Sadanoumi Takashi
| Sadanoumi Takashi 佐田の海 貴士 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal information | |
| Born |
Kaname Matsumura May 11, 1987 Kumamoto City, Japan |
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Weight | 136 kg (300 lb) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Sakaigawa |
| Current rank | see below |
| Debut | March, 2003 |
| Highest rank | Maegashira 1 (July, 2015) |
| Championships | 1 (Makushita) 1 (Sandanme |
| Special Prizes | Fighting Spirit |
| Gold Stars | 1 (Harumafuji) |
| * Up to date as of April 25, 2016. | |
Sadanoumi Takashi (佐田の海 貴士, born May 11, 1987 as Kaname Matsumura) is a professional sumo wrestler from Kumamoto, Japan. He made his debut in 2003, and reached the top makuuchi division eleven years later in 2014. His highest rank has been maegashira 1. He has one special prize for Fighting Spirit and one gold star for defeating a yokozuna.
Early life and sumo background
Matsumura was born the oldest son of the sumo star also known as Sadanoumi who was active in the 1980s, who reached the rank of komusubi and was well known for his swift sumo technique. Matsumura aspired from a young age to follow in his father's footsteps and upon graduation from junior high school in 2003 he joined Sakaigawa stable which was founded by former komusubi Ryōgoku who had himself been a protege of the senior Sadanoumi.
Career
From the January 2004 tournament, he took the ring name of his father. Being a lighter wrestler, he struggled to succeed for a number of years, but in November 2007 he managed to take the sandanme division championship with a perfect 7-0 record. This championship catapulted him from sandanme 44 into the third division at the rank of makushita 27. Despite this achievement he would struggle in makushita for 3 more years until January 2010 when he took his second championship with another 7-0 record. This would put him in upper makushita where after two tournaments he was promoted to the salaried ranks of jūryō for the first time in July 2010. This was the first time in 14 years that the son of a former sekitori was promoted to sekitori himself; the last time being the father and son Tochiazuma. He lasted eight tournaments in the division before being demoted again, sitting out his last tournament in jūryō with a dislocated ankle. As before he began to struggle again in makushita and would remain there for twelve tournaments before working his way back up and finally re-entering jūryō in January 2014.[1] This time around he found his stride quickly and was able to rise through jūryō in only two tournaments with two strong performances. He was promoted to the top division makuuchi in May 2014. His made a splash in his top division debut, earning an 10-5 record and the Fighting Spirit prize. Sumo historians noted that Sadanoumi had repeated his father's same impressive achievement of earning the Fighting Spirit prize in his makuuchi debut 34 years earlier in 1980. This was the first such repeat in the history of sumo.
For a few tournaments after his makuuchi debut, when he appeared in the ring entering ceremony, Sadanoumi wore a keshō-mawashi with the official Kumamoto prefectural mascot Kumamon on it to promote his home prefecture.[2]
Sadanoumi has a chronic disease of the cornea which severely limits his vision. In order to avoid risky surgery he wears special hard contacts every night that dramatically improve his vision for the following day.[3]
He first fought all the top wrestlers ranked at maegashira #2 in the March 2015 tournament and posted a respectable 7-8 score that kept him ranked high enough to face all the top competition in the following tournament, where he scored his first kinboshi for defeating a yokozuna Harumafuji and posted a winning record of 8-7, also beating the eventual tournament champion, Terunofuji. He was nominated for the Outstanding Performance Prize, normally given to those who beat the tournament champion or a yokozuna and manage a winning record, but there was opposition since he posted a bare minimum winning record with one win by default and the prize was not awarded.[4] Nonetheless he was promoted to his highest rank to date of maegashira 1 for the July 2015 tournament. Since then his results have been disappointing and he has slid down the maegashira ranks with five consecutive make-koshi or losing scores.
