Baruto Kaito
Encyclopedia
Baruto Kaito is a professional sumo
wrestler from Estonia
. Making his debut in May 2004, he is one of only two Estonians ever to join the sport in Japan
, and the first to reach the top division
, in May 2006. After suffering a number of injury problems in 2007, he reached the third highest rank of sekiwake in November 2008, and was promoted to ōzeki rank after finishing the March 2010 tournament with a score of 14-1. He has been a tournament runner-up four times and earned five special prizes
for Fighting Spirit, one for Outstanding Performance and one for Technique.
, but grew up in the nearby Rohu
village in nowadays Laekvere Parish
.
His family owned a cattle farm and he was used to hard physical labour as a child. His father died when Kaido was sixteen years old and he worked as a nightclub bouncer to earn a living. He played basketball
as a teenager and also won a national judo
championship in Estonia. He was introduced to amateur sumo through his judo coach Riho Rannikmaa, and an official from the Kagoshima Prefecture
Sumo Association Kazuo Kurazono encouraged him to join the professional sport. Due to the restrictions on foreigners entering sumo, the only stable
with a place available was Mihogaseki
. He was given the shikona
or fighting name of Baruto, a reference to the Japanese name of the Baltic sea
, and made his professional debut in May 2004. He moved very quickly up the rankings, reaching the jūryō division after only 8 tournaments (tied for the third fastest rise to sekitori
status since 1958 when the current 6 tournament a year format was adopted) and compiling a record of 41-8 on the way.
Baruto won the jūryō division March 2006 honbasho
tournament with a perfect 15-0 result. This was only the fourth time ever that a jūryō wrestler has won the championship with such a record. He was the first to achieve this since Kitanofuji
, who ultimately reached the top yokozuna rank, in 1963. As a result of this performance he was promoted to makuuchi
, the highest division, for the first time in his career in May 2006. It is likely that Baruto could have achieved a more rapid rise to the top division, were it not for him suffering from appendicitis
in November 2005, the resulting absence from the tournament sending him back down to the third highest makushita division temporarily. Despite this, his rise to the top division in two years is equal to the second fastest ever.
(or Fighting Spirit Prize). After a second winning record in July and another promotion, Baruto's quick ascent through the ranks halted at maegashira 1. He withdrew from the September tournament with an injury, which lowered his standing to maegashira 6 in the November tournament. The result of 10-5 there took him up to maegashira 3, but he was again injured in the January 2007
tournament. He suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament
in his left knee. He was unable to compete in the March tournament as well and his ranking suffered, resulting in a return to the jūryō ranks. In May he won the jūryō championship with a 14-1 record, resulting in an immediate return to makuuchi in July to the position of maegashira 14 East. However he re-injured his knee on the opening day and decided to withdraw from the tournament. It was the third time he had injured the knee, each time in a different place. He has not yet undergone surgery, which would require a lengthy lay-off.
In September 2007, despite being clearly still troubled by his knee, he took his third jūryō division championship with a 13-2 record. This was enough to earn promotion back to the top division for November. He was in contention for the championship until the final days of the tournament when he was defeated by ōzeki Chiyotaikai
and komusubi Ama. He finished with an 11-4 record and was awarded his second Fighting Spirit Prize.
In the January 2008
tournament Baruto produced a 7-8 score, the first time in his career that he has completed a tournament and finished with more losses than wins. He performed much better in March, finishing as joint runner-up with 12 wins and being awarded another Fighting Spirit Prize. In the May 2008 tournament he was unable to defeat any of the top rankers and could only manage five wins. In the July 2008 tournament, Baruto finished with a 10-5 score, assuring a komusubi debut in September.
In his first appearance as komusubi in the Aki Basho, Baruto managed an 8-7 score, while having a less than perfect start to the tournament. He was just 2-7 after 9 bouts where he competed with only sanyaku wrestlers. His last six matches were against wrestlers from the maegashira ranks and there Baruto managed to hold his ground. He was promoted to sekiwake rank for the Kyushu Basho in November, as the west sekiwake Toyonoshima
could not hold his position after a 6-9 finish in the Aki Basho, thus leaving an opening for the position. He came through with a winning record in his sekiwake debut.
