Homasho Noriyuki
Encyclopedia
Hōmashō Noriyuki is a sumo
wrestler. He turned professional in March 2004 and reached the top makuuchi
division in May 2006, without any losing scores on his record. The highest rank he has so far reached is komusubi. He has earned seven special prizes
in his top division career to date and been a runner-up in three tournaments. He is the first sekitori
from Shikoroyama stable
.
sumo club. However due to illness, he had to quit the club and instead did various part-time jobs in between attending lectures at the university. He did not make his professional debut until March 2004, at the age of nearly 23. He was recruited by former sekiwake Terao
, the head coach of the newly opened Shikoroyama stable
, who Homashō had admired as a young boy.
Initially fighting under his real surname of Yamamoto, he rose through the lower divisions quickly, capturing the yusho
or tournament championship in the sandanme division with a perfect 7-0 record in November 2004, upon which he changed his shikona
to Hōmashō. He achieved kachi-koshi
in every tournament until he reached the top makuuchi
division, only the third wrestler to do so since 1958, following Akebono
and Kotooshu. He moved through the second highest jūryō division in just two tournaments. He took his first make-koshi or losing score in his top division debut in May 2006, but an exceptional result of 12-3 in November of that year, in which he was runner-up, gained him two prizes
.
Hōmashō was promoted to maegashira 4 for the following tournament in January 2007. He only managed a 7-8 score there and so slipped down the rankings slightly, but he produced a strong 11-4 record from maegashira 5 in March 2007, which earned him his second Technique prize. He was promoted to his highest rank to date of maegashira 1 for the following tournament, just missing out on the two available komusubi positions which instead went to the demoted sekiwake Kotoshogiku, and Toyonoshima who had scored 8-7 at maegashira 1.
Hōmashō suffered his first big setback in the May 2007 tournament, dropping his last four matches (all against maegashira ranked wrestlers) to finish with a poor 5-10 record. In July 2007 he won nine of his first ten bouts but lost the last five, finishing on 9-6. He returned to maegashira 1 in September and recorded eight wins, but again was not promoted to the sanyaku ranks, instead being moved from the west to the east side of the banzuke
. He would only manage three wins at that rank in the November tournament.
At the end of 2007 he dropped 10 kilos in weight, due to the effects of medication for high cholesterol, and he turned in a poor 4-11 score in January 2008, sliding to maegashira 13 for the March 2008 tournament. At this low rank he was able to produce a kachi-koshi score of 9-6. He had climbed to maegashira 2 by September 2008 but was unable to compete in that tournament due to a wrist injury, the first time in his career that he has missed any bouts. After having surgery, he returned in November but despite being ranked as low as maegashira 15 he could only win seven matches.
Homashō was in better condition for the January 2009 tournament and from the very bottom maegashira 16 rank he scored eleven wins and won the Fighting Spirit Prize. In the following tournament in March he won nine bouts in a row from 2-3, finishing as a runner-up with another 11-4 score and winning his second successive Kanto-sho, and third overall. Once again he was denied a sanyaku debut, with the komusubi positions going to Kakuryu and Tochiozan, and was ranked at maegashira 1 for the fourth time in the May 2009 tournament. However, he performed very badly in May, losing his first fourteen matches before managing a solitary win on the final day. He recovered to score 10-5 in July.
