| 旭天鵬 勝 Kyokutenhō Masaru |
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|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | Nyamjavyn Tsevegnyam September 13, 1974 Nalaikh, Mongolia |
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Weight | 154 kg (340 lb; 24.3 st) |
| Career | |
| Heya | Ōshima |
| Current rank | see below |
| Debut | March, 1992 |
| Highest rank | Sekiwake (July, 2003) |
| Sanshō | Fighting Spirit (5) |
| Kinboshi | 2 (Asashōryū, Takanohana) |
| * Career information is correct as of Nov 2011. | |
Kyokutenhō Masaru (born September 13, 1974 as Nyamjavyn Tsevegnyam, Mongolian: Нямжавын Цэвэгням in Nalaikh, Ulan Bator, Mongolia) is a professional sumo wrestler. He made his debut in 1992, with the first group of Mongolians ever to join the sport in Japan, reaching the top division in 1998. He has received five special prizes for Fighting Spirit during his career and has been runner-up in one tournament. His highest rank has been sekiwake, which he has held on three occasions. He has acquired Japanese citizenship and is in line to take over the Ōshima stable upon his retirement from sumo.
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In 1991, Tsevegnyam came to Japan with five other Mongolian wrestlers, including Kyokushūzan, joining Ōshima stable. They were the first Mongolians to join professional sumo. In Mongolia he had had little experience of wrestling or judo, concentrating on basketball in junior high school. Six months after they came to Japan, due to cultural difference, language problems, and the extremely harsh training methods used in sumo, Kyokutenhō, Kyokushuzan and three others ran away and sought refuge in the Mongolian embassy. But he was persuaded by Kyokutenzan to return to his stable.
In March 1996, he was promoted to the second highest jūryō division, achieving sekitori status for the first time. After temporarily dropping down to makushita, he slowly climbed the jūryō division and first won promotion to the top makuuchi division in January 1998. However, he did not establish himself in the division until May 1999. He won his first sanshō or special prize in January 2000. He first achieved a sanyaku rank in January 2002 when he was promoted to komusubi. He has earned two kinboshi or gold stars for yokozuna upsets at maegashira rank, defeating Takanohana in the latter's comeback tournament in September 2002 and fellow Mongolian Asashōryū in his first tournament as a yokozuna in March 2003. He has also beaten Asashōryū and Musashimaru whilst ranked in sanyaku. He made his sekiwake debut in July 2003 but he has not achieved a kachi-koshi or winning score in his three attempts at the rank.
On 28 April 2007 he caused a car accident in Tokyo.[1] He was punished for defying the Japan Sumo Association's ban on wrestlers driving cars by being forced to sit out the May tournament, resulting in demotion to the jūryō division. This broke a string of over 700 consecutive top division bouts dating from his re-entry into makuuchi in May 1999, the longest streak among active wrestlers. However, he won immediate promotion back to the top division with a 12-3 record in July. On his return to the top division in September he was runner-up to Yokozuna Hakuho, his first ever runner-up score in makuuchi. He was awarded his fifth Fighting Spirit prize. In March 2009 he was promoted to komusubi for the first time in 17 tournaments, and became the first former sanyaku wrestler since Mitoizumi in 1988 to drop to the jūryō division and make a return to the sanyaku ranks. He made komusubi once again in July 2009.
Following the retirement of Kaio in July 2011 Kyokutenho now has more career wins (772) than any active wrestler and is the longest serving member of the top division, with Wakanosato a close second.
Kyokutenho is a solidly yotsu-sumo wrestler, favouring techniques which involve grabbing the opponent's mawashi or belt. He prefers a migi-yotsu (left hand outside, right hand inside) grip. Over half his career wins have come by a simple yori-kiri or force out, compared with an average of around 28 percent for all wrestlers.[2]
In 2005, Kyuokutenhō obtained Japanese citizenship with the support of his stable master, ex Ōzeki Asahikuni. This will enable him to take over the running of Ōshima stable when Asahikuni reaches the mandatory retirement age of 65 in 2012. His real name is now Masaru Ota.[3] He is married to a Japanese woman and his first child, a girl, was born in September 2008.
Kyokutenhō's brother Robsandorj, nine years his junior, also became a sumo wrestler in 2000 under the name Fudoyama, but he never climbed higher than the third makushita division and retired in January 2008.
