Koji Kitao
Encyclopedia
Kōji Kitao is a former sumo
wrestler and professional wrestler
, born in Mie
, Japan
. He was sumo's 60th Yokozuna, and the only yokozuna in sumo history not to win a top division tournament championship. He was forced to leave sumo at the end of 1987 after a falling-out with his stable
master Tatsunami, and became a professional wrestler in 1990.
, Kitao made his professional sumo debut in March 1979 at the age of 15, joining Tatsunami stable
, and he reached the top, makuuchi
division in September 1984 after winning the championship in the juryo division. In his second tournament in the top division he defeated yokozuna Kitanoumi
and was awarded the Outstanding Performance prize and promotion to komusubi. He made his sekiwake debut in May 1985. In July 1985 he was back in the maegashira ranks but defeated two more yokozuna and was tournament runner-up with twelve wins. After finishing runner-up once more in November 1985 he was promoted to the second highest rank of ozeki. Kitao continued his rapid rise with his third runner-up performance in May 1986, followed by a 14-1 score in July, his only loss being to Hoshi
. He defeated yokozuna Chiyonofuji
on the final day to force a playoff with him, which Kitao lost.
were faced with a difficult decision as there was only one yokozuna on the ranking lists, but five ozeki, with a sixth wrestler (Hoshi), winner of the March 1986 tournament, already performing to ozeki standard. The Association decided to promote Kitao to yokozuna and Hoshi to ozeki. Kitao had won 36 bouts in the last three tournaments and been runner-up in the last two, so the defacto promotion standard of "two tournament championships or the equivalent" was interpreted rather loosely. He was just 23 years old and the first person to be promoted to yokozuna without any top division tournament titles since Terukuni
in 1942. The Sumo Association insisted that Kitao could no longer compete under his family name at such an exalted rank so he adopted the shikona
of Futahaguro, the name being formed from two highly successful former yokozuna from his stable
, Futabayama and Haguroyama
.
and as a result of this, in December 1987 he had a heated argument with his stable boss, Tatsunami, and stormed out, allegedly striking Tatsunami's wife on the way. The elders of the Sumo Association responded, without giving Futahaguro a hearing, by voting to accept his "resignation". Futahaguro became the first yokozuna ever to be expelled from sumo this way. He had lasted just eight tournaments at yokozuna rank and had proved unable to win a championship.
, but instead turned to professional wrestling. To mollify the association, he dropped the shikona and reverted to his real name.
Dojo, he debuted as a wrestler on February 10, 1990, at the NJPW/AJPW Supershow in the Tokyo Dome, where he defeated Bam Bam Bigelow. Unfortunately, his stay in NJPW didn't last long, because later that July, he was fired for disrespectful conduct towards Riki Chōshū
, using ethnic discrimination
.
. In an appearance at the World Wrestling Federation's
WrestleMania VII
, Tenryu and Kitao defeated Demolition
. According to sources, during his match with another former sumo-turned-pro wrestler in Earthquake
on April 1, 1991, Kitao broke kayfabe
by no-selling Earthquake's attacks and shooting
on him. After the match was ruled a no contest, he immediately grabbed a microphone and began telling the audience that wrestling is fake, as other Japanese wrestlers attempted to restrain him. Because of this incident, he was subsequently fired from SWS.
top star Nobuhiko Takada
to a (worked) mixed martial arts
match. Pre-match discussions over the outcome of the match led to an agreement being reached for a draw. Takada, however, saw an opportunity and double-crossed Kitao during the match, legitimately KO'ing him with a kick to the head. Takada had won, but the importance of the match was that Kitao was truly back into puroresu. Kitao would later make two more MMA appearances - these times not worked - a loss to Pedro Otavio at the first Universal Vale Tudo Fighting event, and at UFC 9
, losing to Mark Hall on a referee's stoppage. At PRIDE 1
, he defeated future WWE superstar Nathan Jones
with an armlock.
In 1996, he had an appearance in the Jean-Claude Van Damme
movie The Quest
as the fighting representative of Japan.
In the following years he formed his own promotion called "Kitao Pro Wrestling", later a stable of the WAR
promotion under the name Bukō Dōjō. Among the wrestlers that came out of the dojo were Masaaki Mochizuki
and Takashi Okamura, who later became business partners of Último Dragón in his junior heavyweight ventures.
In 1997, Kitao changed his ring name to Mitsuharu Kitao. He won his only title, the WAR 6-Man Tag Team Championship, with Mochizuki and WAR rookie Nobukazu Hirai
in October 1997, but retired from pro wrestling in October 1998.
|Win
|align=center|1-2
|
Australia Nathan Jones
|Submission (keylock)
|PRIDE 1
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|2:14
|Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|0-2
|
United States Mark Hall
|TKO (doctor stoppage)
|UFC 9
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|0:40
|Detroit, Michigan
, United States
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|0-1
|
Brazil Pedro Otavio
|Submission (elbows)
|Universal Vale Tudo Fighting 1
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|5:49
|Japan
|
|-
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 and professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
, born in Mie
Mie Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan which is part of the Kansai regions on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Tsu.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, Mie prefecture was known as Ise Province and Iga Province....