Baruto had an excellent start to the January 2009
tournament, winning his first six matches. However he began losing in the second week and finished on 9-6. By contrast, he struggled during the first week of the March tournament in facing the top ranked wrestlers and stood at 3-6 after nine days, but he maintained his rank with a kachi-koshi victory on the final day. He is the first sekiwake to hold his rank for four straight tournaments since his debut since Asashōryū
in 2002. He lost the rank in May 2009, but fighting from the maegashira 3 position in July he produced a strong 11-4 record and returned to the komusubi rank for the September tournament. There he became the first non-yokozuna since Hoshi in 1986 to defeat five ōzeki in one tournament. He finished with a fine 12-3 record, guaranteeing his return to sekiwake, and was awarded his fourth Fighting Spirit prize. He scored nine wins in the next tournament.
it was indicated by Sumo Association official Tomozuna Oyakata that he would need to win at least 13 bouts and be in contention for the yusho
to earn ōzeki promotion. Baruto was nursing an injury to his left thumb throughout the basho, which he picked up in a training session with Aran
. However, he produced his best score in the top division to date of 14-1, and lost only to Hakuho on Day 11. He was in contention for the championship until the final bout of the tournament, which Hakuho won over Harumafuji to complete an undefeated 15-0 performance. Baruto was rewarded with special prizes for Fighting Spirit and Technique, the first time since Kotomitsuki in July 2007 that one wrestler has received two prizes in the same tournament.
Baruto's promotion was officially confirmed by the Sumo Association on March 31. Speaking to reporters at his Onoe stable, he said, "I want to be cheerful and be an ōzeki that can live up to the expectations of the fans." He also made clear his determination to win the yusho, as "unless I win a championship I can't move up to yokozuna." However, he has not yet challenged for the championship as an ōzeki, his best score to date being 11-4.
or belt. He prefers a migi-yotsu grip, with his right hand inside and left hand outside his opponent's arms. His most common winning kimarite
or technique is overwhelmingly yori-kiri, or force out. Due to his great strength he is known for using tsuri-dashi, or lift out, a technique which has declined in recent years because of the increasing weight of wrestlers. Baruto used this technique three times in the July 2009 tournament alone. He also frequently uses uwatenage, or overarm throw. He was forced to change his yotsu style in his successful ōzeki promotion basho of March 2010, as his thumb injury meant he was less effective on the mawashi, and he used a more aggressive slapping and thrusting attack instead.
At 188 kilograms, Baruto is the second heaviest man in the top division after Gagamaru. He is popular among other wrestlers due to his friendly character and is known for always smiling, win or lose. His stablemaster Onoe Oyakata commented, "All wrestlers have their unique personalities. Baruto is friendly and gentle and he shouldn't change that. He has to win to get promoted but outside the ring I don't want him to forget to smile." Baruto is also known for taking great care not to injure his opponents.
.
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 Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
. Making his debut in May 2004, he is one of only two Estonians ever to join the sport in 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 the first to reach the top division
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....
, in May 2006. After suffering a number of injury problems in 2007, he reached the third highest rank of sekiwake in November 2008, and was promoted to ōzeki rank after finishing the March 2010 tournament with a score of 14-1. He has been a tournament runner-up four times and earned five 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:...
for Fighting Spirit, one for Outstanding Performance and one for Technique.
Early career
Kaido was born in Väike-MaarjaVäike-Maarja
Väike-Maarja is a small borough in Lääne-Viru County, Estonia. It is the administrative centre of Väike-Maarja Parish.-Notable people:*Aile Asszonyi , opera singer*Eda-Ines Etti , singer*Vello Jürna , opera singer...
, but grew up in the nearby Rohu
Rohu, Estonia
Rohu is a village in Laekvere Parish, Lääne-Viru County, in northeastern Estonia. It's located about 5 km northwest of Laekvere, the administative centre of the municipality, and about 7 km northeast of Simuna. It has a population of 55 ....
village in nowadays Laekvere Parish
Laekvere Parish
Laekvere Parish is a rural municipality of Estonia, in Lääne-Viru County. It has a population of 1837 and an area of 352.42 km².-Villages:...
.
His family owned a cattle farm and he was used to hard physical labour as a child. His father died when Kaido was sixteen years old and he worked as a nightclub bouncer to earn a living. He played basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
as a teenager and also won a national judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
championship in Estonia. He was introduced to amateur sumo through his judo coach Riho Rannikmaa, and an official from the Kagoshima Prefecture
Kagoshima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Kagoshima.- Geography :Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu and includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest for a few hundred kilometers...
