| 清國 勝雄 Kiyokuni Katsuo |
|
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | Tadao Sato November 20, 1941 Akita, Japan |
| Height | 1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 134 kg (300 lb) |
| Career | |
| Heya | Isegahama |
| Record | 706-507-32 |
| Debut | September, 1956 |
| Highest rank | Ozeki (July 1969) |
| Retired | January, 1974 |
| Yūshō | 1 (Makuuchi) |
| Sanshō | Outstanding Performance (3) Technique (4) |
| Kinboshi | 7 |
| * Career information is correct as of August 2007. | |
Kiyokuni Katsuo (born 20 November 1941 as Tadao Sato) is a former sumo wrestler from Akita, Japan. His highest rank was ozeki, which he held from 1969 to 1974. He won one top division yusho or tournament championship and was a runner-up in five other tournaments. He also earned seven special prizes and seven gold stars. After his retirement he was the head coach of Isegahama stable.
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Recruited by former sekiwake Kiyosegawa, he made his professional debut in September 1956 (in the same tournament as Taiho). Initially fighting under the shikona of Wakaikuni, he rose slowly up the ranks, eventually reaching the second highest juryo division in May 1963, after 26 tournaments in makushita. He was promoted to the top makuuchi division in November 1963. In just his second makuuchi tournament, ranked at maegashira 13, he produced a superb 14-1 record, losing only on the final day and finishing runner-up to yokozuna Taiho who won with an unbeaten score. He was awarded the Technique Prize and was promoted straight to sekiwake, sumo's third highest rank. He defeated yokozuna in three consecutive tournaments from September 1964 to January 1965, earning promotion back to the sanyaku ranks.
After a year or so of being stuck at the sekiwake rank, Kiyokuni was finally promoted to ozeki in May 1969 after his second runner-up performance. Although he had scored only 31 wins in the three tournaments prior to his promotion, below the usual threshold of 33, he immediately dispelled any doubts over his worthiness by taking what was to be his only tournament championship or yusho in his ozeki debut, defeating Taiho for only the third time in 25 meetings to finish one win ahead of him on 12-3. This was to be the last yusho by a member of the Tatsunami-Isegahama ichimon or group of stables until ozeki Asahifuji won his first championship in January 1988.
Kiyokuni was never able to make yokozuna, partly due to neck and spinal injuries from which he never fully recovered.[1] Nevetheless, he was a strong ozeki, remaining there for 28 basho and finishing runner-up in May 1971, May 1973 and September 1973. He retired in January 1974, due to a heart complaint.[1]
Kiyokuni became an oyakata, or elder of the Japan Sumo Association after his retirement, and in April 1977 he became head coach of Isegahama stable following the death of his second stablemaster, former yokozuna Terukuni, who had been in charge since 1961. Initially he had some success, overseeing the late blooming Kurosegawa's rise to komusubi in 1980 and also producing Wakasegawa who reached the top division in 1983. However, On August 12, 1985 Isegahama's wife and two children died in the Japan Airlines Flight 123 disaster.[1] He was never the same again and the stable began to deteriorate. He was demoted from his position in the Sumo Association after giving an outspoken interview to the Shukan Post in 2004 in which he criticised the attitude of amateur college champions and foreigners in sumo and made allegations of match-fixing and steroid abuse. By the time he reached the mandatory retirement age of sixty-five in November 2006, there were just two active wrestlers in Isegahama stable left, compared with dozens when he took over. Much to his chagrin he had not even been able to persuade his nephews, Tamanoshima and Tamamitsukuni to join, the two eventual sekitori opting for Kataonami stable instead.[1] With no long term successor to Kiyokuni available, former maegashira Katsuhikari took on the Isegahama name, but he dissolved the stable, which dated back to 1859,[2] on February 1, 2007. Its two remaining wrestlers moved to Kiriyama stable. In an attempt to revive the fortunes of the once prestigious Isegahama name, it was assumed by the former Asahifuji in December of that year, who renamed his existing Ajigawa stable to Isegahama stable.
Kiyokuni favoured techniques were hidari-yotsu (a right hand outside, left hand inside grip on his opponent's mawashi, yorikiri (force out), and oshidashi (push out).
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | x | x | x | x | x | West Maegashira #14 8–7 |
| 1964 | East Maegashira #13 14–1 T |
West Sekiwake 6–9 |
East Maegashira #2 7–8 |
East Maegashira #2 8–7 |
West Maegashira #1 5–10 ★ |
East Maegashira #4 9–6 ★ |
| 1965 | West Maegashira #1 10–5 T★ |
East Komusubi 9–6 T |
East Sekiwake 7–8 |
West Komusubi 10–5 O |
East Sekiwake 4–11 |
East Maegashira #4 9–6 ★ |
| 1966 | East Maegashira #2 7–8 |
West Maegashira #3 9–6 ★ |
East Komusubi 4–11 |
West Maegashira #3 9–6 ★ |
West Komusubi 8–7 |
East Sekiwake 7–8 |
| 1967 | East Komusubi 3–12 |
West Maegashira #5 9–6 |
West Maegashira #2 7–8 |
West Maegashira #1 7–8 |
West Maegashira #2 8–7 ★ |
East Komusubi 8–7 |
| 1968 | West Sekiwake 9–6 O |
East Sekiwake 10–5 |
East Sekiwake 8–7 |
East Sekiwake 8–7 |
East Sekiwake 8–7 |
East Sekiwake 7–8 |
| 1969 | West Komusubi 10–5 O |
West Sekiwake 9–6 |
West Sekiwake 12–3 T |
East Ōzeki 12–3–P |
East Ōzeki 9–6 |
West Ōzeki 9–6 |
| 1970 | West Ōzeki 10–5 |
East Ōzeki 7–8 |
West Ōzeki 10–5 |
East Ōzeki 11–4 |
East Ōzeki 9–6 |
West Ōzeki 12–3 |
| 1971 | East Ōzeki 8–7 |
West Ōzeki 10–5 |
East Ōzeki 13–2 |
East Ōzeki 9–6 |
West Ōzeki 8–7 |
East Ōzeki 8–7 |
| 1972 | West Ōzeki 9–6 |
West Ōzeki 10–5 |
West Ōzeki 8–7 |
West Ōzeki 9–6 |
East Ōzeki 9–6 |
East Ōzeki 10–5 |
| 1973 | East Ōzeki 1–6–8 |
West Ōzeki 9–6 |
West Ōzeki 11–4 |
East Ōzeki 1–5–9 |
West Ōzeki 11–4 |
East Ōzeki 0–7–8 |
| 1974 | West Ōzeki Retired 0–0–0 |
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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