Hokutoriki Hideki
Encyclopedia
Hokutōriki Hideki is a former sumo
wrestler, from Tochigi
, Japan
. He reached the top makuuchi
division in 2002 and was runner-up in three tournaments. He has four special prizes
in his career. The highest rank he reached was sekiwake.
, a town in the Nasu District
of Tochigi Prefecture. Hokutōriki made his professional debut in March 1993, joining Kokonoe stable
. In October of that year he transferred to the newly created Hakkaku stable
run by former yokozuna Hokutoumi
. It took nearly nine years for him to achieve sekitori
status by gaining promotion to the second jūryō division in January 2002. However, it took him only two further tournaments to reach the top makuuchi
division. On his debut outing in makuuchi in May 2002 he made an immediate impression, finishing as runner-up with a strong 11-4 record and the fighting spirit prize
. He was also a runner-up in the March 2003 tournament.
The highlight of Hokutōriki's career came in May 2004, the only occasion to date when he has recorded a winning score from the upper maegashira ranks. Ranked at Maegashira 1, he sensationally defeated Asashōryū
on the sixth day - his first ever victory over a yokozuna. Asashōryū had won the previous two tournaments with unbeaten 15-0 records and was on a 35 bout winning streak. With Asashōryū suffering another defeat to Kyokutenhō on Day 11, Hokutōriki came into the final day the sole leader on 13-1, his only defeat in the tournament thus far being to Wakanosato on Day 8. However, he lost his senshuraku bout to Hakuhō
, then in his debut top division tournament, being sidestepped by the 19 year old after two false starts. With Asashōryū defeating Chiyotaikai, both Asashōryū and Hokutōriki were tied on 13-2 and had to meet again in a playoff for the championship, which Hokutōriki lost. Nevertheless, he was rewarded with special prizes for Fighting spirit and Outstanding Performance, and after the tournament he was promoted to sumo's third highest rank of sekiwake.
Hokutōriki managed only a 3-12 record in his sekiwake debut and never managed a return to the sanyaku ranks, instead bouncing up and down the maegashira ranks. He won another Fighting Spirit Award for his twelve wins from Maegashira 11 in January 2006, but in November of that year he pulled out of the tournament on the ninth day with no wins at all and was relegated to the jūryō division. However, a 9-6 record at jūryō 4 in March 2007 was good enough to earn promotion back to the top division for the May 2007 tournament. Although he remained in makuuchi he did not manage to defeat a yokozuna again and had several disastrous openings to tournaments, going 0-10 in July 2008 from maegashira 2 and 0-12 in March 2009 from maegashira 1. In May 2009 another poor record of 4-11 saw him demoted to jūryō for the second time. However, an 11-4 score there returned him immediately to the top division.
He withdrew from the September 2010 tournament on the 13th day after suffering a neck injury, which also kept him out of the following tournament in November. Falling to the bottom of the juryo division, he was unable to enter the January 2011 basho as well.
or elder name of Tanigawa Oyakata. His danpatsu-shiki or retirement ceremony will be held in May 2012.
, with over a third of his wins coming by oshi-dashi, or push-out. He was usually defeated if his opponents managed to grab hold of his mawashi
or belt. He often used henka, or sidestepping, to wrong-foot his opponents, and was adept at pull-downs and slap-downs. However in the January 2008 tournament he was himself a victim of the henka tactic on three consecutive days, slipping from a score of 6-5 to 6-8.
Sumo
is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...
wrestler, from Tochigi
Tochigi Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Kantō region on the island of Honshū, Japan. The capital is the city of Utsunomiya.Nikkō, whose ancient Shintō shrines and Buddhist temples UNESCO has recognized by naming them a World Heritage Site, is in this prefecture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He reached the top makuuchi
Makuuchi
or is the top division of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers , ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments....
division in 2002 and was runner-up in three tournaments. He has four special prizes
Sansho (Sumo)
Sanshō are the three special prizes awarded to top division sumo wrestlers for exceptional performance during a sumo honbasho or tournament. The prizes were first awarded in November 1947.-Criteria:...
in his career. The highest rank he reached was sekiwake.
Career
He was born in KurobaneKurobane, Tochigi
Kurobane was a town located in Nasu District, Tochigi, Japan.On October 1, 2005 Kurobane, along with the village of Yuzukami, also from Nasu District, was merged into the expanded city of Ōtawara....
, a town in the Nasu District
Nasu District, Tochigi
Nasu is a district located in Tochigi, Japan. The district consists of the two discontiguous towns of Nasu and Nakagawa, separated by the separate city of Ōtawara in the middle....
of Tochigi Prefecture. Hokutōriki made his professional debut in March 1993, joining Kokonoe stable
Kokonoe stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Takasago group of stables. It was formed in 1967 and is located in Ishiwara, Sumida, Tokyo. As of April 2008 it had 16 sumo wrestlers.-History:...
