Kotozakura Masakatsu
| Kotozakura Masakatsu | |
|---|---|
| 琴櫻 傑將 | |
| File:Kotozakura Masakatsu Bronze statue.jpg | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | Kamatani Norio November 26, 1940 Kurayoshi, Japan |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. |
| Height | Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). |
| Weight | 150 kg (330 lb) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Sadogatake |
| Record | 723-428-77 |
| Debut | January 1959 |
| Highest rank | Yokozuna (January 1973) |
| Retired | July 1974 |
| Championships | 5 (Makuuchi) 2 (Jūryō) |
| Special Prizes | Outstanding Performance (4) Fighting Spirit (2) |
| Gold Stars | 2 (Kashiwado, Sadanoyama) |
| * Up to date as of August 2007. | |
Kotozakura Masakatsu (琴櫻 傑將, November 26, 1940 – August 14, 2007) was a former sumo wrestler from Kurayoshi, Tottori, Japan. He was the sport's 53rd yokozuna. He made his professional debut in 1959, reaching the top division in 1963. After several years at the second highest rank of ōzeki, in 1973 he was promoted to yokozuna at the age of thirty-two years two months, becoming the oldest wrestler to be promoted to yokozuna since 1958, when the current six tournaments system was established.[1] After his retirement he was head coach of Sadogatake stable and produced a string of top division wrestlers.
Contents
Career
Born Norio Kamatani, he came from a sumo background, as his father was involved in organising regional amateur sumo tournaments and his grandfather's brother had been a professional rikishi.[2] The young Kamatani at first competed in judo, achieving shodan level while still in middle school.[2] However, after doing well in a national high school sumo competition he decided on a career in professional sumo. Initially his parents wanted him to continue with judo but they were persuaded by former komusubi Kotonishiki Noboru to let him join Sadogatake stable.[2]
Kotozakura made his professional debut in January 1959. He reached the jūryō division in July 1962 and the top makuuchi division in March 1963. After making his san'yaku debut at komusubi in January 1964 he suffered an injury and returned to jūryō, but he quickly recovered. After an 11-4 record at sekiwake in September 1967 he was awarded the Outstanding Performance prize and promotion to ōzeki. He won two tournament championships in July 1968 and March 1969, but by the early 1970s he had begun to be regarded as something of a "perpetual ōzeki", often struggling with injuries and finding it difficult to come up with the necessary wins to maintain his rank.[2] He was kadoban, or in danger of demotion from ōzeki, three times during this period. Remarkably however, he won consecutive championships in November 1972 and January 1973 to earn promotion to yokozuna at the age of thirty two, after thirty two tournaments at ōzeki. In July 1973 he defeated Kitanofuji in a playoff to win his only championship as a yokozuna. After injuring his knee in 1974 he withdrew from several tournaments and announced his retirement that July.
After Retirement
Kotozakura had been expecting to open up his own training stable, but when his stablemaster died suddenly just days after Kotozakura's retirement, he took over Sadogatake stable instead. He produced many top division wrestlers over the years, such as ōzeki Kotokaze, Kotoōshū, Kotomitsuki and Kotoshōgiku and sekiwake Kotogaume, Kotofuji, Kotonishiki, and Kotonowaka. When yokozuna Asashōryū was criticized for his behaviour in 2003, he defended the Mongolian by pointing out the lack of emotional strength in young Japanese sumo wrestlers today.[3] Upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of sixty five in November 2005 he passed on ownership of the stable to Kotonowaka, who had become his son-in-law. Shortly after attending the ōzeki promotion ceremony of Kotomitsuki, Kotozakura died on August 14, 2007.[4] He had battled diabetes for several years and had also suffered the trauma of a leg amputation.
Fighting style
Kotozakura's favoured techniques were the two most common kimarite in sumo - yorikiri (force out) and oshidashi (push out). When grabbing his opponent's mawashi he preferred a migi-yotsu, or left hand outside, right hand inside grip.
