1973 | West Maegashira #1 11–4 F |
East Sekiwake 4–11 |
East Maegashira #4 9–6 ★ |
East Komusubi 8–7 |
East Sekiwake 7–8 |
West Komusubi 8–7 |
| 1974 | West Komusubi 11–4 F |
East Sekiwake 10–5 |
East Sekiwake 8–7 |
East Sekiwake 8–7 |
East Sekiwake 7–8 |
West Komusubi 12–3–P O |
| 1975 | East Sekiwake 11–4 |
West Ōzeki 11–4 |
West Ōzeki 12–3 |
East Ōzeki 8–7 |
East Ōzeki 6–9 |
West Ōzeki 6–9 |
| 1976 | West Sekiwake 7–8 |
East Maegashira #1 5–10 ★ |
West Maegashira #6 10–5 F |
West Komusubi 5–10 |
West Maegashira #4 14–1 F |
West Sekiwake 11–4 F |
| 1977 | West Sekiwake 11–4 F |
East Ōzeki 8–7 |
West Ōzeki 8–7 |
West Ōzeki 6–9 |
West Ōzeki 5–10 |
West Sekiwake 6–9 |
| 1978 | West Maegashira #1 6–9 |
West Maegashira #4 10–5 |
East Komusubi 6–9 |
West Maegashira #3 7–8 |
West Maegashira #4 8–7 |
West Maegashira #2 4–11 |
| 1979 | West Maegashira #9 Retired 4–7–0 |
x | x | x | x | x |
| Record given as win-loss-absent Top Division Champion Retired Lower Divisions Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique Also shown: ★=Kinboshi(s) P=Playoff(s) |
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