Sumo Association Kazuo Kurazono encouraged him to join the professional sport. Due to the restrictions on foreigners entering sumo, the only 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...
with a place available was Mihogaseki
Mihogaseki stable
The is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ichimon or group of stables. Its current head coach, former ozeki Masuiyama Daishiro II took charge in November 1984. He is the son of the previous head, also an ozeki under the name Masuiyama, making it one of only three current stables...
. 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...
or fighting name of Baruto, a reference to the Japanese name of the Baltic sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
, and made his professional debut in May 2004. He moved very quickly up the rankings, reaching the jūryō division after only 8 tournaments (tied for the third fastest rise to 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 since 1958 when the current 6 tournament a year format was adopted) and compiling a record of 41-8 on the way.
Baruto won the jūryō division March 2006 honbasho
Honbasho
A is an official professional sumo tournament. There are six held each year, a system established in 1958. Only honbasho results matter in determining promotion and relegation for rikishi ....
tournament with a perfect 15-0 result. This was only the fourth time ever that a jūryō wrestler has won the championship with such a record. He was the first to achieve this since Kitanofuji
Kitanofuji Katsuaki
Kitanofuji Katsuaki 北の富士勝昭 is a former sumo wrestler, born in Asahikawa, Hokkaidō, Japan. He was the sport's 52nd Yokozuna. He was also the head coach of Kokonoe stable.-Career:...
, who ultimately reached the top yokozuna rank, in 1963. As a result of this performance he was promoted to 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....
, the highest division, for the first time in his career in May 2006. It is likely that Baruto could have achieved a more rapid rise to the top division, were it not for him suffering from appendicitis
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to...
in November 2005, the resulting absence from the tournament sending him back down to the third highest makushita division temporarily. Despite this, his rise to the top division in two years is equal to the second fastest ever.
Top division career
In his first tournament in the top division Baruto scored a strong 11-4 record and won the kanto-shoSansho (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:...
(or Fighting Spirit Prize). After a second winning record in July and another promotion, Baruto's quick ascent through the ranks halted at maegashira 1. He withdrew from the September tournament with an injury, which lowered his standing to maegashira 6 in the November tournament. The result of 10-5 there took him up to maegashira 3, but he was again injured in the January 2007
2007 in sumo
-Tournaments:*Hatsu basho, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, 7 - 21 January*Haru basho, Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium, Osaka, 11 - 25 March*Natsu basho, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, 13 - 27 May*Nagoya basho, Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium, Nagoya, 8 - 22 July...
tournament. He suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
in his left knee. He was unable to compete in the March tournament as well and his ranking suffered, resulting in a return to the jūryō ranks. In May he won the jūryō championship with a 14-1 record, resulting in an immediate return to makuuchi in July to the position of maegashira 14 East. However he re-injured his knee on the opening day and decided to withdraw from the tournament. It was the third time he had injured the knee, each time in a different place. He has not yet undergone surgery, which would require a lengthy lay-off.
In September 2007, despite being clearly still troubled by his knee, he took his third jūryō division championship with a 13-2 record. This was enough to earn promotion back to the top division for November. He was in contention for the championship until the final days of the tournament when he was defeated by ōzeki Chiyotaikai
Chiyotaikai Ryuji
Chiyotaikai Ryūji , is a Japanese former sumo wrestler. He made his professional debut in 1992 and reached the top makuuchi division in 1997. He held the second highest rank of ōzeki or champion for 65 consecutive tournaments from 1999 until 2009, making him the longest serving ōzeki in the modern...
and komusubi Ama. He finished with an 11-4 record and was awarded his second Fighting Spirit Prize.
2008 in sumo
-Tournaments:*Hatsu basho, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, 13 January - 27 January*Haru basho, Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium, Osaka, 9 March - 23 March*Natsu basho, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, 11 May - 25 May...
tournament Baruto produced a 7-8 score, the first time in his career that he has completed a tournament and finished with more losses than wins. He performed much better in March, finishing as joint runner-up with 12 wins and being awarded another Fighting Spirit Prize. In the May 2008 tournament he was unable to defeat any of the top rankers and could only manage five wins. In the July 2008 tournament, Baruto finished with a 10-5 score, assuring a komusubi debut in September.
