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Wakanojō Munehiko
Wakanojō Munehiko (born 13 April 1973 as Munehiko Aka) is a former sumo wrestler from Naha, Okinawa, Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Okinawa, Japan. He made his professional debut in January 1992, and reached the Makuuchi, top division in September 1997. His highest rank was ''maegashira'' 6. He retired in May 2004 due to diabetes, which he had been dealing with since the age of 18 and had seen him fall from the top division all the way down to the second lowest ''jonidan'' division. After retirement he became an office worker. He needed a kidney transplant in 2006 and his mother was the donor, which was featured in Tokyo Broadcasting System Television's ''The Friday'' in January 2018. He appeared in another edition of the program in June 2018, working alongside fellow ex-sumo wrestlers Wakatoba and Wakatenro, in care for the elderly (including making chankonabe). Career He belonged to the judo club at Okinawa Shogaku High School and was a regular from his first year. In his second ye ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Magaki Stable
was a stable of sumo wrestlers, formerly one of the Nishonoseki group of stables. Wakanohana Kanji II, the 56th ''yokozuna'' in sumo history, re-established the stable in 1983. Its first wrestler to reach the top ''makuuchi'' division was the Hawaiian born Yamato in 1997, followed by Gojōrō and Wakanojō, also in 1997. However the stable had less success in later years, with its decline dating from the death of Magaki Oyakata's wife and ''okamisan'' in 2005. Russian ''maegashira'' Wakanohō was thrown out of sumo in 2008 after being accused of cannabis possession, charges which were eventually dropped. In 2011, its highest ranked wrestler was forced to retire because of accusations of match-fixing. In January 2010 the stable, along with the Takanohana, Ōnomatsu and Ōtake stable, was forced to leave the Nishonoseki ''ichimon'' after Takanohana declared his intention to run as an unofficial candidate in the elections to the Sumo Association's board of directors. The sta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Makuuchi
, or , is the top division of Professional sumo divisions, 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 only division that is featured on NHK's standard live coverage of sumo tournaments. The lower divisions are shown on their satellite coverage, with only the ''makuuchi'' broadcast having bilingual English commentary. ''Makuuchi'' literally means "inside the curtain", a reference to the early period of professional sumo, when there was a curtained-off area reserved for the top ranked wrestlers, to sit before appearing for their bouts. Wrestlers are considered for Promotion and relegation, promotion or demotion in rank before each grand tournament according to their performance in the one previous. Generally, a greater number of wins than losses (''kachi-koshi'') results in a promotion, and the reverse (''makekoshi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Takanotsuru
Takanotsuru Shinichi (born 18 June 1976 as Shinichi Sekiyama) is a former sumo wrestler from Izumi, Kagoshima, Japan. He made his professional debut in March 1992, and reached the top division in January 2003. His highest rank was ''maegashira'' 8. He retired in May 2006 and became an elder in the Japan Sumo Association coaching at Naruto stable. Career He was the eldest son of a barber. Both his parents were deaf so he learned Japanese sign language before he could even write properly. He did judo in middle school, with no sumo experience. He was recruited by the former ''yokozuna'' Takanosato who happened to be in Izumi City and initially took in a friend of his before being told by him there was another boy even bigger. He began his sumo career in March 1992 at Naruto stable, joining at the same time as Wakanosato and Takanowaka. He had had problems with his right foot since childhood, and had to have foot surgery in September 1995, forcing him to miss two tournaments ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wakanosato
Wakanosato Shinobu (born Shinobu Kogawa; July 10, 1976) is a retired sumo wrestler from Hirosaki, Aomori, Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, Aomori, Japan. He made his debut in the top division in 1998, and his highest rank was ''sekiwake''. He holds the record for the most consecutive tournaments ranked in the junior ''san'yaku'' ranks of ''sekiwake'' and ''komusubi'' (19 from 2002 in sumo, 2002 until 2005 in sumo, 2005). He won ten sansho (sumo), special prizes and was twice runner-up in a tournament. He earned two kinboshi, gold stars for defeating ''yokozuna'' at a ''maegashira'' rank. He had 1691 career bouts, sixth on the List of sumo record holders#Most career bouts, all-time list. He retired in 2015 and was a coach at Tagonoura stable (2013), Tagonoura stable, until opening his own Nishiiwa stable in February 2018. Early life and sumo background He first tried sumo in the Elementary schools in Japan, third grade when he entered a competition for fourth graders and up and came i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shikona
A is a sumo wrestler's ring name. The tradition of ring names in sumo dates back to the Muromachi period and established itself during the Edo period, where they were used as a means to hide the identities of the . Given by the master to his disciple, this pseudonym doesn't follow any fixed rules, but is chosen in accordance with numerous influences, drawing its kanji, characters from the wrestler's inspiration or family, from the history of his stable or even from the master's own name. History Sources attesting to the use of pseudonyms by wrestlers and other martial artists date back to the mid-1500s, during the Muromachi period. During the period of peace established under the Tokugawa shogunate, Japan experienced an unprecedented period of vagrancy for many samurai who had lost their social standing with their previous masters, who had been deposed or killed so that the shogunate could assert itself. These masterless samurai, called , could not engage in any activity under ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toshiyori