He rose to maegashira 2 for the May 2010 tournament, but withdrew after losing his first six matches, citing an injury to his cervical vertebrae
picked up in training shortly before the tournament. He made a strong comeback in July, winning his first ten bouts and finishing joint runner-up alongside Aran
and Kakuryu on 11-4. He was awarded his fourth Fighting Spirit prize (shared with Aran). In the September tournament he defeated ozeki Kotooshu and Baruto on consecutive days. This came after he had lost his previous twenty matches against ozeki ranked wrestlers. However, he lost five of his last six matches to finish with a disappointing 7-8 score. Ranked at maegashira 2 in May 2011, he won just three bouts; although these did include wins over Kotooshu and sekiwake Kisenosato. Fighting from a more comfortable position at maegashira 9 in the July tournament, he scored 11-4 and won his fifth Fighting Spirit prize and seventh sansho overall. This resulted in his promotion to maegashira 1 for the fifth time in the September 2011 tournament. He is the first wrestler to be ranked at maegashira 1 more than three times without ever making the sanyaku ranks. In the September tournament he went 10-5, including victories over all three ozeki, and this performance saw him finally reach sanyaku in the November 2011 tournament at komusubi rank. At 30 years and six months he became the fourth oldest sanyaku debutant since the six basho a year system began in 1958.
Hōmashō is a popular wrestler amongst sumo fans, and is noted for his deep and graceful bow at the end of a match.
is a left hand outside, right hand inside position, or migi-yotsu. Yori-kiri (force out) and yori-taoshi (force out and down) account for about 45 percent of his career wins.
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. He turned professional in March 2004 and 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 May 2006, without any losing scores on his record. The highest rank he has so far reached is komusubi. He has earned seven 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:...
in his top division career to date and been a runner-up in three tournaments. He is the first 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...
from Shikoroyama stable
Shikoroyama stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tokitsukaze ichimon or group of stables. It was established in its current form in February 2004 by former sekiwake Terao, who branched off from Izutsu stable. He did not take any established rikishi with him, recruiting all his rikishi himself instead. As...
.
Career
He graduated from Saitama Sakae High School and was accepted by the Nihon UniversityNihon University
Nihon University is the largest university in Japan. Akiyoshi Yamada, the minister of justice, founded Nihon Law School in October 1889....
sumo club. However due to illness, he had to quit the club and instead did various part-time jobs in between attending lectures at the university. He did not make his professional debut until March 2004, at the age of nearly 23. He was recruited by former sekiwake Terao
Terao Tsunefumi
Terao Tsunefumi is a former sumo wrestler. He was born in Tokyo, but brought up in Kajiki, Aira District, Kagoshima, Japan. He fought out of Izutsu stable...
, the head coach of the newly opened Shikoroyama stable
Shikoroyama stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tokitsukaze ichimon or group of stables. It was established in its current form in February 2004 by former sekiwake Terao, who branched off from Izutsu stable. He did not take any established rikishi with him, recruiting all his rikishi himself instead. As...
, who Homashō had admired as a young boy.
Initially fighting under his real surname of Yamamoto, he rose through the lower divisions quickly, capturing 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...
or tournament championship in the sandanme division with a perfect 7-0 record in November 2004, upon which he changed his 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...
to Hōmashō. He achieved kachi-koshi
Glossary of sumo terms
The 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...
in every tournament until 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, only the third wrestler to do so since 1958, following Akebono
Akebono Taro
is a retired American born-Japanese sumo wrestler from Waimānalo, Hawaii. Joining the professional sport in Japan in 1988, he was trained by pioneering Hawaiian sumo wrestler Takamiyama and rose swiftly up the rankings, reaching the top division in 1990...
and Kotooshu. He moved through the second highest jūryō division in just two tournaments. He took his first make-koshi or losing score in his top division debut in May 2006, but an exceptional result of 12-3 in November of that year, in which he was runner-up, gained him two 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:...
.
Hōmashō was promoted to maegashira 4 for the following tournament in January 2007. He only managed a 7-8 score there and so slipped down the rankings slightly, but he produced a strong 11-4 record from maegashira 5 in March 2007, which earned him his second Technique prize. He was promoted to his highest rank to date of maegashira 1 for the following tournament, just missing out on the two available komusubi positions which instead went to the demoted sekiwake Kotoshogiku, and Toyonoshima who had scored 8-7 at maegashira 1.
