Kimurayama Mamoru
Encyclopedia
Kimurayama Mamoru is a professional sumo
wrestler from Wakayama Prefecture
, Japan
. His highest rank has been maegashira 7.
, he was an amateur champion at Toyo University
, but did not have enough collegiate titles to receive makushita tsukedashi status and join professional sumo in the third highest makushita division, instead beginning at the bottom of the rankings in March 2004. He joined Kasugano stable
, run by another Wakayama Prefecture native, the former sekiwake Tochinowaka. His shikona
or fighting name was adapted from his own surname, which is also a time-honoured name in Kasugano stable, being the name of a gyoji
or referee, Kimura Soshiro, who ran the stable in the early 20th century.
Kimurayama reached sekitori
status in January 2008 upon promotion to the second highest jūryō division and won his first yusho
or tournament championship in the following tournament with a 12-3 record. He made his debut in the top makuuchi
division two tournaments later at maegashira 12, but fell short with a 7-8 record. He won his second jūryō championship in March 2010, after a three way playoff with Koryu
and Tamaasuka. He did not manage a kachi-koshi or winning record in the top division until his eighth try in July 2010. This performance, and another 8-7 in September, resulted in promotion to his highest rank to date of maegashira 7 for the November 2010 tournament. He has remained in the top division since then, and actually moved up from magashira 17 to maegashira 15 despite only scoring 7-8 in the May 2011 Technical Examination tournament, due to the large number of retirements caused by a match-fixing scandal. Despite recording his fifth successive make-koshi in September, he remained in makuuchi for the November tournament. Of his 14 top division tournaments, only two have resulted in winning records (both 8-7).
He is the only wrestler in the top three divisions from Wakayama Prefecture.
. His most common winning kimarite
is a simple oshi-dashi, or push out. He frequently employs the sidestepping henka move at the tachi-ai
or initial charge, and consequently wins many bouts by hiki-otoshi, the pull down, and tsuki-otoshi, the thrust over.
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 Wakayama Prefecture
Wakayama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the Kii Peninsula in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Wakayama.- History :Present-day Wakayama is mostly the western part of the province of Kii.- 1953 Wakayama Prefecture flood disaster :...
, 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 has been maegashira 7.
Career
Born in GoboGobo, Wakayama
is a city located in Wakayama, Japan.As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 27,483 and the density of . The total area is .The city was founded on April 1, 1954....
, he was an amateur champion at Toyo University
Toyo University
Toyo University is a university with several branches in Japan, including .- Overview :...
, but did not have enough collegiate titles to receive makushita tsukedashi status and join professional sumo in the third highest makushita division, instead beginning at the bottom of the rankings in March 2004. He joined Kasugano stable
Kasugano stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi group of stables. As of November 2007 it had 24 wrestlers. It is currently one of the most successful stables, with five sekitori wrestlers, including the Georgian Tochinoshin and the Korean born Tochinowaka, who uses the current head coach's...
, run by another Wakayama Prefecture native, the former sekiwake Tochinowaka. 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...
or fighting name was adapted from his own surname, which is also a time-honoured name in Kasugano stable, being the name of a gyoji
Gyoji
A Gyōji is a referee in professional sumo wrestling in Japan.Gyōji usually enter the sumo world as teenagers and remain employees of the Sumo Association until they retire aged 65.-Responsibilities:...
or referee, Kimura Soshiro, who ran the stable in the early 20th century.
Kimurayama reached 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 in January 2008 upon promotion to the second highest jūryō division and won his first 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 following tournament with a 12-3 record. 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 two tournaments later at maegashira 12, but fell short with a 7-8 record. He won his second jūryō championship in March 2010, after a three way playoff with Koryu
Kōryū Tadaharu
Kōryū Tadaharu is a Mongolian former sumo wrestler from Ulan Bator. His highest rank was maegashira 11. He was forced to retire from sumo in 2011 after being found guilty of match-fixing.-Early years and entry into sumo:...
and Tamaasuka. He did not manage a kachi-koshi or winning record in the top division until his eighth try in July 2010. This performance, and another 8-7 in September, resulted in promotion to his highest rank to date of maegashira 7 for the November 2010 tournament. He has remained in the top division since then, and actually moved up from magashira 17 to maegashira 15 despite only scoring 7-8 in the May 2011 Technical Examination tournament, due to the large number of retirements caused by a match-fixing scandal. Despite recording his fifth successive make-koshi in September, he remained in makuuchi for the November tournament. Of his 14 top division tournaments, only two have resulted in winning records (both 8-7).
He is the only wrestler in the top three divisions from Wakayama Prefecture.
Fighting style
Kimurayama favours pushing and thrusting techniques as opposed to fighting on the 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:...
. 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 a simple oshi-dashi, or push out. He frequently employs the sidestepping henka move at the tachi-ai
Tachi-ai
The tachi-ai is the initial charge between two sumo wrestlers at the beginning of a bout.There are several common techniques that wrestlers use at the tachi-ai, with the aim of getting a decisive advantage in the bout:...
or initial charge, and consequently wins many bouts by hiki-otoshi, the pull down, and tsuki-otoshi, the thrust over.
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