, 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 was sumo's 60th Yokozuna, and the only yokozuna in sumo history not to win a top division tournament championship. He was forced to leave sumo at the end of 1987 after a falling-out with his stable
Heya
In sumo wrestling, a heya , usually translated into English as stable, is an organization of sumo wrestlers where they train and live. All wrestlers in professional sumo must belong to one. There are currently 49 heya , all but four of which belong to one of five ichimon...
master Tatsunami, and became a professional wrestler in 1990.
Early career
Born in TsuTsu, Mie
is the capital of Mie Prefecture, Japan. The city of Tsu is located on Ise Bay, east of the city. Tsu is bounded to the north by Suzuka and Kameyama; to the west by Iga, Nabari, and Nara Prefecture; and to the south by Matsuzaka city.-History:...
, Kitao made his professional sumo debut in March 1979 at the age of 15, joining Tatsunami stable
Tatsunami stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, and the head stable of the Tatsunami ichimon or group.-History:The stable is one of the most prestigious in sumo. It was originally founded in 1876 by Onigazaki, but the current incarnation dates from 1915...
, and 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 September 1984 after winning the championship in the juryo division. In his second tournament in the top division he defeated yokozuna Kitanoumi
Kitanoumi Toshimitsu
Kitanoumi Toshimitsu is a former sumo wrestler and former Chairman of the Japan Sumo Association. He was the dominant yokozuna in sumo during the 1970s. Toshimitsu was promoted to yokozuna at age 21, becoming the youngest ever to achieve sumo's top rank, and he remained a yokozuna for a record 63...
and was awarded the Outstanding Performance prize and promotion to komusubi. He made his sekiwake debut in May 1985. In July 1985 he was back in the maegashira ranks but defeated two more yokozuna and was tournament runner-up with twelve wins. After finishing runner-up once more in November 1985 he was promoted to the second highest rank of ozeki. Kitao continued his rapid rise with his third runner-up performance in May 1986, followed by a 14-1 score in July, his only loss being to Hoshi
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:...
. He defeated yokozuna Chiyonofuji
Chiyonofuji Mitsugu
, born June 1, 1955, as in Hokkaidō, Japan, is a former champion sumo wrestler and the 58th yokozuna of the sport. He is now the head coach of Kokonoe stable....
on the final day to force a playoff with him, which Kitao lost.
Promotion to Yokozuna
After this result the Japan Sumo AssociationJapan Sumo Association
The is the body that operates and controls professional sumo wrestling in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Rikishi , gyōji , tokoyama , and yobidashi , are all on the Association's payroll, but the organisation is run...
were faced with a difficult decision as there was only one yokozuna on the ranking lists, but five ozeki, with a sixth wrestler (Hoshi), winner of the March 1986 tournament, already performing to ozeki standard. The Association decided to promote Kitao to yokozuna and Hoshi to ozeki. Kitao had won 36 bouts in the last three tournaments and been runner-up in the last two, so the defacto promotion standard of "two tournament championships or the equivalent" was interpreted rather loosely. He was just 23 years old and the first person to be promoted to yokozuna without any top division tournament titles since Terukuni
Terukuni Manzo
Terukuni Manzō was a sumo wrestler from Ogachi, Akita Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 38th Yokozuna...
in 1942. The Sumo Association insisted that Kitao could no longer compete under his family name at such an exalted rank so he adopted the shikona
Shikona
A shikona is a sumo wrestler's ring name.As with standard Japanese names, a shikona consists of a 'surname' and a 'given' name, and the full name is written surname first. However, the given name is rarely used outside formal or ceremonial occasions. Thus, the former yokozuna Asashōryū Akinori is...
of Futahaguro, the name being formed from two highly successful former yokozuna from his stable
Heya
In sumo wrestling, a heya , usually translated into English as stable, is an organization of sumo wrestlers where they train and live. All wrestlers in professional sumo must belong to one. There are currently 49 heya , all but four of which belong to one of five ichimon...
, Futabayama and Haguroyama
Haguroyama Masaji
Haguroyama Masaji was a sumo wrestler from Nakanokuchi, Niigata, Japan. He was the sport's 36th yokozuna. He was a yokozuna for a period of twelve years and three months dating from his promotion to that rank in May 1941 until his retirement in September 1953, which is an all-time record...
.
