Ōnosato Daiki

Ōnosato Daiki (大の里 泰輝), born June 7, 2000, as Daiki Nakamura (中村 泰輝, Nakamura Daiki) is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Tsubata, Ishikawa Prefecture. After a successful amateur career and defined as "the most eagerly awaited prospect to come out of collegiate sumo in decades," he joined Nishonoseki stable and began his professional career at the rank of makushita 10 via the makushita tsukedashi system.[1]

Not to be confused with Ōnosato Mansuke, a 20th-century Japanese wrestler who also used the shikona "Ōnosato", or Daiki Nakamura and Hokutofuji Daiki, whose civil names are also Daiki Nakamura.
In this Japanese shikona name, the surname is Ōnosato.
Ōnosato Daiki
大の里 泰輝
Ōnosato in September 2023
Personal information
BornDaiki Nakamura
(2000-06-07) June 7, 2000
Tsubata, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan
Height1.92 m (6 ft 3+1⁄2 in)
Weight176 kg (388 lb; 27.7 st)
Career
StableNishonoseki
UniversityNippon Sport Science University
Current ranksee below
DebutMay, 2023
Highest rankJūryō 14 (September, 2023)
* Up to date as of 14 September 2023.

Early life and sumo background
Medal record
Men's Sumo
Representing  Japan
Sumo World Championships[2]
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Kaohsiung, Taiwan Openweight
World Games[3]
Gold medal – first place 2022 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. Openweight
Silver medal – second place 2022 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. Heavyweight

Daiki Nakamura was born in Tsubata, Ichikawa Prefecture. He began wrestling in a sumo club at his elementary school in first grade.[4] As a child he was fascinated by professional sumo and admits that one of his favourite books was the magazine Sumo published by Baseball Magazine.[5] In August 2014, he participated in the Openweight competition at the Sumo World Championships held in Taiwan and finished third, behind Ukrainian wrestler Oleksandr Veresiuk and Mongolian Baasansuren Turbold, who won that year's tournament.[6] Nakamura then attended Itoigawa City Nou Junior High School and Niigata Prefectural Marine High School. During his years at Itoigawa, he won the 2016 Junior High School competition at the Hakuhō Cup.[7]

In 2019, he entered Nippon Sport Science University, a university famous for its strong sumo club. During his first year, he first won the individual competition in the adult division of the National Athletic Meet, hence becoming the second best individual champion in the history of the competition and allowing him to become professional at the rank of makushita tsukedashi 15. He then took part in the National Student Sumo Tournament in Sakai as a freshman and won the individual tournament. This victory, over Kindai University's Koshiro Tanioka, marked the first time in 29 years that a freshman won the tournament, since Luis Gō Ikemori (who later became a professional wrestler under the shikona of Ryūkō) won in 1990.[4] In May 2021, he participated to the 70th All Japan Sumo Championships at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan and became amateur yokozuna after defeating Kindai University's Kanzaki Taiga in the final, again qualifying for the makushita tsukedashi system. During that same tournament, he defeated Tottori Jōhoku High School's Tetsuya Ochiai during the team competition.[8]

In January 2022, Nakamura took part in the World Games' sumo competition held that year in Birmingham, Alabama.[9] Competing in the Openweight and Over 115kg categories, he won the former and finished runner-up in the latter.[10] In October of the same year, he participated in the National Athletic Meet in Ōtawara and won the amateur yokozuna title for the second consecutive time in this tournament.[11] With his victory at the 70th All Japan Sumo Championships, Nakamura became the fourth person since the introduction of this system in 2000 to be eligible to join professional sumo at the rank of makushita tsukedachi 10.[11] This victory was also the fifth time that Nakamura had won the championship title in a tournament counting towards makushita tsukedashi status.[12] Overall, during his time as an amateur wrestler at university level, Nakamura won no less than 13 titles, placing him ex aequo for the greatest number of amateur titles won by a wrestler.[13] His dominance of amateur sumo in Japan was such that sumo columnist John Gunning declared that he saw in Nakamura's sumo a continuous display of "calm smooth style reminiscent of Hakuhō in his younger days."[12]

In March 2023, Nakamura made the decision to become a professional wrestler (rikishi) by joining Nishonoseki stable under the guidance of former yokozuna Kisenosato.[1] At the time of his recruitment, he expressed his intention to achieve sekitori status as quickly as possible. Moreover, his entry into the professional world a few months after the record-breaking promotion of Hakuōhō (then known as Ochiai) did not fail to raise the interest of commentators as to the hypothesis of a rivalry between these two dominant wrestlers of the amateur world.[1][14] On the subject of choosing to join this particular stable, Nakamura expressed his interest in being trained by a former yokozuna and that the stable, located in Ami, Ibaraki, offered him a healthy working environment "to eliminate any temptations and be able to concentrate on sumo."[13] Since he turned professional in May 2023, Ōnosato was the last wrestler to be promoted to makushita tsukedachi 10 due to his amateur prowess, the system for promotion to the top of the makushita division having been abolished in September 2023.[15]

Career

Early career
Ōnosato training with Tomokaze in August 2023.

