Mitakeumi Hisashi

Mitakeumi Hisashi
御嶽海 久司
Personal information
Born Ōmichi Hisashi
(1992-12-25) December 25, 1992
Agematsu, Nagano, Japan
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight 160 kg (350 lb)
Career
Stable Dewanoumi
University Toyo University
Current rank see below
Debut March 2015
Highest rank Sekiwake (Jul 2017)
Championships 1 (Jūryō)
Special Prizes Fighting Spririt (1)
Technique (1)
Outstanding Performance (2)
Gold Stars 2
Harumafuji
Kakuryū
* Up to date as of Aug 6, 2017.

Mitakeumi Hisashi (御嶽海 久司) (born December 25, 1992 as Omichi Hisashi) is a sumo wrestler from Agematsu, Nagano, Japan. He is in the Dewanoumi stable. He is a pusher thruster-type wrestler. A former amateur champion at Toyo University, he made his professional debut in March 2015, reaching the top makuuchi division in November of the same year. He has three special prizes for Fighting Spirit, Technique and Outstanding Performance, as well two gold stars for defeating a yokozuna. His highest rank has been sekiwake.

Early life and sumo background

He was born Hisashi Ōmichi, to a Japanese father and Filipino mother. He began in sumo at Agematsu Elementary school as a first grader at a sumo tournament in Ōkuwa where he lost to an opponent smaller than himself. This loss lit a fire in his soul, which led to him formally beginning in sumo by joining the Kiso Sumo Club for boys.[1] By the end of elementary school he rose to second place in the All Japan Elementary School Sumo Championship Tournament.[2] While attending Kiso Fukushima Middle School he was in the Top 8 amongst his peers nationally. At Kiso Aomine High School he was third in the National Polity Club.[3] He then went on to Law School at Toyo University.[4]

At Toyo University he became a powerful pusher thruster and earned 15 titles in sumo. In his fourth year at university in November he became a university yokozuna,[5] then went on to become an amateur yokozuna in December. Attaining the rank of amateur yokozuna earned him the right to start as a professional at the rank of makushita 10.[6] He had initially not intended to enter the professional ranks, but instead to work for the Wakayama Prefectural government.[7] However he was convinced by the former Oginohana, the 11th generation stable master at Dewanoumi stable to help revive the fortunes of his stable,[8] and so joined the stable on February 12, 2015.[9] He became the first new student of the stablemaster, who had just taken over from his predecessor (former sekiwake Washūyama).

Career

Mitakeumi in September 2015

He entered the dohyō for the first time in the March 2015 tournament and was given the name Mitakeumi. His name is taken from a mountain near his hometown of Agematsu named Mount Ontake (御嶽山. 御 can be read as “On” or “Mi”). The “Umi” part of his name comes from his stable, Dewanoumi.[10] Although Mitakeumi suffered his first loss as a profressional sumo wrestler to Daishōhō in his second bout of the tournament, this helped relieve tension, and he was able to finish with a strong 6-1 winning record.[11] This propelled him to the rank of east makushita #3 in the next tournament where he got another 6-1 record and advanced to the second highest (jūryō) division of sumo in the July tournament.[12] He became only the 11th wrestler promoted to jūryō after only two tournaments.[13]

He became the first wrestler to enter the top (makuuchi) division from Nagano prefecture since Ōwashi retired from sumo in January 1978 (this period of 37 years was the current longest amongst all the prefectures).[14] It had also been 47 years since a wrestler from Nagano reached the rank of jūryō (Ōwashi in 1968).[15][16]

In his first jūryō tournament Mitakeumi earned the championship with an 11-4 record at the July 2015 tournament. It had been 66 years since the May 1949 tournament that a wrestler from Nagano had won the jūryō tournament. On day 10 of the tournament he suffered a loss as well as a sharp blow to the mouth from Jōkōryū requiring 15 stitches to his upper lip, however he was able to return the following day and earn a victory.

Mitakeumi fought for the first time in the makuuchi division while in jūryō on Day 14 of the September 2015 tournament. He finished with a 12-3 record at the rank of jūryō #5 at this tournament and was promoted to the makuuchi division for the November tournament in Kyushu, where he earned an 8-7 winning record. He had the flu during the January 2016 tournament, which contributed to his first losing record in the top division, however he followed this tournament with two strong performances of 10-5 and 11-4, taking his first special prize, the fighting spirit prize, in May 2016.[17] He made his san'yaku debut at komusubi in the November 2016 tournament. The new rank though proved to be a challenge as he had to face everyone above him in the first week losing 7 of the first 8 days. In the end he only managed to get 6 wins and went 6-9 in the end. 2016 proved overall to be a good year for Mitakeumi having three tournaments with double digit wins, winning his first prize, and making it to komusubi, and he was the 53rd winner of the annual "best makuuchi newcomer" award sponsored by ChuSpo.[18]