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | x | (Maezumo) | East Jonokuchi #47 6–1 |
West Jonidan #98 4–3 |
East Jonidan #72 Sat out due to injury 0–0–7 |
West Jonidan #142 5–2 |
| 1993 | West Jonidan #86 5–2 |
West Jonidan #44 5–2 |
West Jonidan #8 5–2 |
East Sandanme #71 4–3 |
East Sandanme #51 6–1 |
East Sandanme #5 3–4 |
| 1994 | West Sandanme #19 5–2 |
West Makushita #53 4–3 |
East Makushita #44 2–5 |
East Sandanme #9 5–2 |
East Makushita #45 6–1 |
East Makushita #21 4–3 |
| 1995 | West Makushita #16 3–4 |
East Makushita #24 3–4 |
East Makushita #33 4–3 |
East Makushita #27 4–3 |
East Makushita #19 4–3 |
East Makushita #13 4–3 |
| 1996 | West Makushita #9 7–0–P |
East Jūryō #13 9–6 |
West Jūryō #7 6–9 |
East Jūryō #12 8–7 |
West Jūryō #8 5–10 |
East Makushita #1 4–3 |
| 1997 | West Jūryō #11 7–8 |
West Jūryō #12 8–7 |
East Jūryō #9 9–6 |
East Jūryō #4 8–7 |
East Jūryō #2 8–7 |
West Jūryō #1 9–6 |
| 1998 | West Maegashira #15 9–6 |
East Maegashira #12 6–9 |
East Jūryō #1 8–7 |
West Maegashira #15 4–11 |
East Jūryō #5 8–7 |
West Jūryō #2 6–9 |
| 1999 | East Jūryō #6 9–6 |
East Jūryō #1 8–7 |
East Maegashira #14 9–6 |
West Maegashira #10 7–8 |
East Maegashira #12 8–7 |
East Maegashira #8 6–9 |
| 2000 | East Maegashira #13 11–4 F |
West Maegashira #2 4–11 |
East Maegashira #6 7–8 |
West Maegashira #7 9–6 |
East Maegashira #3 4–11 |
West Maegashira #6 7–8 |
| 2001 | East Maegashira #8 10–5 |
East Maegashira #1 3–12 |
West Maegashira #7 6–9 |
East Maegashira #11 8–7 |
East Maegashira #8 9–6 |
West Maegashira #5 8–7 |
| 2002 | East Komusubi 6–9 |
East Maegashira #2 6–9 |
West Maegashira #4 6–9 |
East Maegashira #8 8–7 |
East Maegashira #3 8–7 ★ |
East Komusubi 7–8 |
| 2003 | East Maegashira #2 8–7 |
East Maegashira #1 9–6 F★ |
West Komusubi 10–5 F |
West Sekiwake 6–9 |
East Maegashira #2 10–5 F |
West Sekiwake 4–11 |
| 2004 | West Maegashira #3 8–7 |
West Maegashira #2 10–5 |
East Sekiwake 6–9 |
East Maegashira #1 8–7 |
East Komusubi 5–10 |
West Maegashira #3 5–10 |
| 2005 | East Maegashira #6 10–5 |
East Maegashira #1 6–9 |
West Maegashira #3 6–9 |
West Maegashira #5 8–7 |
West Maegashira #3 10–5 |
East Komusubi 8–7 |
| 2006 | East Komusubi 4–11 |
East Maegashira #5 11–4 |
East Komusubi 5–10 |
West Maegashira #2 6–9 |
West Maegashira #4 6–9 |
East Maegashira #6 8–7 |
| 2007 | East Maegashira #3 8–7 |
East Maegashira #2 4–11 |
East Maegashira #8 Suspended 0–0–15 |
West Jūryō #3 12–3–P |
West Maegashira #12 12–3 F |
West Maegashira #4 4–11 |
| 2008 | West Maegashira #10 10–5 |
West Maegashira #4 8–7 |
East Maegashira #2 4–11 |
East Maegashira #9 10–5 |
East Maegashira #3 6–9 |
West Maegashira #6 10–5 |
| 2009 | West Maegashira #1 9–6 |
West Komusubi 6–9 |
West Maegashira #2 8–7 |
East Komusubi 6–9 |
West Maegashira #2 5–10 |
West Maegashira #6 8–7 |
| 2010 | West Maegashira #5 8–7 |
East Maegashira #2 3–12 |
West Maegashira #7 9–6 |
East Maegashira #3 7–8 |
West Maegashira #3 4–11 |
East Maegashira #9 9–6 |
| 2011 | East Maegashira #6 7–8 |
East Maegashira #8 Tournament Cancelled 0–0–0 |
East Maegashira #8 8–7 |
East Maegashira #2 2–13 |
West Maegashira #10 11–4 |
West Maegashira #2 11–4 |
| 2012 | West Maegashira #6 – |
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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