Takanoyama Shuntaro
Encyclopedia
Takanoyama Shuntaro is a sumo
wrestler from Prague
, Czech Republic
. He is the first man from the Czech Republic to join the professional sport in Japan
. He reached the third highest makushita division in 2004, but due to his light weight he had difficulty in regularly beating his opponents, despite his skill. However, in May 2011 he finally earned promotion to the sekitori
ranks. After becoming only the third new sekitori since 1958 to pass through juryo division in just one tournament, he made his debut in the top makuuchi
division in September 2011 at maegashira 15.
in the Czech Republic before becoming interested in sumo. The sport is more popular in the Czech Republic than in any other European country, with ten sumo clubs containing some 600 members, and he was trained by Jaroslav Poříz, president of the Czech Sumo Association. After winning the bronze medal in the 2000 Junior World Sumo Championships in Tokyo, he was accepted by Naruto stable
, a heya
in Chiba
run by former yokozuna Takanosato. After passing the physical exam, he made his official debut in November 2001. He was given the shikona
of Takanoyama, meaning "noble mountain." He reached the sandanme division in January 2003, and the third highest makushita division in March 2004. He fell back to sandanme after only two tournaments but returned to makushita in March 2005 and largely remained there for the next six years, unable to break through to the elite sekitori ranks.
Takanoyama was hampered mostly by an inability to put on weight. His height of and weight of 90 kg (198.4 lb; 14.2 st) gave him a body mass index
of 26.3, not significantly overweight. In November 2008 he climbed as high as makushita 13, beating his previous high of makushita 15 set in November 2005, and he moved up to makushita 9 in January 2009. After compiling a 5-2 record in the July tournament, which included a win over the former maegashira Ryuho
, he reached a new highest rank of makushita 4 in September 2009. He produced another good score of 5-2 in May 2010 from makushita 6, which included wins over Jūmonji and Hochiyama. In January 2011 a 6-1 score saw him promoted to a new highest rank of makushita 2 for the May "technical examination tournament." There he scored 5-2, guaranteeing promotion to the juryo division for July. When the banzuke
was released on June 27, Takanoyama was at #5 West, the tenth highest rank in the 26 man division. It took him 57 tournaments from his professional debut to reach juryo, the second slowest among foreign born wrestlers after the Brazilian Wakaazuma.
He had a successful juryo debut, winning seven of his first eight bouts and finishing on 10-5. This earned him immediate promotion to the top makuuchi
division for the September 2011, only the third time since the six tournaments a year system was established in 1958 that a juryo debutant has achieved this (the other two were Daikiko and Ichihara). Weighing in before the tournament at just 98 kg (216.1 lb; 15.4 st), he is the first wrestler under 100 kilos in the top division since Mainoumi in 1997.
Takanoyama had a difficult start to his makuuchi career, losing his first five matches and then only winning the sixth when his opponent inadvertently stepped out of the ring first (isamiashi). However, he picked up a legitimate win on Day 7, downing the 166kg Yoshiazuma with a hooking inner thigh throw (kakenage) and instantly becoming a favourite with the tournament crowd. He finished on 5-10, which will probably send him back to juryo in November.
is uwatenage, or overarm throw, followed by shitatenage (underarm throw) and kakenage (hooking inner thigh throw). He has knowledge of a wide variety of techniques, using 37 different winning kimarite so far in his career.
in his spare time. After reaching juryo he returned to the Czech Republic in the summer of 2011 for the first time since leaving ten years earlier.
After the September 2011 tournament he announced his engagement to a 32 year old domestic helper from Chiba Prefecture
. The couple's first child, a girl, was born in May.
Takanoyama became a sekitori at around the same time as (temporarily) breaking through the 100kg barrier, and attributed his gain in weight to Naruto Oyakata (and the stablemaster's wife) giving him special dishes and snacks at night. However, in November 2011 he was given a warning by the Sumo Association for injecting himself with insulin
that had been prescribed to his stablemaster.
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 Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. He is the first man from the Czech Republic to join the professional 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...
. He reached the third highest makushita division in 2004, but due to his light weight he had difficulty in regularly beating his opponents, despite his skill. However, in May 2011 he finally earned promotion to the 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...
ranks. After becoming only the third new sekitori since 1958 to pass through juryo division in just one tournament, 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 in September 2011 at maegashira 15.