In April 2023, it was announced that Nakamura would now fight under the shikona, or ring name, Ōnosato (大の里), with the kanji "大", meaning 'great', to accentuate his talent and the kanji "の里" to establish Nakamura in the line of Yokozuna Takanosato (隆の里) and Kisenosato (稀勢の里).[16] This name, chosen to represent his master's expectations, was chosen in particular because this shikona had been proposed to Kisenosato when he was still an active wrestler when his promotion to the rank of ōzeki had been certain.[14] Coincidentally, the shikona has the same pronunciation as a Taishō era-ōzeki, Ōnosato Mansuke and Nakamura's father declared "I am deeply moved by the honor of my son being named after a former ōzeki with such a long history."[13] On the announcement of his entry as a professional wrestler, his former coach at Niigata Kaiyo High (Tetsuya Tōmi) declared his satisfaction and compared him to a Shohei Ohtani of sumo, announcing that Nakamura had the potential to become the monster of the new era (新時代の怪物).[17] On the occasion of his passage to the new apprentice examination, the now-Ōnosato, obliged to comply with professional wrestlers dress rules, received an obi belt that his master had used,[18]

Having logically received the Japan Sumo Association approval to compete, Ōnosato logically began his career at the rank of makushita tsukedashi 10. His first professional match was against Takasago stable wrestler Ishizaki, a senior of Ōnosato during their time at NSS University. Ishizaki however defeated Ōnosato by tsukiotoshi in what Ishizaki later describes as a "fluke match".[19] Nonetheless, Ōnosato finished the tournament with a score of 6–1, missing out, however, on promotion directly to the jūryō division, which some observers had been expecting.

During the July tournament, Ōnosato logically competed again in the makushita division, this time ranked as makushita 3. He won his first two matches, but suffered his first defeat in his third match against Tokihayate.[20] On the seventh day of the tournament, Ōnosato faced amateur scene rival and upper-division wrestler, Kihō. Kihō had never managed to beat Ōnosato on the amateur scene, and Ōnosato even won the college yokozuna title from him at the 2022 championships.[21] Kihō nevertheless managed to defeat Ōnosato by hatakikomi and thus inflicted on him his second consecutive defeat. At the time, this defeat was thought to delay even further Ōnosato's promotion to jūryō.[22] Nevertheless, Ōnosato still managed to record a positive score of 4 wins by beating in his last match jūryō-wrestler Hidenoumi. Because of this barely achieved kachi-koshi record, he also shared he felt sick on the last days of the tournament.[23]

Jūryō promotion

When the rankings for the September tournament were announced, however, it was confirmed that Ōnosato's score was sufficient to promote him to jūryō, professional sumo's second-highest division. This promotion, acquired at the same time as stablemate and NSSU senior classmate Takahashi, allowed Nishonoseki stable to simultaneously receive two new sekitori, and the first two raised by Kisenosato alone since he had become master in 2019.[24] Furthermore, this double promotion marks the first time since July 2012 that two stablemates have gained sekitori status at the same time.[24] After his promotion, Ōnosato went to his hometown of Tsubata, Ishikawa to officially announce his promotion to his local fans. After a conference attended by around 600 people, he was presented with a stock of 600 kg (1,300 lb) of rice.[25] During the August jungyō, he took part in public training series and competed against his jūryō peers. He was also honored to be trained later by current and former ōzeki Takakeishō and Takayasu, the latter having been stablemate of Ōnosato's master, and was praised for his attitude toward training.[26]

During his first jūryō tournament, Ōnosato first recorded seven consecutive wins in seven matches with a victory over Kihō, placing him at the top of this competition.[27] On Day 8, Ōnosato maintained his lead with an eighth consecutive victory, making him the seventh jūryō wrestler in the history of the sport to win eight in a row from day one of the competition and the first to achieve this since Takakeishō (then known as Satō) at the May 2016 tournament.[28] Since he also followed this up with a ninth victory in a row, Ōnosato became the jūryō wrestler to win the most victories since the first day of a competition ex aequo with Naruyama at the January 1953 tournament and Shōtenrō at the November 2008 tournament.[29] Ōnosato's winning streak ended at 9 consecutive victories, however, after he was defeated by Ichiyamamoto on the tenth day of the competition.[30] Ōnosato managed to keep himself in the title race with Ichiyamamoto, with the championship set to be decided on the final day. Ōnosato nevertheless lost his final match to Rōga and finished just one defeat behind Ichiyamamoto, who won that month's tournament.[31]

Fighting style

Ōnosato has shown a preference for yotsu techniques which involve grasping his opponent's mawashi or belt. His most common kimarite or winning move are yorikiri force-out wins. His preferred grip is listed as migi-yotsu, meaning a right arm inside and left hand outside position. He is also using significant percentage of oshi-sumo pushing and thrusting techniques.

