Aoiyama Kōsuke
Encyclopedia
Aoiyama Kōsuke (born June 19, 1986 as Daniel Ivanov, in Yambol
, Bulgaria
) is a professional sumo
wrestler or rikishi. He made his debut in 2009
, reaching the top division two years later, debuting in the November 2011 tournament. He won the Fighting Spirit
award along with Wakakōyū.
, run by former maegashira Kushimaumi. When asked by his coach whether he preferred mountains or rivers, he chose mountains and so was given the ring name
of Aoiyama, meaning "blue mountain".
wrestler Kazafuzan. In the following January 2010 tournament at Sandanme he would finally lose his first bout, having won all of his previous 16 matches. This would be his only loss though, and his 6-1 record was enough to propel him into the makushita division in the following March tournament. He would again post a perfect record and also take the makushita championship. His meteoric rise would slow starting with his next tournament however. He only managed two wins in his next makushita tournament. This was his first losing tournament. In contrast to his previous successes, he would struggle somewhat for several more tournaments at this level. He eventually had enough winning tournaments in upper makushita to allow his promotion into the professional jūryō ranks for the July 2011 tournament. He was promoted to the high rank of jūryō #4 due to the high number of vacancies left by wrestlers forced to retire due to involvement in match-fixing. At this high level he only managed a 7-8 record and moved down two ranks to jūryō #6 for the following September tournament. Suffering from a herniated disc, he was forced to sit out the first two days of the tournament, but managed to make a remarkable recovery and pulled out an impressive 10-3 record for his remaining bouts of the tournament. This record was enough to allow him promotion to the top makuuchi
division, where he would post an impressive 11-4 record and receive a Fighting Spirit
award for his efforts. He would, however, share this record with his rival, Wakakōyū having lost to him on the final day of the tournament.
and grappling rather than pushing or thrusting. His favoured grip is a migi-yotsu position, with his left hand outside and right hand inside his opponent's arms. His most common winning kimarite
is yori-kiri, a simple force out.
Yambol
Yambol is a city in southeastern Bulgaria, an administrative centre of Yambol Province. It lies on both banks of the Tundzha river in the historical region of Thrace. As of February 2011, the town has a population of 72,843 inhabitants. It is occasionally spelt 'Jambol'.The administrative centres...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
) is a professional 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...
wrestler or rikishi. He made his debut in 2009
2009 in sumo
-Tournaments:*Hatsu basho, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, 11 January - 25 January*Haru basho, Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium, Osaka, 15 March - 29 March*Natsu basho, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, 10 May - 24 May...
, reaching the top division two years later, debuting in the November 2011 tournament. He won the Fighting Spirit
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:...
award along with Wakakōyū.
Early career
After wrestling for ten years and doing amateur sumo for three, he entered the professional sumo world at the introduction of fellow countryman, Ōzeki Kotoōshū, becoming only the second Bulgarian rikishi. He joined Tagonoura stableTagonoura stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ichimon or group of stables. It was established in February 2000 by former maegashira Kushimaumi, who branched off from Dewanoumi stable. It is located in the Koto ward of Tokyo...
, run by former maegashira Kushimaumi. When asked by his coach whether he preferred mountains or rivers, he chose mountains and so was given the ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
of Aoiyama, meaning "blue mountain".
Professional career
In his professional debut as Aoiyama Kiyohito in the September 2009 tournament, he won the Jonokuchi championship with a perfect 7-0 record. He subsequently changed his name to Aoiyama Kōsuke for his Jonidan debut in the following November tournament, which he also won with a 7-0 record followed by a playoff win against the sole KazakhstaniKazakhstani
Kazakhstani may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to the country of Kazakhstan* Kazakhs or Kazakhstanis, persons from Kazakhstan, or of Kazakhstani descent. For information about the Kazakhstani people, see Demographics of Kazakhstan and Culture of Kazakhstan. For specific persons, see List...
wrestler Kazafuzan. In the following January 2010 tournament at Sandanme he would finally lose his first bout, having won all of his previous 16 matches. This would be his only loss though, and his 6-1 record was enough to propel him into the makushita division in the following March tournament. He would again post a perfect record and also take the makushita championship. His meteoric rise would slow starting with his next tournament however. He only managed two wins in his next makushita tournament. This was his first losing tournament. In contrast to his previous successes, he would struggle somewhat for several more tournaments at this level. He eventually had enough winning tournaments in upper makushita to allow his promotion into the professional jūryō ranks for the July 2011 tournament. He was promoted to the high rank of jūryō #4 due to the high number of vacancies left by wrestlers forced to retire due to involvement in match-fixing. At this high level he only managed a 7-8 record and moved down two ranks to jūryō #6 for the following September tournament. Suffering from a herniated disc, he was forced to sit out the first two days of the tournament, but managed to make a remarkable recovery and pulled out an impressive 10-3 record for his remaining bouts of the tournament. This record was enough to allow him promotion to 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, where he would post an impressive 11-4 record and receive a Fighting Spirit
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:...
award for his efforts. He would, however, share this record with his rival, Wakakōyū having lost to him on the final day of the tournament.
Fighting style
Aoiyama is a yotsu-sumo specialist who prefers grabbing the opponent's 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:...
and grappling rather than pushing or thrusting. His favoured grip is a migi-yotsu position, with his left hand outside and right hand inside his opponent's arms. His most common winning kimarite
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...
is yori-kiri, a simple force out.
Tournament 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 sumo tournament winners
- List of active sumo wrestlers