Ōshio Kenji

Ōshio Kenji
大潮 憲司
Personal information
Born Kenji Hatano
(1948-01-04) January 4, 1948
Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight 134 kg (295 lb)
Career
Stable Tokitsukaze
Record 964-929-47
Debut January 1962
Highest rank Komusubi (January 1978)
Retired January 1988
Championships 3 (Jūryō)
Special Prizes 1 (Fighting Spirit)
1 (Technique)
Gold Stars 3
Kitanoumi (2)
Wajima
* Up to date as of November 2007.

Ōshio Kenji (born 4 January 1948 as Kenji Hatano) is a former sumo wrestler from Kitakyushu, Japan. His highest rank was komusubi. His career lasted twenty six years, from 1962 until 1988, and he holds the record for the most bouts contested in professional sumo.

Career

He was born in Yahata Higashi ward. He made his professional debut in January 1962 at the age of just 14, joining Tokitsukaze stable. His first stablemaster was the former yokozuna Futabayama. He initially fought under his own surname, Hatano, before adopting the shikona of Ōshio in 1969. He reached the second highest jūryō division in November 1969 and was promoted to the top makuuchi division for the first time in September 1971. He reached his top rank of komusubi in January 1978, but held it for only one tournament. In the May 1978 tournament he defeated Wajima on the opening day, his first ever victory over a yokozuna. He was to earn two more kinboshi in September 1982 and January 1983, at the age of 35. He also earned two special prizes, for Technique and Fighting Spirit.

During his extraordinarily long career Ōshio was ranked in makuuchi for 51 tournaments and 55 tournaments in jūryō, for a total of 106 ranked as an elite sekitori wrestler, a record that stood until 2002 when it was broken by Terao. He holds the "elevator" record for winning promotion to makuuchi from jūryō a total of 13 times.[1] The longest he was able to stay in the top division consecutively was 18 tournaments between January 1981 and November 1983. He fell from makuuchi for the last time in May 1984 and announced his retirement in January 1988 at the age of forty after falling into the non-salaried makushita division.[1] He had competed in 157 tournaments, and had fought a total of 1891 career bouts, which is an all-time record.[2] His total of 964 career wins was also a record at the time, although it was surpassed by Chiyonofuji less than two years later, in September 1989.

Retirement from sumo

Ōshio remained in the sumo world as an elder of the Japan Sumo Association and set up Shikihide stable in May 1992.[1] He did not produce a sekitori until 2012, when his top wrestler Senshō of Mongolia finally won promotion to jūryō in the January tournament after eleven years in sumo. The nineteen years and nine months Shikihide stable took to produce a sekitori is the longest by a newly established stable since World War II.[3] (Senshō also took longer to reach the sekitori ranks than any other foreign recruit since WWII.)[3] He stood down as the head of the stable in December 2012 as he was shortly to reach the mandatory retirement age of 65, and passed over control to the former maegashira Kitazakura. Unusually, Kitazakura belongs to a different ichimon, Dewanoumi, but there was a personal connection as Ōshio was a close friend of Kitazakura′s father.

His son Koichi was born in 1984 and joined Shikihide stable in 1999, fighting under the name of Tamahikari. He reached a highest rank of sandanme 87 before retiring in 2011.

Fighting style

Ōshio's preferred grip on his opponent's mawashi was hidari-yotsu, a right hand outside, left hand inside position. His most commonly used kimarite at sekitori level was yori-kiri, a straightforward force out, which was used in around 30 percent of his victories. He also won frequently with oshi-dashi (push out), yori taoshi (force out and down) and uwatenage (overarm throw).[4]

Career record

Ōshio Kenji[5]
Year in sumo January
Hatsu basho, Tokyo		 March
Haru basho, Osaka		 May
Natsu basho, Tokyo		 July
Nagoya basho, Nagoya		 September
Aki basho, Tokyo		 November
Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
1962 (Maezumo) East Jonokuchi #21
2–5
 		 East Jonokuchi #11
4–3
 		 West Jonidan #72
3–4
 		 West Jonidan #76
3–4
 		 West Jonidan #77
6–1
 
1963 East Jonidan #24
4–3
 		 East Sandanme #85
3–4
 		 East Jonidan #10
2–5
 		 East Jonidan #39
5–2
 		 East Sandanme #92
3–4
 		 East Jonidan #7
4–3
 
1964 West Sandanme #82
3–4
 		 East Sandanme #87
5–2
 		 West Sandanme #53
5–2
 		 East Sandanme #24
3–4
 		 West Sandanme #32
4–3
 		 East Sandanme #19
4–3
 
1965 East Sandanme #8
5–2
 		 East Makushita #74
3–4
 		 East Makushita #80
4–3
 		 West Makushita #76
4–3
 		 West Makushita #69
5–2
 		 East Makushita #46
4–3
 
1966 West Makushita #41
4–3
 		 West Makushita #38
6–1
 		 West Makushita #15
3–4
 		 West Makushita #17
4–3
 		 East Makushita #13
2–5
 		 East Makushita #24
3–4
 
1967 East Makushita #28
3–4
 		 West Makushita #31
4–3
 		 East Makushita #31
5–2
 		 West Makushita #17
4–3
 		 East Makushita #14
4–3
 		 East Makushita #10
4–3
 