Career
Bojar did judoJudo
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...
in the Czech Republic before becoming interested in sumo. The sport is more popular in the Czech Republic than in any other European country, with ten sumo clubs containing some 600 members, and he was trained by Jaroslav Poříz, president of the Czech Sumo Association. After winning the bronze medal in the 2000 Junior World Sumo Championships in Tokyo, he was accepted by Naruto stable
Naruto stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Nishonoseki group of stables.The stable was established on 1 February 1989 by former yokozuna Takanosato Toshihide. The stable's first sekitori was Rikio in 1994. Three more, Wakanosato, Takanowaka and Kisenosato, have reached sekiwake rank...
, a heya
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...
in Chiba
Chiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...
run by former yokozuna Takanosato. After passing the physical exam, he made his official debut in November 2001. 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...
of Takanoyama, meaning "noble mountain." He reached the sandanme division in January 2003, and the third highest makushita division in March 2004. He fell back to sandanme after only two tournaments but returned to makushita in March 2005 and largely remained there for the next six years, unable to break through to the elite sekitori ranks.
Takanoyama was hampered mostly by an inability to put on weight. His height of and weight of 90 kg (198.4 lb; 14.2 st) gave him a body mass index
Body mass index
The body mass index , or Quetelet index, is a heuristic proxy for human body fat based on an individual's weight and height. BMI does not actually measure the percentage of body fat. It was invented between 1830 and 1850 by the Belgian polymath Adolphe Quetelet during the course of developing...
of 26.3, not significantly overweight. In November 2008 he climbed as high as makushita 13, beating his previous high of makushita 15 set in November 2005, and he moved up to makushita 9 in January 2009. After compiling a 5-2 record in the July tournament, which included a win over the former maegashira Ryuho
Ryuho Masayoshi
Ryūhō Masayoshi is a sumo wrestler from Nakagami, Okinawa, Japan. His highest rank has been maegashira 16.-Career:...
, he reached a new highest rank of makushita 4 in September 2009. He produced another good score of 5-2 in May 2010 from makushita 6, which included wins over Jūmonji and Hochiyama. In January 2011 a 6-1 score saw him promoted to a new highest rank of makushita 2 for the May "technical examination tournament." There he scored 5-2, guaranteeing promotion to the juryo division for July. When 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...
was released on June 27, Takanoyama was at #5 West, the tenth highest rank in the 26 man division. It took him 57 tournaments from his professional debut to reach juryo, the second slowest among foreign born wrestlers after the Brazilian Wakaazuma.
He had a successful juryo debut, winning seven of his first eight bouts and finishing on 10-5. This earned him immediate 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 for the September 2011, only the third time since the six tournaments a year system was established in 1958 that a juryo debutant has achieved this (the other two were Daikiko and Ichihara). Weighing in before the tournament at just 98 kg (216.1 lb; 15.4 st), he is the first wrestler under 100 kilos in the top division since Mainoumi in 1997.
Takanoyama had a difficult start to his makuuchi career, losing his first five matches and then only winning the sixth when his opponent inadvertently stepped out of the ring first (isamiashi). However, he picked up a legitimate win on Day 7, downing the 166kg Yoshiazuma with a hooking inner thigh throw (kakenage) and instantly becoming a favourite with the tournament crowd. He finished on 5-10, which will probably send him back to juryo in November.
Fighting style
Due to his exceptionally light frame Takanoyama relies heavily on throws to defeat his much heavier opponents. His most common winning kimariteKimarite
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 uwatenage, or overarm throw, followed by shitatenage (underarm throw) and kakenage (hooking inner thigh throw). He has knowledge of a wide variety of techniques, using 37 different winning kimarite so far in his career.
Personal life
In an effort to improve his understanding of Japanese culture he watches historical dramas and reads mangaManga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
in his spare time. After reaching juryo he returned to the Czech Republic in the summer of 2011 for the first time since leaving ten years earlier.
After the September 2011 tournament he announced his engagement to a 32 year old domestic helper from Chiba Prefecture
Chiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...
. The couple's first child, a girl, was born in May.
Takanoyama became a sekitori at around the same time as (temporarily) breaking through the 100kg barrier, and attributed his gain in weight to Naruto Oyakata (and the stablemaster's wife) giving him special dishes and snacks at night. However, in November 2011 he was given a warning by the Sumo Association for injecting himself with insulin
Insulin
Insulin is a hormone central to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body. Insulin causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood, storing it as glycogen in the liver and muscle....
that had been prescribed to his stablemaster.