Dejima Takeharu
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Dejima Takeharu (出島 武春, born March 21, 1974) is a former
sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by thr ...
wrestler from
Kanazawa is the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 466,029 in 203,271 households, and a population density of 990 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Overview Cityscape File:もてな ...
, Ishikawa,
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. A former amateur champion, he made his professional debut in 1996, reaching the top ''
makuuchi , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...
'' division the following year. In July 1999 he won the ''
yūshō is the term for a championship in Japanese. This article focuses on championships in the sport of professional sumo. It is awarded in each of the six annual '' honbasho'' or official tournaments, to the wrestler who wins the most bouts. ''Y ...
'' or tournament championship and earned promotion to the second highest rank of '' ōzeki''. He lost the rank in
2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
and, for the most part, remained a ''
maegashira , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...
'' until his retirement in
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
. He won ten special prizes and six gold stars over his long career. He wrestled for
Musashigawa stable The is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ''ichimon'' or group of stables. It is an off-shoot of the better known stable of the same name set up by former ''yokozuna'' Mienoumi in 1981, which is currently known as Fujishima stable ...
. He is now an elder of the
Japan Sumo Association The is the body that operates and controls professional sumo wrestling (called ''Ōzumō'', 大相撲) in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). ''Rikishi'' (active ...
under the name Ōnaruto Oyakata.


Early career

Dejima did sumo at elementary school, where he was a rival of fellow top division wrestler
Tochinonada Tochinonada Taiichi (栃乃洋 泰一 born February 26, 1974 as Taiichi Gotō) is a former sumo wrestler from Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. An amateur sumo champion, he turned professional in 1996 and reached the top ''makuuchi'' division in 1997. ...
. He was an amateur champion at
Chuo University , commonly referred to as or , is a private flagship research university in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1885 as Igirisu Hōritsu Gakkō (the English Law School), Chuo is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions in the country. The univer ...
. Dejima joined professional sumo in March 1996 at the age of 22, recruited by
Musashigawa stable The is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ''ichimon'' or group of stables. It is an off-shoot of the better known stable of the same name set up by former ''yokozuna'' Mienoumi in 1981, which is currently known as Fujishima stable ...
, home to then ''ōzeki'' Musashimaru. Due to his amateur success he was given ''
makushita tsukedashi The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. A B C D E F G H ...
'' status and was allowed to make his debut in the third ''
makushita Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win–loss records in official tournaments. For ...
'' division. He did not adopt a traditional ''
shikona A is a sumo wrestler's ring name. The tradition of ring names in sumo dates back to the Edo period, where they were used as a means to attract customers and hide the identities of the ''rikishi''. Like standard Japanese names, a ''shikona'' co ...
'', and he only ever used his real name as an active wrestler. In January 1997 he captured the tournament championship in the second ''
jūryō Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win–loss records in official tournaments. For ...
'' division and was promoted to the top ''
makuuchi , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...
'' division. His rise was so rapid that his hair had not yet grown long enough to be fashioned into the traditional '' oichonmage'' topknot. Dejima scored an impressive 11 wins in his top division debut, and was awarded two special prizes, for technique and fighting spirit. After another 11–4 score in September, in which he won two more prizes and earned his first two ''
kinboshi is a notation used in professional sumo wrestling to record a lower-ranked (''maegashira'') wrestler's victory over a ''yokozuna''. It is believed that the term stems from the usage of the terms ''shiroboshi'' (lit: white star) to designate a bo ...
'' or gold stars for defeating ''yokozuna'', he made his ''
san'yaku The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. A B C D E F G H ...
'' debut at ''
sekiwake , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...
'' in November 1997. However, after winning five of his first six matches, he injured himself on the seventh day and missed the next two tournaments. He made a full recovery and after reappearing in May 1998 he quickly returned to the ''san'yaku'' ranks at ''
komusubi , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...
'' in September 1998, a rank he held for four straight tournaments.


''Ōzeki''

Dejima returned to ''sekiwake'' in May 1999 and produced a strong 11–4 record, and in the following '' basho'' in July 1999 he won his first top division ''
yūshō is the term for a championship in Japanese. This article focuses on championships in the sport of professional sumo. It is awarded in each of the six annual '' honbasho'' or official tournaments, to the wrestler who wins the most bouts. ''Y ...
'' or tournament championship, defeating ''
yokozuna , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...
'' Akebono and Takanohana and both ''ōzeki'' to score 13–2 and then beating Akebono once again in a playoff. Dejima chose to ''
henka The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. A B C D E F G H ...
'' the ''yokozuna'' in this bout, for which he received some criticism. Nevertheless, in addition to his ''yūshō'' he was awarded all three special prizes on offer, for technique, outstanding performance and fighting spirit. He was only the second wrestler after Takahanada to achieve this feat. After the tournament his promotion to ''ōzeki'' was confirmed. He was the fourth former amateur champion, after Yutakayama, Wajima and Asashio, to reach sumo's second highest rank. His stablemates Musōyama and
Miyabiyama Miyabiyama Tetsushi (born July 28, 1977 as Masato Takeuchi) is a former sumo wrestler from Mito, Ibaraki, Japan. A former amateur champion, he turned professional in 1998. With the exception of two tournaments, he was ranked in the top division of ...
subsequently made ''ōzeki'' also, in March and May 2000 respectively. With Musashimaru at ''yokozuna'', Dejima had three of his colleagues in the top two ranks, an advantage as sumo wrestlers never fight members of their own stables except in playoffs. Dejima held onto his ''ōzeki'' rank for two years, with his best result being an 11–4 score in March 2000, but in July 2001 he was forced to pull out of the tournament with only three wins. As he had also made a losing score in May 2001, he was demoted from ''ōzeki''. Returning in September, he needed ten wins to return to ''ōzeki'' but still in poor condition he could only manage a 5–10 record.


