Sakahoko Nobushige

Sakahoko Nobushige
逆鉾 伸重
Personal information
Born Yoshiaki Fukuzono
(1961-06-18) June 18, 1961
Kagoshima, Japan
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 12 in)
Weight 129 kg (284 lb)
Career
Stable Izutsu
Record 551-567-29
Debut January 1978
Highest rank Sekiwake (July, 1984)
Retired September, 1992
Championships 1 (Jonokuchi)
Special Prizes Outstanding Performance (5)
Technique (4)
Gold Stars 7
Takanosato (3)
Chiyonofuji (2)
Futahaguro (2)
* Up to date as of August 2012.

Sakahoko Nobushige (born 18 June 1961 as Yoshiaki Fukuzono) is a former sumo wrestler from Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyūshū, Japan. His highest rank was sekiwake. He is now the head coach of Izutsu stable. He is the elder brother of Terao Tsunefumi.

Career

Sakahoko made his professional debut in January 1978, joining Izutsu stable, which was run by his father, ex sekiwake Tsurugamine. His elder brother, Kakureizan, had joined sumo in March 1975, but Sakahoko quickly caught up with him and they made their jūryō debuts together in July 1981.[1] Sakahoko made his debut in the top makuuchi division in November 1982. (His elder brother, meanwhile, never got higher than jūryō 2 and slid down the rankings).[1] He reached what was to be his highest rank of sekiwake for the first time in July 1984. This was his first ever tournament in the titled san'yaku ranks and somewhat unusually for a san'yaku debutant he was able to produce a winning score (kachi-koshi) of 8-7. He received the Technique prize for his efforts. In March 1985 Sakahoko's younger brother Terao joined him in makuuchi. They were the first pair of brothers to be in the top division simultaneously since Tanikaze and Tatsugesake 200 years before.[2]

In September 1987 he defeated two yokozuna, Chiyonofuji and Futahaguro, and was awarded the Outstanding Performance prize. He was promoted back to sekiwake and proceeded to hold the rank for a then record nine successive tournaments from November 1987 until March 1989, but he was never under consideration for promotion to ōzeki as he could not achieve regular double figure scores, his best result being 9-6.[3] In July 1989, troubled by a shoulder injury, he turned in a disastrous 2-13 record and was demoted to the maegashira ranks. He managed to return to komusubi for one tournament in November 1990 but fell to jūryō in 1992 and announced his retirement that September at the age of 31 after 14 years in sumo.[1] (Terao competed for another ten years, until September 2002).

Retirement from sumo

Sakahoko stayed in the sumo world as an elder of the Japan Sumo Association under the toshiyori name of Kasagayama. In 1994, when his father retired, he became Izutsu Oyakata and took over the running of Izutsu stable.[1] The stable currently has one makuuchi wrestler, Kakuryū, who has surpassed Sakahoko and his father′s achievements by reaching the rank of yokozuna in March 2014. Izutsu also works as a shinpan or judge of tournament bouts.

Fighting style

Unlike his brother Terao, who liked pushing and thrusting techniques, Sakahoko took after his father in specialising in yotsu-sumo or grappling techniques. He was well known for favouring the grip on the mawashi with both arms inside the opponent's, called moro-zashi. His most common winning kimarite was overwhelmingly yori-kiri or force out, which accounted for over half his victories at sekitori level.

Career record

Sakahoko Nobushige[4]
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
1978 (Maezumo) West Jonokuchi #14
61
Champion

 
East Jonidan #45
43
 
East Jonidan #29
61
 
East Sandanme #66
016
 
East Jonidan #24
Sat out due to injury
007
1979 East Jonidan #24
43
 
West Jonidan #3
61
 
East Sandanme #43
43
 
East Sandanme #28
52
 
West Makushita #60
25
 
East Sandanme #25
52
 
1980 West Makushita #59
52
 
East Makushita #40
43
 
West Makushita #31
34
 
East Makushita #40
43
 
West Makushita #31
43
 
West Makushita #23
52
 
1981 West Makushita #10
52
 
East Makushita #4
43
 
East Makushita #1
43
 
West Jūryō #11
96
 
West Jūryō #9
87
 
East Jūryō #7
213
 
1982 West Makushita #9
61
 
East Makushita #3
61PPP
 
West Jūryō #12
105
 
East Jūryō #2
87
 
East Jūryō #1
105
 
West Maegashira #12
4101
 
1983 West Jūryō #4
96
 
West Maegashira #13
87
 
West Maegashira #5
78
 
West Maegashira #6
78
 
West Maegashira #8
78
 
East Maegashira #9
96
 
1984 East Maegashira #3
411
West Maegashira #10
96
T
East Maegashira #3
87
O
West Sekiwake #1
87
T
East Sekiwake #1
510
 
East Maegashira #4
69
1985 East Maegashira #8
87
 
West Maegashira #4
87
 
East Maegashira #1
69
 
East Maegashira #3
69
 
West Maegashira #6
87
 
East Maegashira #1
69
 
1986 East Maegashira #4
87
 
East Maegashira #1
69
 
East Maegashira #3
510
 
West Maegashira #7
105
 
West Komusubi #1
87
T
East Komusubi #1
510
 
1987 West Maegashira #2
69
West Maegashira #5
96
 
East Maegashira #1
69
 
Maegashira #3
78
West Maegashira #4
87
O
West Sekiwake #1
87
O
1988 East Sekiwake #1
96
O
East Sekiwake #1
87
 
East Sekiwake #1
87
 
East Sekiwake #1
87
O
East Sekiwake #1
96
 
East Sekiwake #1
96
 
1989 East Sekiwake #1
96
T
East Sekiwake #1
78
 
East Komusubi #1
87
 
West Sekiwake #1
213
 
East Maegashira #7
69
 
East Maegashira #12
105
 
1990 West Maegashira #2
411
 
West Maegashira #10
96
 
West Maegashira #2
510
 
West Maegashira #9
87
 
West Maegashira #5
87
 
West Komusubi #1
510
 
1991 East Maegashira #4
69
 
West Maegashira #9
87
 
West Maegashira #5
69
 
West Maegashira #8
105
 
West Maegashira #1
510
 
West Maegashira #7
Sat out due to injury
0015
1992 West Maegashira #7
69
 
East Maegashira #10
510
 
West Maegashira #15
411
 
East Jūryō #5
510
 
East Jūryō #11
Retired
411
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)
Divisions: Makuuchi Jūryō Makushita Sandanme Jonidan Jonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna Ōzeki Sekiwake Komusubi Maegashira

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Lewin, Brian (December 2005). "Brothers In Sumo". sumofanmag.com. Retrieved 2007-07-01.
  2. Patmore, Angela (1990). The Giants of Sumo. MacDonald & Co. ISBN 0-356-18120-0.
  3. Sharnoff, Lora (1993). Grand Sumo. Weatherhill. ISBN 0-8348-0283-X.
  4. "Sakahoko Nobushige Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2012-08-16.

External links

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