Career record
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | (Maezumo) | East Jonokuchi #20 7–1 |
East Jonidan #93 6–2 |
East Jonidan #55 6–2 |
West Jonidan #21 6–2 |
West Sandanme #85 6–2 |
| 1960 | East Sandanme #52 7–1–PP Champion |
East Sandanme #17 4–4 |
East Sandanme #17 3–5 |
East Sandanme #29 6–1 |
East Makushita #84 5–2 |
West Makushita #68 6–1 |
| 1961 | West Makushita #46 5–2 |
West Makushita #33 4–3 |
East Makushita #24 4–3 |
West Makushita #20 3–4 |
East Makushita #25 2–5 |
East Makushita #37 7–0–P |
| 1962 | East Makushita #7 3–4 |
East Makushita #9 5–2 |
East Makushita #2 6–1 |
East Jūryō #16 11–4–PP Champion |
West Jūryō #7 7–8 |
West Jūryō #8 8–7 |
| 1963 | West Jūryō #4 13–2 Champion |
East Maegashira #13 6–9 |
East Jūryō #2 11–4 |
East Maegashira #15 9–6 |
West Maegashira #9 12–3 F |
East Maegashira #1 8–7 O |
| 1964 | West Komusubi #1 3–4–8 |
East Maegashira #5 Sat out due to injury 0–0–15 |
East Maegashira #15 5–10 |
West Jūryō #2 9–6 |
East Jūryō #1 10–5 |
East Maegashira #12 10–5 |
| 1965 | West Maegashira #4 10–5 |
West Komusubi #1 8–7 |
West Sekiwake #1 8–7 |
East Sekiwake #1 6–9 |
East Maegashira #1 9–6 O★★ |
West Komusubi #1 10–5 |
| 1966 | East Komusubi #1 8–7 |
East Komusubi #1 5–10 |
East Maegashira #3 10–5 |
East Komusubi #1 9–6 |
West Sekiwake #1 7–8 |
West Komusubi #1 10–5 O |
| 1967 | East Sekiwake #1 8–7 |
East Sekiwake #1 7–8 |
East Komusubi #1 10–5 |
West Sekiwake #1 11–4 F |
East Sekiwake #1 11–4 O |
East Ōzeki #2 8–7 |
| 1968 | West Ōzeki #2 10–5 |
East Ōzeki #2 10–5 |
East Ōzeki #2 9–6 |
West Ōzeki #2 13–2 |
East Ōzeki #1 6–5–4 |
East Ōzeki #2 10–5 |
| 1969 | East Ōzeki #2 5–10 |
East Ōzeki #2 13–2 |
East Ōzeki #1 8–7 |
East Ōzeki #2 11–4 |
West Ōzeki #1 10–5 |
East Ōzeki #2 9–6 |
| 1970 | East Ōzeki #2 9–6 |
West Ōzeki #1 10–5 |
East Ōzeki #1 9–6 |
West Ōzeki #1 11–4 |
West Ōzeki #1 8–7 |
East Ōzeki #2 9–6 |
| 1971 | East Ōzeki #2 9–6 |
West Ōzeki #1 11–4 |
East Ōzeki #1 2–4–9 |
West Ōzeki #2 9–6 |
East Ōzeki #2 10–5 |
West Ōzeki #1 2–4–9 |
| 1972 | West Ōzeki #2 10–5 |
East Ōzeki #1 10–5 |
East Ōzeki #1 1–2–12 |
West Ōzeki #2 8–7 |
West Ōzeki #1 9–6 |
West Ōzeki #2 14–1 |
| 1973 | East Ōzeki #1 14–1 |
East Yokozuna #1 11–4 |
West Yokozuna #1 10–5 |
West Yokozuna #1 14–1–P |
East Yokozuna #1 9–6 |
West Yokozuna #1 11–4 |
| 1974 | West Yokozuna #1 3–3–9 |
West Yokozuna #1 8–7 |
West Yokozuna #1 0–4–11 |
West Yokozuna #1 Retired 0–0 |
||
| 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) |
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See also
- Glossary of sumo terms
- List of past sumo wrestlers
- List of sumo tournament top division champions
- List of sumo tournament second division champions
- List of yokozuna
References
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External links
| Previous: Kitanofuji Katsuaki |
53rd Yokozuna 1973–1974 |
Next: Wajima Hiroshi |
| Yokozuna is not a successive rank, and more than one wrestler can share the title | ||