Hōmashō suffered his first big setback in the May 2007 tournament, dropping his last four matches (all against maegashira ranked wrestlers) to finish with a poor 5-10 record. In July 2007 he won nine of his first ten bouts but lost the last five, finishing on 9-6. He returned to maegashira 1 in September and recorded eight wins, but again was not promoted to the sanyaku ranks, instead being moved from the west to the east side of the banzuke
Banzuke
This article is about the banzuke document, for a list of wrestlers as ranked on an actual banzuke see List of active sumo wrestlersA , officially called is a document listing the rankings of professional sumo wrestlers published before each official tournament or honbasho. The term can also...
. He would only manage three wins at that rank in the November tournament.
At the end of 2007 he dropped 10 kilos in weight, due to the effects of medication for high cholesterol, and he turned in a poor 4-11 score in January 2008, sliding to maegashira 13 for the March 2008 tournament. At this low rank he was able to produce a kachi-koshi score of 9-6. He had climbed to maegashira 2 by September 2008 but was unable to compete in that tournament due to a wrist injury, the first time in his career that he has missed any bouts. After having surgery, he returned in November but despite being ranked as low as maegashira 15 he could only win seven matches.
Homashō was in better condition for the January 2009 tournament and from the very bottom maegashira 16 rank he scored eleven wins and won the Fighting Spirit Prize. In the following tournament in March he won nine bouts in a row from 2-3, finishing as a runner-up with another 11-4 score and winning his second successive Kanto-sho, and third overall. Once again he was denied a sanyaku debut, with the komusubi positions going to Kakuryu and Tochiozan, and was ranked at maegashira 1 for the fourth time in the May 2009 tournament. However, he performed very badly in May, losing his first fourteen matches before managing a solitary win on the final day. He recovered to score 10-5 in July.
He rose to maegashira 2 for the May 2010 tournament, but withdrew after losing his first six matches, citing an injury to his cervical vertebrae
Cervical vertebrae
In vertebrates, cervical vertebrae are those vertebrae immediately inferior to the skull.Thoracic vertebrae in all mammalian species are defined as those vertebrae that also carry a pair of ribs, and lie caudal to the cervical vertebrae. Further caudally follow the lumbar vertebrae, which also...
picked up in training shortly before the tournament. He made a strong comeback in July, winning his first ten bouts and finishing joint runner-up alongside 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...
and Kakuryu on 11-4. He was awarded his fourth Fighting Spirit prize (shared with Aran). In the September tournament he defeated ozeki Kotooshu and Baruto on consecutive days. This came after he had lost his previous twenty matches against ozeki ranked wrestlers. However, he lost five of his last six matches to finish with a disappointing 7-8 score. Ranked at maegashira 2 in May 2011, he won just three bouts; although these did include wins over Kotooshu and sekiwake Kisenosato. Fighting from a more comfortable position at maegashira 9 in the July tournament, he scored 11-4 and won his fifth Fighting Spirit prize and seventh sansho overall. This resulted in his promotion to maegashira 1 for the fifth time in the September 2011 tournament. He is the first wrestler to be ranked at maegashira 1 more than three times without ever making the sanyaku ranks. In the September tournament he went 10-5, including victories over all three ozeki, and this performance saw him finally reach sanyaku in the November 2011 tournament at komusubi rank. At 30 years and six months he became the fourth oldest sanyaku debutant since the six basho a year system began in 1958.
Hōmashō is a popular wrestler amongst sumo fans, and is noted for his deep and graceful bow at the end of a match.
Fighting style
Homasho is a straightforward, unspectacular yotsu-sumo wrestler, rarely employing throwing moves. His favourite grip on his 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:...
is a left hand outside, right hand inside position, or migi-yotsu. Yori-kiri (force out) and yori-taoshi (force out and down) account for about 45 percent of his career wins.
Tournament record
External links
- Japanese Sumo Association Biography (English)(Japanese)
- Complete biography and basho results (Japanese)