Fighting style
Sadanoumi is a yotsu-sumo wrestler who prefers grappling techniques to pushing or thrusting. His favoured grip on his opponent's mawashi or belt is migi-yotsu, a left hand outside, right hand inside position. His most common winning kimarite is yori-kiri, a straightforward force out, which accounts for around 40 per cent of his victories.[5] He is also fond of uwate-nage (overarm throw).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | x | (Maezumo) | West Jonokuchi #27
3–4 | West Jonokuchi #12
4–3 | East Jonidan #100
2–5 | West Jonokuchi #10
5–2 |
| 2004 | East Jonidan #67
2–5 | West Jonidan #91
3–4 | East Jonidan #109
5–2 | East Jonidan #65
4–3 | East Jonidan #42
3–4 | West Jonidan #61
4–3 |
| 2005 | West Jonidan #36
6–1 | West Sandanme #70
4–3 | West Sandanme #53
1–6 | East Sandanme #84
5–2 | West Sandanme #52
3–4 | West Sandanme #69
2–5 |
| 2006 | East Sandanme #96
5–2 | East Sandanme #63
3–4 | East Sandanme #78
5–2 | East Sandanme #44
5–2 | East Sandanme #16
3–4 | West Sandanme #30
3–4 |
| 2007 | East Sandanme #46
5–2 | East Sandanme #20
4–3 | West Sandanme #7
1–6 | East Sandanme #39
2–5 | West Sandanme #64
4–3 | East Sandanme #44
7–0 Champion |
| 2008 | East Makushita #27
4–3 | East Makushita #20
2–5 | East Makushita #34
5–2 | East Makushita #24
4–3 | East Makushita #20
1–6 | West Makushita #44
5–2 |
| 2009 | West Makushita #29
3–4 | East Makushita #38
4–3 | East Makushita #31
4–3 | West Makushita #25
3–4 | West Makushita #32
3–4 | West Makushita #40
5–2 |
| 2010 | East Makushita #29
7–0 Champion | West Makushita #2
3–4 | East Makushita #5
5–2 | West Jūryō #14
9–6 | West Jūryō #5
6–9 | West Jūryō #9
8–7 |
| 2011 | East Jūryō #7
7–8 |
Tournament Cancelled 0–0–0 | East Jūryō #8
5–10 | East Jūryō #6
7–8 | East Jūryō #8
7–8 | West Jūryō #9
Sat out due to injury 0–0–15 |
| 2012 | East Makushita #8
1–6 | West Makushita #23
5–2 | East Makushita #15
2–5 | East Makushita #25
5–2 | East Makushita #17
5–2 | East Makushita #6
4–3 |
| 2013 | West Makushita #1
3–4 |
West Makushita #4
2–3–2 |
East Makushita #12
3–4 |
West Makushita #19
4–3 |
West Makushita #15
6–1 |
East Makushita #5
4–3 |
| 2014 | West Jūryō #13
11–4 |
West Jūryō #4
8–7 |
East Maegashira #17
10–5 F |
East Maegashira #11
6–9 |
East Maegashira #12
8–7 |
West Maegashira #7
7–8 |
| 2015 | West Maegashira #8
9–6 |
East Maegashira #2
7–8 |
East Maegashira #3
8–7 ★ |
West Maegashira #1
6–9 |
East Maegashira #3
6–9 |
West Maegashira #5
5–10 |
| 2016 | East Maegashira #9
7–8 |
West Maegashira #9
7–8 |
East Maegashira #10
– |
x | x | x |
| 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) | ||||||
See also
References
- 1 2 "Sadanoumi Takashi Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2014-10-04.
- ↑ An item for Sadanoumi from Kumamon - Nikkan Sports 2014/4/23
- ↑ http://www.chunichi.co.jp/chuspo/article/sumo/news/CK2014052102000174.html Sadanoumi is the first to repeat own father's achievement of a Special Prize in his makuuchi debut - Chunichi Sports 2014/5/21
- ↑ http://www.sumoforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=34067
- ↑ "Sadanoumi bouts by kimarite". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
External links
- Sadanoumi Takashi's official biography (English) at the Grand Sumo Homepage