Downfall and expulsion
The decision to promote Futahaguro backfired and he proved to be a great embarrassment to the sumo establishment. His debut as a yokozuna in the September 1986 tournament saw him pull out on the seventh day with only three wins, and after two runner-up scores in November 1986 and January 1987 a series of mediocre performances followed. His best result as a yokozuna came in November 1987 when he was runner-up for the seventh time, with a 13-2 record. However, controversy was never far away from him. Several junior members of his stable refused to serve under him following an incident on the 1987 winter tour,and as a result of this, in December 1987 he had a heated argument with his stable boss, Tatsunami, and stormed out, allegedly striking Tatsunami's wife on the way. The elders of the Sumo Association responded, without giving Futahaguro a hearing, by voting to accept his "resignation". Futahaguro became the first yokozuna ever to be expelled from sumo this way. He had lasted just eight tournaments at yokozuna rank and had proved unable to win a championship.
Top division record
Professional wrestling career
Upon being dismissed by the Sumo Association, Kitao was linked with a move to America's National Football LeagueNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, but instead turned to professional wrestling. To mollify the association, he dropped the shikona and reverted to his real name.
New Japan Pro Wrestling (1990)
Trained at the New Japan Pro WrestlingNew Japan Pro Wrestling
is a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
Dojo, he debuted as a wrestler on February 10, 1990, at the NJPW/AJPW Supershow in the Tokyo Dome, where he defeated Bam Bam Bigelow. Unfortunately, his stay in NJPW didn't last long, because later that July, he was fired for disrespectful conduct towards Riki Chōshū
Riki Choshu
Mitsuo Yoshida , better known by his stage name Riki Chōshū , is a Korean-Japanese professional wrestler who is most known for his longtime work in New Japan Pro Wrestling as a wrestler and a booker...
, using ethnic discrimination
Hate speech
Hate speech is, outside the law, any communication that disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, or other characteristic....
.
Super World of Sports (1990-1991)
Upon joining SWS in November 1990, he teamed with fellow former sumo Genichiro TenryuGenichiro Tenryu
Genichiro Tenryu , real name Genichiro Shimada , is a Japanese professional wrestler. At age 13, he entered sumo wrestling and stayed there for 13 years, after which he turned to Western-style professional wrestling...
. In an appearance at the World Wrestling Federation's
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
WrestleMania VII
WrestleMania VII
WrestleMania VII was the seventh annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on March 24, 1991 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California...
, Tenryu and Kitao defeated Demolition
Demolition (professional wrestling)
Demolition is a professional wrestling tag team most prominent during the late 1980s / early 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation made up of Ax , Smash , and later Crush . In WWF, Demolition were three-time Tag Team Champions, and hold the records for both the single longest tag title reign...
. According to sources, during his match with another former sumo-turned-pro wrestler in Earthquake
John Tenta
John Anthony Tenta was a Canadian professional wrestler known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation as Earthquake and later Golga, and in World Championship Wrestling as Avalanche and The Shark.-Early life:John Tenta was born in Surrey, British Columbia...
on April 1, 1991, Kitao broke kayfabe
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
by no-selling Earthquake's attacks and shooting
Shoot (professional wrestling)
A shoot in professional wrestling is a term that refers to any unplanned, unscripted or real-life occurrence within a wrestling event. Contrary to popular belief, the name does not originate from "shooting in" for a takedown, as in amateur wrestling - rather it is a carny term shortened from...
on him. After the match was ruled a no contest, he immediately grabbed a microphone and began telling the audience that wrestling is fake, as other Japanese wrestlers attempted to restrain him. Because of this incident, he was subsequently fired from SWS.
Pro Wrestling and Mixed Martial Arts (1991-1998)
Kitao then wandered in martial arts, but in 1992 he returned to wrestling by challenging UWF InternationalUWF International
Union of Wrestling Forces International, better known as UWF International, U-Inter, or simply UWFi, was a shoot style professional wrestling promotion in Japan from 1991 to 1996. Although the matches were worked , the UWF-i was very convincing for its time, promoting a more hard-hitting, realistic...
top star Nobuhiko Takada
Nobuhiko Takada
Nobuhiko Takada is a Japanese mixed martial arts fighter and professional wrestler. He is best known for helping to popularize shoot-style professional wrestling, as one of the biggest stars of the Universal Wrestling Federation and Union of Wrestling Force International in the '80s and '90s. He...
to a (worked) mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
match. Pre-match discussions over the outcome of the match led to an agreement being reached for a draw. Takada, however, saw an opportunity and double-crossed Kitao during the match, legitimately KO'ing him with a kick to the head. Takada had won, but the importance of the match was that Kitao was truly back into puroresu. Kitao would later make two more MMA appearances - these times not worked - a loss to Pedro Otavio at the first Universal Vale Tudo Fighting event, and at UFC 9
UFC 9
UFC 9: Motor City Madness was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 17, 1996, at the Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan...