1968 West Makushita #7
4–3
 		 East Makushita #6
4–3
 		 East Makushita #2
3–4
 		 East Makushita #5
3–4
 		 West Makushita #8
5–2
 		 East Makushita #3
4–3
 
1969 West Makushita #2
4–3
 		 West Makushita #1
4–3
 		 East Makushita #1
2–5
 		 East Makushita #8
5–2
 		 West Makushita #1
5–2
 		 East Jūryō #13
9–6
 
1970 West Jūryō #8
7–8
 		 West Jūryō #10
8–7
 		 East Jūryō #7
10–5
 		 East Jūryō #3
5–10
 		 West Jūryō #10
8–7
 		 West Jūryō #8
8–7
 
1971 West Jūryō #4
7–8
 		 West Jūryō #7
9–6
 		 East Jūryō #5
11–4–P
Champion
 		 East Jūryō #1
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #12
6–9
 		 West Jūryō #1
9–6
 
1972 West Maegashira #11
6–9
 		 East Jūryō #2
9–6
 		 East Maegashira #12
4–6–5
 		 East Jūryō #5
Sat out due to injury
0–0–15		 East Jūryō #5
9–6
 		 West Jūryō #1
11–4–P
 
1973 East Maegashira #10
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #7
6–9
 		 West Maegashira #11
6–9
 		 East Jūryō #1
10–5
 		 East Maegashira #11
6–9
 		 West Jūryō #2
9–6
 
1974 West Jūryō #1
10–5
 		 West Maegashira #10
6–9
 		 West Jūryō #1
6–9
 		 East Jūryō #4
8–7
 		 East Jūryō #1
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #12
7–8
 
1975 West Maegashira #14
7–8
 		 West Jūryō #1
9–6
 		 East Maegashira #14
7–8
 		 East Jūryō #1
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #10
7–8
 		 West Maegashira #11
6–9
 
1976 East Jūryō #1
9–6
 		 East Maegashira #13
10–5
 		 East Maegashira #4
5–10
 		 East Maegashira #9
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #7
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #3
6–9
 
1977 East Maegashira #6
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #10
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #11
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #5
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #1
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #3
9–6
T
1978 East Komusubi #1
3–12
 		 East Maegashira #6
10–5
 		 East Maegashira #1
5–10
★		 East Maegashira #6
5–10
 		 West Maegashira #10
7–8
 		 West Maegashira #11
5–10
 
1979 East Jūryō #4
11–4–P
Champion
 		 West Maegashira #11
1–2–12
 		 West Jūryō #7
Sat out due to injury
0–0–15		 East Makushita #5
4–3
 		 West Makushita #1
5–2
 		 West Jūryō #3
9–6
 
1980 West Jūryō #7
8–7
 		 West Jūryō #6
8–7
 		 East Jūryō #5
7–8
 		 East Jūryō #7
7–8
 		 East Jūryō #9
10–5
 		 East Jūryō #3
12–3
Champion
 
1981 West Maegashira #10
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #6
6–9
 		 West Maegashira #8
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #6
7–8
 		 West Maegashira #6
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #7
7–8
 
1982 East Maegashira #8
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #3
4–11
 		 East Maegashira #10
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #6
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #2
4–11
★		 West Maegashira #8
10–5
F
1983 East Maegashira #1
5–10
★		 West Maegashira #5
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #6
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #9
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #11
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #12
6–9
 
1984 West Jūryō #1
10–5
 		 West Maegashira #11
7–8
 		 West Maegashira #12
5–10
 		 West Jūryō #2
8–7
 		 East Jūryō #1
5–10
 		 East Jūryō #9
11–4–PP
 
1985 West Jūryō #3
5–10
 		 East Jūryō #7
10–5
 		 West Jūryō #2
9–6
 		 East Jūryō #1
4–11
 		 West Jūryō #10
7–8
 		 West Jūryō #12
8–7
 
1986 East Jūryō #8
7–8
 		 East Jūryō #10
8–7
 		 East Jūryō #9
7–8
 		 East Jūryō #11
7–8
 		 West Jūryō #12
9–6
 		 East Jūryō #8
7–8
 
1987 West Jūryō #10
6–9
 		 West Jūryō #13
6–9
 		 East Makushita #3
5–2
 		 West Jūryō #12
10–5
 		 West Jūryō #6
4–11
 		 West Jūryō #13
7–8
 
1988 West Makushita #1
Retired
2–5
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Retired Lower Divisions

Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique     Also shown: ★=Kinboshi(s); P=Playoff(s)
Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna — Ōzeki — Sekiwake — Komusubi — Maegashira

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Sharnoff, Lora (1993). Grand Sumo. Weatherhill. ISBN 0-8348-0283-X.
  2. ↑ Tochitenko fought in 175 tournaments but had only 1246 matches due to being mostly ranked in lower divisions where wrestlers fight only seven bouts per tournament.
  3. 1 2 "2012 March Grand Sumo Tournament Banzuke Topics". February 2012. Archived from the original on 1 March 2012.
  4. ↑ "Oshio bouts by kimarite". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
  5. ↑ "Ōshio Kenji Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2012-08-14.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/18/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.