Mitakeumi began the Hatsu tournament in January 2017 with a win over ōzeki Gōeidō, and on Day 2 he earned his first kinboshi (a yokozuna upset by a wrestler from the maegashira ranks) when he defeated Harumafuji.[19] He also defeated yokozuna Kakuryū on Day 4.[20] He finished with 11 wins and was awarded a Technique prize for his performance in this tournament.[21] He returned to the sanyaku ranks in the March 2017 tournament at komusubi, and came through with a winning record of 9–6. In May he defeated Kakuryū on Day 1 and Harumafuji on Day 11 (which was Harumafuji's first loss in the tournament). He finished with an 8–7 record and received the Outstanding Performance Award for the first time. He was promoted to sekiwake for the July 2017 tournament, the first wrestler from Dewanonoumi stable to achieve this since Dewanohana in 1982.[22] In this tournament he defeated yokozuna Kisenosato on opening day, and tournament leader Hakuhō on Day 11, who was on a 25-match winning streak and hoping to equal the all-time career wins record of 1047.[23] Mitakeumi's only previous win over Hakuhō had been by default when the yokozuna pulled out of the March 2017 tournament through injury.[23] He ended the tournament with a 9-6 record and received a second consecutive Outstanding Performance award. In an interview immediately after the tournament he commented "I didn't think I would be able to win this award twice in a row so I am pleased. It was good that I was able to wrestle my brand of sumo at this tournament, win on the last day and also get a victory against Hakuho".[24]

Fighting style

Mitakeumi prefers pushing and thrusting moves as opposed to fighting on the opponent's mawashi or belt. His most common winning techniques are oshidashi, the push out, yorikiri, the force out and hatakikomi the slap down.[25]

Career record

Mitakeumi Hisashi[26]
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
2015 x Makushita tsukedashi #10
6–1
 		 East Makushita #3
6–1
 		 West Jūryō #12
11–4
Champion
 		 West Jūryō #5
12–3
 		 West Maegashira #11
8–7
 
2016 West Maegashira #10
5–8–2
 		 West Maegashira #13
10–5
 		 West Maegashira #8
11–4
F		 East Maegashira #1
5–10
 		 West Maegashira #5
10–5
 		 East Komusubi #1
6–9
 
2017 West Maegashira #1
11–4
T★★		 East Komusubi #1
9–6
 		 East Komusubi #1
8–7
O		 West Sekiwake #1
9–6
O		 x x
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Top Division Runner-up Retired Lower Divisions

Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique     Also shown: ★=Kinboshi(s); P=Playoff(s)
Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna — Ōzeki — Sekiwake — Komusubi — Maegashira

See also

References

  1. ↑ 長野県上松町出身・大道久司選手 産経新聞 2015年2月13日（2015年5月28日閲覧）
  2. ↑ ベースボール・マガジン社刊 『相撲』 2015年4月号（春場所総決算号） 118頁
  3. ↑ 第65回（平成22年）国民体育大会本大会入賞者 公益財団法人長野県体育協会
  4. ↑ 相撲部　大道久司選手が出羽海部屋入門を発表 東洋大学
  5. ↑ 大道、中村破り学生横綱　全国学生相撲第１日 日本経済新聞 2014年11月8日（2015年5月28日閲覧）
  6. ↑ 大道が学生横綱に続きアマ横綱で幕下１０枚目資格　涙こらえきれず 産経新聞 2014年12月19日（2015年5月28日閲覧）
  7. ↑ 【新風力士】御嶽海　御嶽山噴火の地元を「勇気づけたい」 スポニチアネックス 2015年3月9日（2015年5月28日閲覧）
  8. ↑ 学生横綱・アマ横綱の2冠を達成した大道久司選手が大相撲デビュー 東洋大学報WEB2014
  9. ↑ アマ横綱大道がプロ初稽古 日刊スポーツ 2015年2月12日（2015年5月28日閲覧）
  10. ↑ 出羽海部屋　大道久司選手のしこ名が「御嶽海（みたけうみ）」に決定 東洋大学
  11. ↑ ベースボール・マガジン社刊 『相撲』 2015年4月号（春場所総決算号） 19頁
  12. ↑ 相撲、新十両に御嶽海と高立 デイリースポーツonline] 2015年5月27日（2015年5月27日閲覧）
  13. ↑ 御嶽海、最速所要２場所新十両！逸＆遠藤らと並んだ スポーツ報知 2015年5月28日（2015年5月28日閲覧）
  14. ↑ 御嶽海、十両昇進確実　県内出身関取、37年ぶり復活へ 信濃毎日新聞 2015年5月25日（2015年5月28日閲覧）
  15. ↑ 長野から47年ぶり関取、御嶽海ら喜び語る　大相撲 朝日新聞 2015年5月27日（2015年5月28日閲覧）
  16. ↑ 長野県から関取が誕生したことで、関取不在の期間が最も長い都道府県は1990から関取不在の福井県になった。
  17. ↑ "Hakuho bags perfect mark". Japan Times. 22 May 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  18. ↑ "御嶽海に幕内最優秀新人賞　「これからもっと頑張る」" (in Japanese). Chunichi. 28 December 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  19. ↑ "Giant-killer Mitakeumi takes down Harumafuji". Japan Times. 9 January 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  20. ↑ "Sumo: Kisenosato remains in 5-way share of lead at New Year tourney". Kyodo News. 11 January 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  21. ↑ "Kisenosato boosts case for promotion to yokozuna". Japan Times Online. January 22, 2017.
  22. ↑ "2017 July Grand Sumo Tournament Banzuke Topics". Japan Sumo Association. July 2017. Archived from the original on 19 July 2017.
  23. 1 2 "Hakuho fails in first chance to equal mark". Japan Times. 19 July 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  24. ↑ "Hakuho wins 39th career title at Nagoya tournament". Japan Today. 23 July 2017.
  25. ↑ "Mitakeumi profile". 日本相撲協会公式サイト.
  26. ↑ "Sumo reference".
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