In his first appearance as komusubi in the Aki Basho, Baruto managed an 8-7 score, while having a less than perfect start to the tournament. He was just 2-7 after 9 bouts where he competed with only sanyaku wrestlers. His last six matches were against wrestlers from the maegashira ranks and there Baruto managed to hold his ground. He was promoted to sekiwake rank for the Kyushu Basho in November, as the west sekiwake Toyonoshima
Toyonoshima Daiki
Toyonoshima Daiki is a professional sumo wrestler from Sukumo, Kōchi, Japan. He made his professional debut in January 2002, reaching the top makuuchi division in September 2004. He has been a runner-up in three tournaments, and has earned eight special prizes...
could not hold his position after a 6-9 finish in the Aki Basho, thus leaving an opening for the position. He came through with a winning record in his sekiwake debut.
Baruto had an excellent start to the January 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...
tournament, winning his first six matches. However he began losing in the second week and finished on 9-6. By contrast, he struggled during the first week of the March tournament in facing the top ranked wrestlers and stood at 3-6 after nine days, but he maintained his rank with a kachi-koshi victory on the final day. He is the first sekiwake to hold his rank for four straight tournaments since his debut since 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...
in 2002. He lost the rank in May 2009, but fighting from the maegashira 3 position in July he produced a strong 11-4 record and returned to the komusubi rank for the September tournament. There he became the first non-yokozuna since Hoshi in 1986 to defeat five ōzeki in one tournament. He finished with a fine 12-3 record, guaranteeing his return to sekiwake, and was awarded his fourth Fighting Spirit prize. He scored nine wins in the next tournament.
Ōzeki promotion
On the seventh day of the January 2010 tournament he finally managed to defeat a yokozuna, Hakuho, by sukuinage, or beltless arm throw, his first win over a yokozuna in nineteen attempts. This earned him his first Outstanding Performance award, and he finished on 12-3. He became only the third wrestler to compile 33 wins over three tournaments in a sanyaku rank and not be promoted to ōzeki, following Kotogahama in 1957 and Miyabiyama (twice) in 2006. At the March tournament in OsakaOsaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
it was indicated by Sumo Association official Tomozuna Oyakata that he would need to win at least 13 bouts and be in contention for the yusho
Yusho
A Yūshō is a tournament championship in sumo. It is awarded in each of the six annual honbasho or official tournaments, to the wrestler who wins the most number of bouts. Yūshō are awarded in all six professional sumo divisions...
to earn ōzeki promotion. Baruto was nursing an injury to his left thumb throughout the basho, which he picked up in a training session with Aran
Aran Hakutora
Aran Hakutora is a Russian sumo wrestler. He began his professional career in January 2007 and made the top division in a record eleven tournaments. The highest rank he has reached is sekiwake...
. However, he produced his best score in the top division to date of 14-1, and lost only to Hakuho on Day 11. He was in contention for the championship until the final bout of the tournament, which Hakuho won over Harumafuji to complete an undefeated 15-0 performance. Baruto was rewarded with special prizes for Fighting Spirit and Technique, the first time since Kotomitsuki in July 2007 that one wrestler has received two prizes in the same tournament.
Baruto's promotion was officially confirmed by the Sumo Association on March 31. Speaking to reporters at his Onoe stable, he said, "I want to be cheerful and be an ōzeki that can live up to the expectations of the fans." He also made clear his determination to win the yusho, as "unless I win a championship I can't move up to yokozuna." However, he has not yet challenged for the championship as an ōzeki, his best score to date being 11-4.
Fighting style
Baruto has a solid and straightforward yotsu-sumo style, concentrating on techniques which involve 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:...
or belt. He prefers a migi-yotsu grip, with his right hand inside and left hand outside 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...
or technique is overwhelmingly yori-kiri, or force out. Due to his great strength he is known for using tsuri-dashi, or lift out, a technique which has declined in recent years because of the increasing weight of wrestlers. Baruto used this technique three times in the July 2009 tournament alone. He also frequently uses uwatenage, or overarm throw. He was forced to change his yotsu style in his successful ōzeki promotion basho of March 2010, as his thumb injury meant he was less effective on the mawashi, and he used a more aggressive slapping and thrusting attack instead.
At 188 kilograms, Baruto is the second heaviest man in the top division after Gagamaru. He is popular among other wrestlers due to his friendly character and is known for always smiling, win or lose. His stablemaster Onoe Oyakata commented, "All wrestlers have their unique personalities. Baruto is friendly and gentle and he shouldn't change that. He has to win to get promoted but outside the ring I don't want him to forget to smile." Baruto is also known for taking great care not to injure his opponents.
Family
In February 2009 he announced his marriage, to Elena Tregubova, a 26 year old Russian from VladivostokVladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
.
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 second division winners
- List of active sumo wrestlers