. In October of that year he transferred to the newly created Hakkaku stable
Hakkaku stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Takasago group of stables.The stable was established on 27 September 1993 by former yokozuna Hokutoumi Nobuyoshi, who took with him four wrestlers from Kokonoe stable. The stable has so far produced nine sekitori, and three makuuchi wrestlers...
run by former yokozuna Hokutoumi
Hokutoumi Nobuyoshi
Hokutoumi Nobuyoshi is a former sumo wrestler from Hokkaidō, Japan. He is the sport's 61st Yokozuna. He is now the head coach of Hakkaku stable.-Early life:...
. It took nearly nine years for him to achieve sekitori
Sekitori
A sekitori is a sumo wrestler who is ranked in one of the top two professional divisions: makuuchi and juryo.Currently there are 70 rikishi in these divisions...
status by gaining promotion to the second jūryō division in January 2002. However, it took him only two further tournaments to reach the top makuuchi
Makuuchi
or is the top division of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers , ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments....
division. On his debut outing in makuuchi in May 2002 he made an immediate impression, finishing as runner-up with a strong 11-4 record and the fighting spirit prize
Sansho (Sumo)
Sanshō are the three special prizes awarded to top division sumo wrestlers for exceptional performance during a sumo honbasho or tournament. The prizes were first awarded in November 1947.-Criteria:...
. He was also a runner-up in the March 2003 tournament.
The highlight of Hokutōriki's career came in May 2004, the only occasion to date when he has recorded a winning score from the upper maegashira ranks. Ranked at Maegashira 1, he sensationally defeated Asashōryū
Asashōryū Akinori
is a former sumo wrestler from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. He was the 68th yokozuna in the history of the sport in Japan and became the first Mongol to reach sumo's highest rank in January 2003. He was one of the most successful yokozuna ever. In 2005 he became the first man to win all six official...
on the sixth day - his first ever victory over a yokozuna. Asashōryū had won the previous two tournaments with unbeaten 15-0 records and was on a 35 bout winning streak. With Asashōryū suffering another defeat to Kyokutenhō on Day 11, Hokutōriki came into the final day the sole leader on 13-1, his only defeat in the tournament thus far being to Wakanosato on Day 8. However, he lost his senshuraku bout to Hakuhō
Hakuho Sho
is a professional sumo wrestler from Ulan Bator, Mongolia. Making his debut in March 2001, he reached the top makuuchi division in May 2004. On May 30, 2007 at the age of 22 he became the second native of Mongolia, and the fourth non-Japanese overall, to be promoted to the highest rank in sumo,...
, then in his debut top division tournament, being sidestepped by the 19 year old after two false starts. With Asashōryū defeating Chiyotaikai, both Asashōryū and Hokutōriki were tied on 13-2 and had to meet again in a playoff for the championship, which Hokutōriki lost. Nevertheless, he was rewarded with special prizes for Fighting spirit and Outstanding Performance, and after the tournament he was promoted to sumo's third highest rank of sekiwake.
He withdrew from the September 2010 tournament on the 13th day after suffering a neck injury, which also kept him out of the following tournament in November. Falling to the bottom of the juryo division, he was unable to enter the January 2011 basho as well.
Retirement from sumo
Hokutoriki did not enter the May 2011 technical examination tournament, at which he had fallen to the rank of Makushita 13, and announced his retirement on Day 7. He will stay in sumo as a coach at Hakkaku stable under the toshiyoriToshiyori
A toshiyori is a sumo elder of the Japan Sumo Association. Also known as oyakata, former wrestlers who reached a sufficiently high rank are the only people eligible...
or elder name of Tanigawa Oyakata. His danpatsu-shiki or retirement ceremony will be held in May 2012.
Fighting style
Hokutōriki relied almost exclusively on pushing and slapping techniquesKimarite
Kimarite are winning techniques in a sumo bout. For each bout in a Grand Sumo tournament , a sumo referee, or gyoji, will decide and announce the type of kimarite used by the winner...
, with over a third of his wins coming by oshi-dashi, or push-out. He was usually defeated if his opponents managed to grab hold of his mawashi
Mawashi
In sumo, a mawashi is the belt that the rikishi wears during training or in competition. Upper ranked professional wrestlers wear a keshō-mawashi as part of the ring entry ceremony or dohyo-iri.-Mawashi:...
or belt. He often used henka, or sidestepping, to wrong-foot his opponents, and was adept at pull-downs and slap-downs. However in the January 2008 tournament he was himself a victim of the henka tactic on three consecutive days, slipping from a score of 6-5 to 6-8.