Later career

Persistent injuries, particularly to his knees and ankles, prevented Dejima from making any sustained attempt to regain ''ōzeki'' status. Aside from an 11–4 runner-up performance in January 2003 which briefly returned him to ''san'yaku'', he largely remained in the ''
maegashira , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...
'' ranks. He competed for 48 tournaments after dropping from the ''ōzeki'' rank – longer than any other former ''ōzeki'' in history until Miyabiyama overtook him. Near the end of his career he was still capable of producing strong results, as he proved in January 2007 by defeating ''Yokozuna'' Asashōryū, the only wrestler to do so in that tournament. In May 2007 he produced a strong 12–3 record, his second runner-up performance in ''makuuchi'' and his highest score in a tournament since his title win, and was awarded his fourth fighting spirit prize. In November 2007 he earned ten wins from the ''maegashira'' 2 rank, and won promotion to ''
komusubi , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...
'' for the January 2008 tournament. His return to the ''san'yaku'' ranks after 27 tournaments away was the third slowest in the modern era. He was however able to win only three bouts there. In November 2008 he won his first six matches, but then lost nine in a row. In May 2009, ranked at ''maegashira'' 12, he seemed in danger of demotion from ''makuuchi'' after recording only three wins in the first nine days, but he made a partial recovery to score 7–8.


Retirement from sumo

In the July 2009 tournament, which came exactly ten years after his championship win, Dejima announced his retirement from active competition after suffering nine losses in the first eleven days, rather than face demotion to the second ''jūryō'' division. Dejima has stayed in the sumo world as a coach at Musashigawa stable (now Fujishima stable) under the elder name Ōnaruto Oyakata. His official retirement ceremony or ''
danpatsu-shiki The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. A B C D E F G H ...
'' was held at the
Ryōgoku Kokugikan , also known as Ryōgoku Sumo Hall or Kokugikan Arena, is the name bestowed to two different indoor sporting arenas located in Tokyo. The fist ''Ryōgoku Kokugikan'' opened its doors in 1909 and was located on the lands of the Ekōin temple in Ry ...
on 29 May 2010.


Fighting style

Dejima was an ''oshi-sumo'' specialist, favouring pushing and thrusting techniques (''tsuki-oshi'') over fighting on the ''
mawashi In sumo, a is the loincloth that (sumo wrestlers) wear during training or in competition. Upper ranked professional wrestlers wear a as part of the ring entry ceremony or . For top ranked professional , it is made of silk and comes in a var ...
'' or belt. His most common winning technique was ''oshi-dashi'', or push-out, followed closely by ''yori-kiri'' or force out. These two techniques accounted for around 70 percent of his wins. He rarely employed throwing moves, his most common being the beltless ''sukuinage'' or scoop throw which he used for only 3 percent of his victories. He was famed for his explosive start at the ''
tachi-ai The is the initial charge between two sumo wrestlers at the beginning of a bout. It is a combination of two Japanese words that mean “stand” and “meet”. There are several common techniques that wrestlers use at the tachi-ai, with the ai ...
'' and so was often prone to being sidestepped at the initial charge. The technique which he has been defeated most often, aside from ''yori-kiri'', is ''hataki-komi'', a slap down move that is often the result of a sidestep. He was also vulnerable to the pull down, ''hiki-otoshi''. He suffered from knee and ankle problems in his latter years and had lost much of his speed and mobility. He remarked upon this at his retirement press conference, saying, "I have been battling with injuries and old wounds for some years now."


Career record


See also

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Glossary of sumo terms The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. A B C D E F G H ...
*
List of sumo tournament top division champions This is a list of wrestlers who have won the top division (''makuuchi'') championship in professional sumo since 1909, when the current championship system was established. These official tournaments are held exclusively in Japan. 1958 to prese ...
*
List of sumo tournament top division runners-up The table below lists the runners up ('' jun-yusho'') in the top '' makuuchi'' division at official sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a '' rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring ...
*
List of sumo tournament second division champions This is a list of wrestlers who have won the sumo second division ''jūryō'' championship since 1909, when the current championship system was established. These official tournaments are held exclusively in Japan. The wrestler who has won the mo ...
*
List of past sumo wrestlers This is a list of prominent past wrestlers (either retired or deceased) in the sport of professional sumo. They are listed in order of the year and tournament month that they made their professional debuts. The information listed below was gleaned ...
*
List of sumo elders A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
*
List of ōzeki More than 50 sumo wrestlers have reached the second highest in the sport, the rank of '' ōzeki'', but have failed to rise to the top rank since the modern era of sumo began in 1927 with the merger of the Tokyo and Osaka organizations. By 2020, ov ...


References


External links

*
Official profile


{{DEFAULTSORT:Dejima, Takeharu 1974 births Living people Chuo University alumni Japanese sumo wrestlers Ōzeki People from Kanazawa, Ishikawa Sumo people from Ishikawa Prefecture Sumo wrestlers who use their birth name