Taiho Koki
Encyclopedia
Taihō Kōki is the 48th Yokozuna in the Japan
ese sport of sumo
wrestling. He is generally regarded as the greatest sumo wrestler of the post-war period. He became a yokozuna in 1961 at the age of 21, the youngest ever at the time, and he won a record 32 tournaments between 1960 and 1971. His dominance was such that he won six tournaments in a row on two separate occasions. He is the only wrestler to win at least one championship every year of his top division career, and he has the highest career winning percentage of any wrestler in the modern era. After his retirement he was the head coach of Taihō stable.
to a Japanese mother and an ethnic Ukrainian father who had fled the Bolshevik Revolution. However, he is regarded as having come from Teshikaga, Hokkaidō
, where he moved to as a child after the Soviet Union
took control of Sakhalin in 1945. While on a sumo tour to the Soviet Union in 1965 he tried to locate his father, but without success. Taihō was the first of three great yokozuna who all hailed from Hokkaidō
, the most northerly of the main islands of Japan
, and who among them dominated sumo during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The others were Kitanoumi
and Chiyonofuji
.
He entered sumo in September 1956, joining Nishonoseki stable
. He initially fought under his own surname of Naya. Upon promotion to the second juryo division in May 1959 he was given the shikona
(wrestler name) of "Taihō", meaning "Great peng
" ("peng" is often translated to "phoenix"). Taihō rapidly rose through the ranks after his debut in the top makuuchi
division in January 1960. He was a runner-up in his first top division tournament and was awarded the Fighting Spirit prize
. At sekiwake rank in November 1960 he won the first of his record 32 tournament championships and earned promotion to ozeki. Following two consecutive tournament victories (his second and third) he became a yokozuna in September 1961, less than two years after his top division debut.
because there was Kashiwado. There was Kashiwado because there was Taihō." Outside of competition they had a genuine friendship, which continued until Kashiwado's death in 1996.
Taihō outperformed Kashiwado very quickly, and during his tenure in sumo's highest rank he was dominant, especially in the early part of his career. Until 2005—when the 68th Yokozuna Asashōryū
bettered his record—he was the only post-war yokozuna to have achieved six tournament victories consecutively, a feat he managed on two separate occasions. Eight of his championships were achieved with a perfect record of 15 wins and no losses (zensho-yusho), a record. He came back from a long term injury in 1968 and embarked on a 45 bout winning streak that was broken in March 1969 only after an incorrect decision by the judges
. This caused such a furor that video replays were introduced after the incident.
He was a popular grand champion, especially amongst women and children. He married in 1966 at the height of his fame, to the daughter of a ryokan proprietor. Their lavish reception at the Imperial Hotel
was attended by 1000 guests and over 200 reporters. He was the first to hold a press conference afterwards, now a common occurrence with sumo marriages.
His final championship came in January 1971 after a playoff with Tamanoumi, maintaining his record of winning at least one championship every year of his top division career. He had a good score of 12-3 in the following tournament, but announced his retirement five days into the May 1971 tournament after losing to the promising young wrestler Takanohana
for the second time. He had been a yokozuna for nearly ten years. His career win ratio was in excess of 80%, which is also a post-war record. He became the first former rikishi to be offered (and accept) membership of the Japan Sumo Association
without having to purchase a share, in recognition of his great achievements.
and opened Taihō stable
in December 1971. In February 1977, at the age of 36, he suffered a stroke
, and his subsequent health problems may have played a part in him being passed over for the chairmanship of the Sumo Association. He had extensive rehabilitation sessions to get the left side of his body moving again. In general he did not manage to replicate his own wrestling success as a trainer, but he did produce Ozutsu
, a sekiwake who fought in 78 consecutive top division tournaments from 1979 to 1992. He had his kanreki dohyō-iri
ceremony to mark his 60th birthday in 2000, although his restricted mobility meant he could not perform it in full. In May 2002 he recruited the Russian wrestler Rohō. His youngest daughter had married ex sekiwake Takatoriki, and he handed over control of his stable to his son-in-law in February 2003.
He reached the mandatory retirement age of 65 in May 2005 and became the curator of the Sumo Museum at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan
. He still maintains close contact with his old stable, inviting yokozuna Hakuhō
to train there in May 2008.