, losing to Mark Hall on a referee's stoppage. At PRIDE 1
PRIDE 1
Pride 1 was the first mixed martial arts event held by KRS-Pride . It took place at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on October 11, 1997 and attracted a crowd of 47,860 spectators....
, he defeated future WWE superstar Nathan Jones
Nathan Jones (wrestler)
Nathan Boyce Jones is an Australian actor, powerlifting champion, strongman, and retired professional wrestler...
with an armlock.
In 1996, he had an appearance in the Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg , professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action films, the most successful of which include Bloodsport , Kickboxer , Double Impact , Universal Soldier , Hard Target , Timecop ,...
movie The Quest
The Quest (film)
The Quest is a 1996 American martial arts action film written and directed by Jean-Claude Van Damme. The film starred Van Damme, Roger Moore, Janet Gunn, and James Remar. The film is Van Damme's directorial debut. The plot revolves around an international martial arts tournament, with a storyline...
as the fighting representative of Japan.
In the following years he formed his own promotion called "Kitao Pro Wrestling", later a stable of the WAR
WAR (wrestling promotion)
Wrestle and Romance, and later Wrestle Association R, was a professional wrestling promotion founded and run by Genichiro Tenryu as the successor to Super World of Sports, and which lasted from 1992 to 2000. The promotion had very few regular contracted workers, instead most of the workers were...
promotion under the name Bukō Dōjō. Among the wrestlers that came out of the dojo were Masaaki Mochizuki
Masaaki Mochizuki
is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently performing for Dragon Gate, where he is the current Open the Dream Gate Champion in his second reign and the leader of the Junction Three stable...
and Takashi Okamura, who later became business partners of Último Dragón in his junior heavyweight ventures.
In 1997, Kitao changed his ring name to Mitsuharu Kitao. He won his only title, the WAR 6-Man Tag Team Championship, with Mochizuki and WAR rookie Nobukazu Hirai
Nobukazu Hirai
Nobukazu Hirai is a Japanese professional wrestler currently competing in All Japan Pro Wrestling as Super Hate. He is the son of Japanese wrestler: Mitsu Hirai-Super World Sports :...
in October 1997, but retired from pro wrestling in October 1998.
Championships and Accomplishments
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI ranked him # 113 of the top 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 1996
- Tokyo Sports Grand Prix
- Topic Award (1990)
- Wrestle Association RWAR (wrestling promotion)Wrestle and Romance, and later Wrestle Association R, was a professional wrestling promotion founded and run by Genichiro Tenryu as the successor to Super World of Sports, and which lasted from 1992 to 2000. The promotion had very few regular contracted workers, instead most of the workers were...
- WAR World Six-Man Tag Team ChampionshipWAR World Six-Man Tag Team ChampionshipThe WAR World Six-Man Tag Team Championship is a tag team title previously contested for in the Japanese professional wrestling promotion Wrestle Association R ....
(1 Time)- with Nobukazu HiraiNobukazu HiraiNobukazu Hirai is a Japanese professional wrestler currently competing in All Japan Pro Wrestling as Super Hate. He is the son of Japanese wrestler: Mitsu Hirai-Super World Sports :...
and Masaaki MochizukiMasaaki Mochizukiis a Japanese professional wrestler, currently performing for Dragon Gate, where he is the current Open the Dream Gate Champion in his second reign and the leader of the Junction Three stable...
- WAR World Six-Man Tag Team Championship
Mixed martial arts record
|-|Win
|align=center|1-2
|
Australia Nathan JonesNathan Jones (wrestler)
Nathan Boyce Jones is an Australian actor, powerlifting champion, strongman, and retired professional wrestler...
|Submission (keylock)
|PRIDE 1
PRIDE 1
Pride 1 was the first mixed martial arts event held by KRS-Pride . It took place at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on October 11, 1997 and attracted a crowd of 47,860 spectators....
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|2:14
|Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|0-2
|
United States Mark Hall|TKO (doctor stoppage)
|UFC 9
UFC 9
UFC 9: Motor City Madness was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 17, 1996, at the Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan...
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|0:40
|Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
|
|-
|Loss
|align=center|0-1
|
Brazil Pedro Otavio|Submission (elbows)
|Universal Vale Tudo Fighting 1
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|5:49
|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...
|
|-
Sumo coaching role
In the summer of 2003 he made a surprise return to the world of sumo when he was invited to oversee some practice sessions at his former Tatsunami stable, now under new management after the retirement of Kitao's old stablemaster in 1999.See also
- Glossary of sumo termsGlossary of sumo termsThe following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. azukari : Hold. A kind of draw. After a mono-ii, the gyōji or the shimpan "holds" the result if it was too close to call...
- List of sumo tournament second division winners
- List of past sumo wrestlers
- List of yokozuna