A , also known as an , is a sumo Elder (administrative title), elder exercising both Coach (sport), coaching functions with rikishi, active wrestlers and Management, responsibilities within the Japan Sumo Association (JSA). All are former wrestlers who reached a sufficiently high rank to be eligible to this status. The benefits are considerable, as are guaranteed employment until the mandatory retirement age of 65 and are allowed to run and coach in (sumo stables), with a comfortable yearly salary averaging around Japanese yen, ¥15 million. Originating from a tradition dating back to the Edo period, the position of is founded on a system set up at a time when several sumo associations managed Japan's professional wrestling. To become a , a former wrestler have to meet both established and public criteria and be part of a system recognized as opaque. Involving the spending of several million yen to inherit the rights to become a trainer, this system has undergone numerous ref ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japan Sumo Association
The , officially the ; sometimes abbreviated JSA or NSK, and more usually called Sumo Kyōkai, is the governing body that operates and controls Professional sports, professional sumo wrestling, called , in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Concretely, the association maintains and develops sumo traditions and integrity by holding honbasho, tournaments and . The purposes of the association are also to develop the means dedicated to the sport and maintain, manage and operate the facilities necessary for these activities. Therefore, the JSA operates subsidiaries such as the Kokugikan Service Company to organize its economic aspects, the Sumo School to organize training and instruction or the Sumo Museum to preserve and utilize sumo wrestling records and artefacts. Though professionals, such as rikishi, active wrestlers, gyōji, referees, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Danpatsu-shiki
A , or, more colloquially, , is a sumo wrestler. Although used to define all wrestlers participating in sumo wrestling matches, the term is more commonly used to refer to professional wrestlers, employed by the Japan Sumo Association, who participate in professional sumo tournaments (called ) in Japan, the only country where sumo is practiced professionally. Professional follow traditions dating back to the Edo period, and therefore follow a number of codes and customs in their daily lives that distinguish them from other martial artists. Their life as professionals revolves around the observance of traditional rules that apply both to their life in the community and to the way they dress, the latter rules evolving according to the rank a wrestler has reached during his career. Coming from many different nationalities, are the only employees of the Japan Sumo Association who can run the organization once they have chosen to retire. However, only a tiny fraction of wrestler ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Towanoyama
Towanoyama Yoshimitsu (born July 10, 1977 as Akihito Kobayashi) is a former sumo wrestler from Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. He made his professional debut in 1993. His highest rank was ''maegashira'' 13, achieved in March 2002. He had many injury problems and had perhaps the unluckiest (and shortest) top ''makuuchi'' division career of any wrestler in sumo, being injured before even fighting a match in the division. He is the only wrestler since the beginning of the Shōwa era in 1926 to have been ranked in the top division without winning any bouts there. Career Towanoyama made his professional debut in November 1993, joining Dewanoumi stable straight from high school. At the time Dewanoumi stable was extremely strong and he had many powerful training partners. He served as a personal attendant to such top division men as Kushimaumi, Oginohana and Oginishiki. In March 1999 he won the ''makushita'' division championship with a perfect 7-0 record and earned promotion to the second high ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heisei Era
The was the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Akihito from 8 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the day after the death of the Emperor Hirohito, when his son, Akihito, acceded to the throne as the 125th Emperor. In accordance with Japanese customs, Hirohito was posthumously renamed "Emperor Shōwa" on 31 January 1989. Thus, 1989 corresponds to Shōwa 64 up until 7 January and from 8 January. The Heisei era ended on 30 April 2019 (Heisei 31), with the abdication of Akihito from the Chrysanthemum Throne. It was succeeded by the Reiwa era as then-crown prince Naruhito ascended the throne on 1 May midnight local time. History and meaning Shortly after the death of Emperor Hirohito on 7 January 1989, Keizō Obuchi, then- Chief Cabinet Secretary and later Prime Minister of Japan, hosted a press conference to announce the new era name "Heisei" for Emperor Akihito, and explained its mean ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kimarite
is the technique used in sumo by a (wrestler) to win a match. It is officially decided or announced by the (referee) at the end of the match, though judge (sumo), judges can modify this decision. The records of are then kept for statistical purposes. The Japan Sumo Association (JSA) have officially recognized 82 such techniques since 2001, with five also recognized as winning non-techniques. However, only about a dozen of these are frequently and regularly used by . A sumo match can still be won even without a , by the virtue of disqualification due to a (foul), such as striking with closed fist. Basic techniques The are some of the most common winning techniques in sumo, with the exception of . is a rarely used basic that pushes down the opponent into the ground back-first by leaning forward while grappling. is a basic that requires pushing the opponent out of the ring using the arms, without holding their (belt) or extending the arms. is simila ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