In November 2009, he was one of 15 people to receive the Person of Cultural Merit
award, becoming the first sumo wrestler to be so honoured.
or belt– techniques
known as yotsu-sumo. His preferred grip was hidari-yotsu, a right hand outside, left hand inside position. His most common winning move was yori-kiri, a straightforward force out, which accounted for about 30 percent of his wins. His most frequently used throws were sukuinage (the beltless scoop throw) and uwatenage (the overarm throw).
He was particularly diligent about training, and was known to invite every new member of the top division to train with him.
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...
ese sport of sumo
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...
wrestling. He is generally regarded as the greatest sumo wrestler of the post-war period. He became a yokozuna in 1961 at the age of 21, the youngest ever at the time, and he won a record 32 tournaments between 1960 and 1971. His dominance was such that he won six tournaments in a row on two separate occasions. He is the only wrestler to win at least one championship every year of his top division career, and he has the highest career winning percentage of any wrestler in the modern era. After his retirement he was the head coach of Taihō stable.
Early career
He was born on the island of SakhalinSakhalin
Sakhalin or Saghalien, is a large island in the North Pacific, lying between 45°50' and 54°24' N.It is part of Russia, and is Russia's largest island, and is administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast...
to a Japanese mother and an ethnic Ukrainian father who had fled the Bolshevik Revolution. However, he is regarded as having come from Teshikaga, Hokkaidō
Teshikaga, Hokkaido
is a town located in Kawakami District, Kushiro Subprefecture, Hokkaidō Prefecture. As of December 31, 2007 it has an estimated population of 8,690 and an area of 774.53 km²....
, where he moved to as a child after the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
took control of Sakhalin in 1945. While on a sumo tour to the Soviet Union in 1965 he tried to locate his father, but without success. Taihō was the first of three great yokozuna who all hailed from Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
, the most northerly of the main islands of 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...
, and who among them dominated sumo during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The others were 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 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....
.
He entered sumo in September 1956, joining Nishonoseki stable
Nishonoseki Stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Nishonoseki group of stables named after it. It first appeared in the late eighteenth century and was re-established in its current form in 1935 by the 32nd Yokozuna Tamanishiki while still active...
. He initially fought under his own surname of Naya. Upon promotion to the second juryo division in May 1959 he was given 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...
(wrestler name) of "Taihō", meaning "Great peng
Peng (mythology)
Peng or Dapeng is a giant bird that transforms from a Kun giant fish in Chinese mythology. In comparative mythology of giant creatures, Peng is likened to the Roc or Garuda and Kun to the Leviathan.-Names:...
" ("peng" is often translated to "phoenix"). Taihō rapidly rose through the ranks after 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 in January 1960. He was a runner-up in his first top division tournament and was awarded 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:...
. At sekiwake rank in November 1960 he won the first of his record 32 tournament championships and earned promotion to ozeki. Following two consecutive tournament victories (his second and third) he became a yokozuna in September 1961, less than two years after his top division debut.
Yokozuna
At the time of his promotion Taihō was the youngest ever wrestler to achieve sumo's highest rank of yokozuna aged 21 years and three months, a record subsequently surpassed by Kitanoumi who was one month younger. Exceptionally for a newly promoted yokozuna he also managed to win his first tournament subsequent to his promotion. He was promoted simultaneously with Kashiwado, and their rivalry created what became known as the Hakuhō era. Although Kashiwado was to win only five tournament championships, Taihō was to remark, "There was Taihōbecause there was Kashiwado. There was Kashiwado because there was Taihō." Outside of competition they had a genuine friendship, which continued until Kashiwado's death in 1996.
Taihō outperformed Kashiwado very quickly, and during his tenure in sumo's highest rank he was dominant, especially in the early part of his career. Until 2005—when the 68th Yokozuna 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...
bettered his record—he was the only post-war yokozuna to have achieved six tournament victories consecutively, a feat he managed on two separate occasions. Eight of his championships were achieved with a perfect record of 15 wins and no losses (zensho-yusho), a record. He came back from a long term injury in 1968 and embarked on a 45 bout winning streak that was broken in March 1969 only after an incorrect decision by the judges
Shimpan
are the judges of a professional sumo bout. In a sumo honbasho tournament five shimpan sit around the ring to observe which wrestler wins the matchup. When judging tournament bouts they wear formal Japanese dress of otokomono, haori with mon, and hakama...
. This caused such a furor that video replays were introduced after the incident.