Personal life

Ōnosato is the eldest in his family and has a little sister.[17]

Career record

　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　

Ōnosato Daiki[32]
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
2023xx Makushita tsukedashi #10
6–1
 		East Makushita #3
4–3
 		East Jūryō #14
12–3
 		x
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Top Division Runner-up Retired Lower Divisions

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

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

See also

References
  1. Gunning, John (23 March 2023). "Amateur yokozuna Daiki Nakamura joins Nishonoseki stable". The Japan Times. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  2. "Sumo - World Championships - 2014 Results". The Sports Database. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  3. "World Games 2022 - Sumo Results". World Games. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  4. "日体大の中村泰輝 29年ぶり1年生学生横綱「何も考えてない。ガムシャラでした」プロは大学卒業後". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 2 November 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  5. "中村泰輝、父と笑顔で祝杯 アマ横綱「久々に光浴びた」". Hokkoku Shimbun (in Japanese). 6 December 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  6. "19th Sumo World Championships Results" (PDF). Nihon Joshi Sumo Renmei. 31 August 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  7. "6th Hakuho Cup results" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 24 November 2016.
  8. "中村泰輝がアマ横綱に 津幡町出身の日体大３年 県勢８人目Ｖ". Hokkoku Shimbun (in Japanese). 6 December 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  9. Gunning, John (19 January 2022). "U.S. sumo fans get opportunity to see Japan's rising stars". The Japan Times. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  10. "Daiki Nakamura - Results". The Sports Database. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  11. "国体相撲 アマ横綱・中村泰輝が連覇 史上4人目の幕下10枚目格付け出し資格を獲得 成年の部個人戦". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 3 October 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  12. Gunning, John (8 December 2022). "Wrestlers with amateur backgrounds becoming new normal in sumo". The Japan Times. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  13. "中村（津幡出身・二所ノ関部屋）、しこ名は「大の里」 元横綱・稀勢の里「ものすごいもの感じた」". Hokkoku Shimbun (in Japanese). 7 April 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  14. "アマ横綱・中村泰輝「大の里」にしこ名決まる「早く関取になって恩返しを」初土俵は夏場所の予定". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 6 April 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  15. "幕下10枚目格と15枚目格の付け出し廃止を発表　スピード出世の最速記録更新は事実上不可能に" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  16. Inside Sport Japan [@InsideSportJP] (6 April 2023). "-nosato is a suffix from (former yokozuna Takanosato's) Naruto stable, where Kisenosato was raised" (Tweet). Retrieved 15 September 2023 – via Twitter.
  17. "２年連続アマチュア横綱・中村泰輝が期待のしこ名「大の里」…「相撲の神様」と読み同じ". Sports Hochi (in Japanese). 7 April 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  18. "「大の里」中村泰輝 稀勢魂受け継ぐ博多帯締めて… 夏場所デビューへ身支度着々". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 19 April 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  19. "東幕下の石崎、未来の横綱候補・大の里に豪快勝利「怖さはなかった」日体大後輩のデビュー戦に土". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 14 May 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  20. "２年連続アマ横綱の幕下大の里、時疾風に送り出され今場所初黒星「今は悔しいしか出てこない」". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 13 July 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  21. Gunning, John (8 December 2022). "Wrestlers with amateur backgrounds becoming new normal in sumo". The Japan Times. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  22. "大の里プロ初の連敗「詰めの甘さ出た。土俵際が落とし穴だった」輝鵬のはたきに前のめりに落ちる". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 15 July 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  23. "２年連続アマ横綱の大の里、３勝３敗から勝ち越して来場所の十両昇進濃厚「精神的に鍛えられた」". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 22 July 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  24. "二所ノ関部屋二重の喜び 大の里が所要2場所、高橋も所要8場所で新十両昇進決める". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 27 July 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  25. "秋場所新十両の大の里、地元石川で昇進報告 先場所４勝３敗に「安心させられるような相撲を」". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 25 August 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  26. "新十両の大の里、大関貴景勝の胸借り７分間のぶつかり稽古 地元ファンから「大の里」コール". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 26 August 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  27. "２年連続アマチュア横綱の大の里が７連勝で勝ち越しに王手「余計なことは考えず、目の前の一番」". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 16 September 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  28. "歓声が一瞬で どよめきに、新十両・大の里が初日から8連勝で1949年以降7人目に【大相撲秋場所】". Chunichi Sports (in Japanese). 17 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  29. "大の里、新十両で歴代１位タイの初日から９連勝 53年初代成山、08年翔天狼に並ぶ". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 18 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  30. "新十両・大の里が初黒星で連勝は「９」でストップ １５日制定着後最長記録はならず「切り替えたい」" (in Japanese). Sports Hochi. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  31. "大の里「自分が弱かった」初土俵から３場所目での十両優勝ならず 狼雅に敗れて12勝３敗". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 24 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  32. "Onosato Daiki Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  • Ōnosato Daiki's official biography (English) at the Grand Sumo Homepage
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