| 豪風 旭 Takekaze Akira |
|
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | Akira Narita June 21, 1979 Akita, Japan |
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 142 kg (310 lb; 22.4 st) |
| Career | |
| Heya | Oguruma |
| Current rank | see below |
| Debut | May 2002 |
| Highest rank | Komusubi (March, 2008) |
| Yūshō | 1 (Jūryō) |
| Sanshō | Fighting Spirit (2) |
| * Career information is correct as of Nov 2011. | |
Takekaze Akira (born June 21, 1979 as Akira Narita) is a professional sumo wrestler from Akita Prefecture, Japan. A former amateur sumo champion, he turned professional in 2002, reaching the top division the following year. He has been a runner-up in one tournament and earned two special prizes for Fighting Spirit. His highest rank has been komusubi.
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Born in Moriyoshi, Kitaakita District, Takekaze practised sumo in college and was a very dominant player, having achieved the student equivalent of yokozuna after winning the Kokutai (Japan Games) and All Japan University Championship sumo tournaments in 2001, his fourth year at Chuo University. He made his professional debut in May 2002, joining former ozeki Kotokaze's Oguruma stable. He was given makushita tsukedashi status and allowed to enter at the rank of makushita 15 due to his amateur achievements. He reached sekitori level in just two tournaments, and was promoted to the top makuuchi division in March 2003, the first wrestler from his stable to achieve this.
Takekaze had to pull out of his debut tournament in the top division due to injury and fell back to the jūryō division. However upon winning the jūryō championship in September 2003 with a 13-2 record he was promoted back to the top division. He took time to adjust to the stronger opposition in makuuchi and did not achieve a kachi-koshi or winning record above the mid maegashira ranks until May 2007. He has tended to struggle when pitted against the top ranked wrestlers and has not managed to defeat a yokozuna to date. 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.
Takekaze could manage only three wins in his komusubi debut and was demoted to maegashira 8 for the May 2008 tournament. However, an 8-7 score at maegashira 4 in March 2009, which included a defeat of ozeki Kotomitsuki, saw him climb to maegashira 2 for the May 2009 tournament. He also reached maegashira 1 in November 2009, which is his second highest ranking in his career to date. In September 2010 he finished runner-up in a tournament for the first time, and was awarded his second Fighting Spirit prize, shared with stablemate Yoshikaze.
Takekaze is almost entirely reliant on oshi-sumo or pushing techniques, and usually loses if his opponents grab hold of his mawashi or belt. As of May 2009, he had won 120 bouts by oshi-dashi or push out, but just 11 by yori-kiri or force out, which is the most popular overall technique in sumo. He also regularly employs hiki-otoshi, the pull-down,and tsuki-otoshi, the thrust over.[1] At just 172 cm (5 ft 7½ in) he is one of the shortest men in the top division.
Takekaze was married in August 2006.[2] He has a son, born at the end of 2007.
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | x | x | Makushita #15 6–1 |
West Makushita #3 4–3 |
West Jūryō #12 8–7 |
East Jūryō #10 10–5 |
| 2003 | West Jūryō #3 10–5 |
West Maegashira #13 1–3–11 |
East Jūryō #8 Sat out due to injury 0–0–15 |
East Jūryō #8 9–6 |
East Jūryō #5 13–2 Champion |
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 | West Maegashira #8 Sat out due to injury 0–0–15 |
(Juryo) | 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 |
East Maegashira #12 7–8 |
East Maegashira #14 9–6 |
East Maegashira #8 9–6 |
| 2009 | East Maegashira #3 7–8 |
East Maegashira #4 8–7 |
East Maegashira #2 4–11 |
East Maegashira #9 8–7 |
West Maegashira #5 9–6 |
East Maegashira #1 6–9 |
| 2010 | West Maegashira #4 6–9 |
West Maegashira #8 5–10 |
East Maegashira #12 8–7 |
East Maegashira #11 6–9 |
West Maegashira #12 12–3 F |
West Maegashira #4 6–9 |
| 2011 | East Maegashira #7 8–7 |
West Maegashira #4 Tournament Cancelled 0–0–0 |
West Maegashira #4 7–8 |
West Maegashira #4 8–7 |
East Maegashira #3 5–10 |
West Maegashira #7 10–5 |
| 2012 | East Maegashira #1 – |
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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