Daimanazuru Kenji (born January 16, 1977, as Kenji Omae) 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 th ...

wrestler from Kawakami, Yoshino District,

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. He began his professional career in 1992, and spent a total of 19 tournaments in the top two divisions, peaking at ''

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 ...

'' 16 in 2006. He retired at the end of the January 2010 tournament and chose to work outside of the

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 Min ...

Career

He made his professional debut in May 1992, joining

Asahiyama stable was a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Isegahama ''ichimon'' or group of stables. It had a long history. It closed its doors in January 2015, and its staff and wrestlers transferred to other stables. History In its active period, Asahiya ...

, then run by the former wrestler Wakafutase. In 1997 his stablemaster died suddenly and for the remainder of his career he was coached by former '' ozeki'' Daiju. He initially fought under his own surname of Omae, before adopting the ''

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 di ...

'' of Futasewaka in 1994. He switched to his familiar name of Daimanazuru at the beginning of 2000. He reached ''

sekitori A ''sekitori'' (関取) is a '' rikishi'' (力士, sumo wrestler) who is ranked in one of the top two professional divisions: '' makuuchi'' and '' jūryō''. The name literally translates to having taken the barrier, as only a relatively small fr ...

'' status in November 2003, after more than eleven years in the unsalaried

divisions Division may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication * Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting of 10,000 t ...

, by winning the ''

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. Fo ...

'' tournament championship or '' yusho'' with a perfect 7-0 record. He was the first wrestler from Asahiyama stable to be promoted to ''jūryō'' since the new head coach took over in 1997. He made his ''jūryō'' debut alongside future ''

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 o ...

'' Hakuho. After two losing scores in January and March 2004 he slipped back to ''makushita'', but he returned to ''jūryō'' in January 2005. He made steady progress, rising slowly up the ''jūryō'' division with a succession of 8-7 scores, which was enough to earn him promotion to the top ''

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 ...

'' division for the July 2006 tournament. It had taken him 85 tournaments to reach ''makuuchi'' from his professional debut, the seventh slowest ever. His single tournament there saw him win only two bouts, against veterans Buyuzan and

Tochisakae Tochisakae Atsushi (born June 27, 1974, as Atsushi Okamoto) is a former sumo wrestler from Saga Prefecture, Japan. He made his professional debut in 1993, reaching the top division for the first time in 2000. His highest rank was ''maegashira'' 1. ...

, and he was demoted straight back to ''jūryō''. In September 2007 he suffered an eye injury and had to withdraw on the 4th day, resulting in demotion back to the unsalaried ''makushita'' division. By July 2008 he had fallen to ''Makushita'' 26, the same rung on the ladder as fellow former top division wrestler Takahama. He scored six wins against one loss in that tournament however, and took part in an eight-way playoff for the ''

'' championship. He missed out on his third title, eliminated in the semifinal stage by Yamamotoyama. Restricted by a nagging shoulder injury, a series of mediocre performances after that saw him fall to ''Makushita'' 54 for the January 2010 basho, his lowest rank since entering the ''makushita'' division at the end of 1997. Despite recording 4 wins against 3 losses, he announced his retirement after the tournament at the age of 33. He did not fight in enough ''sekitori'' tournaments to qualify for a ''

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 wrest ...

'' (elder) position, and left the sumo world to work in a

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

-based firm.

Fighting style

Daimanazuru had a straightforward fighting style, with around 70% of his wins being either ''

yorikiri 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 judges can modify this decision. The records of are then kept for statistical purposes. The ...

'' (force out) or '' oshidashi'' (push out). He preferred a ''migi-yotsu'' grip 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 . ''Mawashi'' ''Sekitori'' During competition For top ranked profess ...

'', with his left hand outside and right hand inside his opponent's arms.

Family

He announced his engagement in May 2006.

Career record

References

External links