He was a popular grand champion, especially amongst women and children. He married in 1966 at the height of his fame, to the daughter of a ryokan proprietor. Their lavish reception at the Imperial Hotel
Imperial Hotel, Tokyo
The Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, Japan, was created in the late 1880s at the request of the Japanese aristocracy to cater to the increasing number of western visitors to Japan. The hotel site is located just south of the Imperial Palace grounds, next to the previous location of the Palace moat...
was attended by 1000 guests and over 200 reporters. He was the first to hold a press conference afterwards, now a common occurrence with sumo marriages.
His final championship came in January 1971 after a playoff with Tamanoumi, maintaining his record of winning at least one championship every year of his top division career. He had a good score of 12-3 in the following tournament, but announced his retirement five days into the May 1971 tournament after losing to the promising young wrestler Takanohana
Takanohana Kenshi
Takanohana Kenshi 貴ノ花健士 was a sumo wrestler from Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. His highest rank was ozeki, which he held for fifty tournaments. As an active rikishi he was extremely popular and was nicknamed the "prince of sumo" due to his good looks and relatively slim build...
for the second time. He had been a yokozuna for nearly ten years. His career win ratio was in excess of 80%, which is also a post-war record. He became the first former rikishi to be offered (and accept) membership of the Japan Sumo Association
Japan 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...
without having to purchase a share, in recognition of his great achievements.
After retirement
Taihō branched off from his old heyaHeya
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...
and opened Taihō stable
Otake stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers.It was set up in 1971, as Taihō stable, by yokozuna Taihō Kōki on his retirement from wrestling. It passed on to his son-in-law Ōtake on his retirement...
in December 1971. In February 1977, at the age of 36, he suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
, and his subsequent health problems may have played a part in him being passed over for the chairmanship of the Sumo Association. He had extensive rehabilitation sessions to get the left side of his body moving again. In general he did not manage to replicate his own wrestling success as a trainer, but he did produce Ozutsu
Ōzutsu Takeshi
Ōzutsu Takeshi is a former sumo wrestler from Mie, Japan. Beginning his professional career in May 1971, he was ranked in the top makuuchi division continuously from March 1979 to January 1992, and his record of 1170 consecutive bouts there is the second best in history after Takamiyama. His...
, a sekiwake who fought in 78 consecutive top division tournaments from 1979 to 1992. He had his kanreki dohyō-iri
Kanreki dohyo-iri
In sumo wrestling, a kanreki dohyō-iri is a ring-entering ceremony performed by a former yokozuna in celebration of his 60th birthday . If he is a toshiyori , the ceremony is usually held at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan, the main sumo hall in Tokyo. Otherwise, if retired, at another location...
ceremony to mark his 60th birthday in 2000, although his restricted mobility meant he could not perform it in full. In May 2002 he recruited the Russian wrestler Rohō. His youngest daughter had married ex sekiwake Takatoriki, and he handed over control of his stable to his son-in-law in February 2003.
He reached the mandatory retirement age of 65 in May 2005 and became the curator of the Sumo Museum at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan
Ryogoku Kokugikan
, also known as Sumo Hall, is an indoor sporting arena located in the Ryōgoku neighborhood of Sumida, one of the 23 wards of Tokyo in Japan, next to the Edo-Tokyo Museum. It is the third building built in Tokyo associated with the name kokugikan. The current building was opened in 1985 and has a...
. He still maintains close contact with his old stable, inviting yokozuna 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,...
to train there in May 2008.
In November 2009, he was one of 15 people to receive the Person of Cultural Merit
Person of Cultural Merit
is an official Japanese recognition-honor which is awarded annually to select people who have made outstanding cultural contributions. This distinction is intended to play a role as a part of a system of support measures for the promotion of creative activities in Japan...
award, becoming the first sumo wrestler to be so honoured.
Fighting style
Taihō was noted for his skill and power when he grabbed his opponents' mawashiMawashi
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– techniques
Kimarite
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...
known as yotsu-sumo. His preferred grip was hidari-yotsu, a right hand outside, left hand inside position. His most common winning move was yori-kiri, a straightforward force out, which accounted for about 30 percent of his wins. His most frequently used throws were sukuinage (the beltless scoop throw) and uwatenage (the overarm throw).
He was particularly diligent about training, and was known to invite every new member of the top division to train with him.
Professional 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
- List of yokozuna