Kiyokuni Katsuo
Encyclopedia
Kiyokuni Katsuo is a former sumo
wrestler from Akita
, Japan
. His highest rank was ozeki, which he held from 1969 to 1974. He won one top division yusho
or tournament championship and was a runner-up in five other tournaments. He also earned seven special prizes
and seven gold stars
. After his retirement he was the head coach of Isegahama stable
.
). Initially fighting under the shikona
of Wakaikuni, he rose slowly up the ranks, eventually reaching the second highest juryo division in May 1963, after 26 tournaments in makushita. He was promoted to the top makuuchi
division in November 1963. In just his second makuuchi tournament, ranked at maegashira 13, he produced a superb 14-1 record, losing only on the final day and finishing runner-up to yokozuna Taiho who won with an unbeaten score. He was awarded the Technique Prize
and was promoted straight to sekiwake, sumo's third highest rank. He defeated yokozuna in three consecutive tournaments from September 1964 to January 1965, earning promotion back to the sanyaku ranks.
After a year or so of being stuck at the sekiwake rank, Kiyokuni was finally promoted to ozeki in May 1969 after his second runner-up performance. Although he had scored only 31 wins in the three tournaments prior to his promotion, below the usual threshold of 33, he immediately dispelled any doubts over his worthiness by taking what was to be his only tournament championship or yusho
in his ozeki debut, defeating Taiho for only the third time in 25 meetings to finish one win ahead of him on 12-3. This was to be the last yusho by a member of the Tatsunami-Isegahama ichimon or group of stables until ozeki Asahifuji won his first championship in January 1988.
Kiyokuni was never able to make yokozuna, partly due to neck and spinal injuries from which he never fully recovered. Nevetheless, he was a strong ozeki, remaining there for 28 basho and finishing runner-up in May 1971, May 1973 and September 1973. He retired in January 1974, due to a heart complaint.
after his retirement, and in April 1977 he became head coach of Isegahama stable
following the death of his second stablemaster, former yokozuna Terukuni, who had been in charge since 1961. Initially he had some success, overseeing the late blooming Kurosegawa's rise to komusubi in 1980 and also producing Wakasegawa who reached the top division in 1983. However, On August 12, 1985 Isegahama's wife and two children died in the Japan Airlines Flight 123
disaster. He was never the same again and the stable began to deteriorate. He was demoted from his position in the Sumo Association after giving an outspoken interview to the Shukan Post
in 2004 in which he criticised the attitude of amateur college champions and foreigners in sumo and made allegations of match-fixing and steroid abuse. By the time he reached the mandatory retirement age of sixty-five in November 2006, there were just two active wrestlers in Isegahama stable left, compared with dozens when he took over. Much to his chagrin he had not even been able to persuade his nephews, Tamanoshima and Tamamitsukuni to join, the two eventual sekitori opting for Kataonami stable
instead. With no long term successor to Kiyokuni available, former maegashira Katsuhikari took on the Isegahama name, but he dissolved the stable, which dated back to 1859, on February 1, 2007. Its two remaining wrestlers moved to Kiriyama stable
. In an attempt to revive the fortunes of the once prestigious Isegahama name, it was assumed by the former Asahifuji in December of that year, who renamed his existing Ajigawa stable to Isegahama stable.
, yorikiri (force out), and oshidashi (push out).
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 Akita
Akita Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region of northern Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Akita.- History :The area of Akita has been created from the ancient provinces of Dewa and Mutsu....
, 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 was ozeki, which he held from 1969 to 1974. He won one top division 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 and was a runner-up in five other tournaments. He also 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:...
and seven gold stars
Kinboshi
Kinboshi is a notation used in professional sumo wrestling to record a lower-ranked wrestler's victory over a yokozuna....
. After his retirement he was the head coach of Isegahama stable
Isegahama stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Tatsunami ichimon or group of stables. It was re-established by the 63rd Yokozuna Asahifuji Seiya in November 2007, who re-named his Ajigawa stable when he acquired the Isegahama toshiyori name....
.
Career
Recruited by former sekiwake Kiyosegawa, he made his professional debut in September 1956 (in the same tournament as TaihoTaiho Koki
Taihō Kōki is the 48th Yokozuna in the Japanese 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...
