Kotokaze Koki
Encyclopedia
Kotokaze Kōki is a former sumo
wrestler from Tsu, Mie
, Japan
. His highest rank was ozeki.
, he joined Sadogatake stable
in July 1971. He reached the sekitori
level in November 1975 upon promotion to the second highest jūryō division and in January 1977 he made his debut in the top makuuchi
division. He got as far as sekiwake before suffering a severe injury to his left knee joint which forced him to miss several tournaments and plunge all the way down to the unsalaried makushita division. He made his way back to the top division in just one year. By March 1981 he had returned to sekiwake and in September 1981 he captured his first tournament championship with a 12-3 record, finisihng one win ahead of yokozuna Wakanohana II
. He was immediately promoted to sumo's second highest rank of ozeki. He took his second championship in January 1983 with a 14-1 score, beating Asashio
in a playoff. In September 1984 he defeated a newcomer to the division who was in contention for the tournament title, the gigantic Konishiki, in a mammoth two minute struggle on the final day. Kotokaze later recalled this bout as his most memorable ever. In May 1985 he suffered another serious injury, this time to his right knee, and he decided to retire in November 1985 at the age of twenty eight.
. He gives all of his new recruits shikona
with the suffix "kaze" (wind), taken from his own fighting name. The first wrestler from the stable to achieve sekitori status was Tomikaze in July 2000. Oguruma stable currently has two wrestlers with top division experience, Takekaze and Yoshikaze. A third, Wakakirin, (who originally came from a different stable) was dismissed from the Sumo Association because of cannabis
use in February 2009. Oguruma was demoted from his post in the Association as a result. In September 2010, two men were arresting for attempting to blackmail Kotokaze, sending him a letter threatening to reveal his connections to a "violent criminal gang" (usually a euphemism for yakuza) in his younger years.
Kotokaze is also a regular commentator on NHK
's sumo tournament broadcasts.
or technique was overwhelmingly a straightforward yori-kiri or force out, which accounted for over half his wins at sekitori
level. He favoured hidari-yotsu, or a right hand outside, left hand inside grip on his opponent's mawashi
. He very rarely employed throwing moves.
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 Tsu, Mie
Tsu, 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:...
, 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...
. His highest rank was ozeki.
Career
Scouted by the 53rd Yokozuna KotozakuraKotozakura Masakatsu
Kotozakura Masakatsu was a former sumo wrestler from Kurayoshi, Tottori Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 53rd Yokozuna. He made his professional debut in 1959, reaching the top division in 1963...
, he joined Sadogatake stable
Sadogatake stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Nishonoseki group of stables. In its modern form it dates from September 1955, when it was set up by former komusubi Kotonishiki Noboru. Former yokozuna Kotozakura took over the running of the stable in 1974 following Kotonishiki's death. Over the next...
in July 1971. He reached the 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...
level in November 1975 upon promotion to the second highest jūryō division and in January 1977 he made his debut in 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. He got as far as sekiwake before suffering a severe injury to his left knee joint which forced him to miss several tournaments and plunge all the way down to the unsalaried makushita division. He made his way back to the top division in just one year. By March 1981 he had returned to sekiwake and in September 1981 he captured his first tournament championship with a 12-3 record, finisihng one win ahead of yokozuna Wakanohana II
Wakanohana Kanji II
Wakanohana Kanji II is a former sumo wrestler from Ōwani, Aomori, Japan. He was the sport's 56th Yokozuna. He is now the head coach of Magaki stable.-Early career:...
. He was immediately promoted to sumo's second highest rank of ozeki. He took his second championship in January 1983 with a 14-1 score, beating Asashio
Asashio Taro IV
Asashio Tarō IV is a former sumo wrestler from Muroto, Kochi, Japan. His highest rank was ozeki...
in a playoff. In September 1984 he defeated a newcomer to the division who was in contention for the tournament title, the gigantic Konishiki, in a mammoth two minute struggle on the final day. Kotokaze later recalled this bout as his most memorable ever. In May 1985 he suffered another serious injury, this time to his right knee, and he decided to retire in November 1985 at the age of twenty eight.
After retirement
Kotokaze became an elder of the Sumo Association under the name Oguruma Oyakata. In 1987 he left Sadogatake to set up his own Oguruma stableOguruma Stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Nishonoseki group of stables. In its modern form it dates from 1987 when it was founded by Kotokaze, a former Sadogatake stable wrestler. He gives all his new recruits shikona with the suffix "kaze" , taken from his own fighting name. The first wrestler...
. He gives all of his new recruits 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...
with the suffix "kaze" (wind), taken from his own fighting name. The first wrestler from the stable to achieve sekitori status was Tomikaze in July 2000. Oguruma stable currently has two wrestlers with top division experience, Takekaze and Yoshikaze. A third, Wakakirin, (who originally came from a different stable) was dismissed from the Sumo Association because of cannabis
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
use in February 2009. Oguruma was demoted from his post in the Association as a result. In September 2010, two men were arresting for attempting to blackmail Kotokaze, sending him a letter threatening to reveal his connections to a "violent criminal gang" (usually a euphemism for yakuza) in his younger years.
Kotokaze is also a regular commentator on NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
's sumo tournament broadcasts.
Fighting style
Kotokaze's most common winning kimariteKimarite
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...
or technique was overwhelmingly a straightforward yori-kiri or force out, which accounted for over half his wins at 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...
level. He favoured hidari-yotsu, or a right hand outside, left hand inside grip on his opponent's 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:...
. He very rarely employed throwing moves.
Top division record
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 past sumo wrestlers
- List of sumo tournament winners
- List of sumo tournament second division winners