). Initially fighting under 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...
of Wakaikuni, he rose slowly up the ranks, eventually reaching the second highest juryo division in May 1963, after 26 tournaments in makushita. He was promoted 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 in November 1963. In just his second makuuchi tournament, ranked at maegashira 13, he produced a superb 14-1 record, losing only on the final day and finishing runner-up to yokozuna Taiho who won with an unbeaten score. He was awarded the Technique 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:...
and was promoted straight to sekiwake, sumo's third highest rank. He defeated yokozuna in three consecutive tournaments from September 1964 to January 1965, earning promotion back to the sanyaku ranks.
After a year or so of being stuck at the sekiwake rank, Kiyokuni was finally promoted to ozeki in May 1969 after his second runner-up performance. Although he had scored only 31 wins in the three tournaments prior to his promotion, below the usual threshold of 33, he immediately dispelled any doubts over his worthiness by taking what was to be his only tournament championship or 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...
in his ozeki debut, defeating Taiho for only the third time in 25 meetings to finish one win ahead of him on 12-3. This was to be the last yusho by a member of the Tatsunami-Isegahama ichimon or group of stables until ozeki Asahifuji won his first championship in January 1988.
Kiyokuni was never able to make yokozuna, partly due to neck and spinal injuries from which he never fully recovered. Nevetheless, he was a strong ozeki, remaining there for 28 basho and finishing runner-up in May 1971, May 1973 and September 1973. He retired in January 1974, due to a heart complaint.
Retirement from sumo
Kiyokuni became an oyakata, or elder of the Japan Sumo AssociationJapan 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...
after his retirement, and in April 1977 he became head coach of Isegahama stable
Isegahama stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Tatsunami ichimon or group of stables. It was re-established by the 63rd Yokozuna Asahifuji Seiya in November 2007, who re-named his Ajigawa stable when he acquired the Isegahama toshiyori name....
following the death of his second stablemaster, former yokozuna Terukuni, who had been in charge since 1961. Initially he had some success, overseeing the late blooming Kurosegawa's rise to komusubi in 1980 and also producing Wakasegawa who reached the top division in 1983. However, On August 12, 1985 Isegahama's wife and two children died in the Japan Airlines Flight 123
Japan Airlines Flight 123
Japan Airlines Flight 123 was a Japan Airlines domestic flight from Tokyo International Airport to Osaka International Airport on August 12, 1985. The Boeing 747-146SR that made this route, registered , suffered mechanical failures 12 minutes into the flight and 32 minutes later crashed into two...
disaster. He was never the same again and the stable began to deteriorate. He was demoted from his position in the Sumo Association after giving an outspoken interview to the Shukan Post
Shukan Gendai
is a Japanese weekly magazine published since 1959 by Kodansha. Published simultaneously with Weekly Post , it includes articles about political scandals, sports and celebrities; nude photos; movie information; book reviews; and other articles of interest to middle-aged salarymen...
in 2004 in which he criticised the attitude of amateur college champions and foreigners in sumo and made allegations of match-fixing and steroid abuse. By the time he reached the mandatory retirement age of sixty-five in November 2006, there were just two active wrestlers in Isegahama stable left, compared with dozens when he took over. Much to his chagrin he had not even been able to persuade his nephews, Tamanoshima and Tamamitsukuni to join, the two eventual sekitori opting for Kataonami stable
Kataonami Stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Nishonoseki group of stables. It was founded in 1961 by former sekiwake Tamanoumi Daitaro of the Nishonoseki Stable. Former sekiwake Tamanofuji took over the running of the stable upon Tamanoumi's death in 1987. In February 2010 he passed control over to...
instead. With no long term successor to Kiyokuni available, former maegashira Katsuhikari took on the Isegahama name, but he dissolved the stable, which dated back to 1859, on February 1, 2007. Its two remaining wrestlers moved to Kiriyama stable
Kiriyama stable
was a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tatsunami ichimon of group of stables. It was set up in January 1995 by the former komusubi Kurosegawa, who branched out from the now defunct Isegahama stable and took with him the remaining members of the Onaruto stable which closed at the end of 1994....
. In an attempt to revive the fortunes of the once prestigious Isegahama name, it was assumed by the former Asahifuji in December of that year, who renamed his existing Ajigawa stable to Isegahama stable.
Fighting style
Kiyokuni favoured techniques were hidari-yotsu (a right hand outside, left hand inside 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:...
, yorikiri (force out), and oshidashi (push out).
Top division 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