Higonoumi Naoya

Higonoumi Naoya (born 23 September 1969 as Naoto Sakamoto) is a former sumo wrestler from Kumamoto, Japan. After his retirement he opened up Kise stable.

Higonoumi Naoya
肥後ノ海 直哉
Personal information
BornNaoto Sakamoto
(1969-09-23) 23 September 1969
Kumamoto, Japan
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight143 kg (315 lb)
Career
StableMihogaseki
UniversityNihon University
Record407-476-83
DebutJanuary, 1992
Highest rankMaegashira 1 (May, 1995)
RetiredNovember, 2002
Elder nameKise
Championships1 (Makushita)
Gold Stars2
Akebono
Takanohana II
* Up to date as of Aug 2010.

Career

A former amateur champion at Nihon University, he turned professional in 1992, joining Mihogaseki stable and making his debut in the makushita division as a makushita tsukedashi entrant. Initially fighting under the shikona of Sakamotoyama, he lost only two bouts in his first three tournaments, reaching the jūryō division in July 1992 and the top makuuchi division in February 1993. He was ranked in the top division for 53 consecutive tournaments, every one as a maegashira. This remains a record for a wrestler that never reached the san'yaku ranks, although Kyokushūzan later had more consecutive tournaments as a maegashira after his single tournament as a komusubi. He earned two kinboshi for defeating yokozuna - Akebono in May 1995 and Takanohana in March 1999. He fell back to the jūryō division at the end of 2001 and retired a year later in November 2002 at the age of 33.

Retirement from sumo

He remained in sumo as a coach under the elder name of Kise, and opened up his own training stable, also called Kise, in December 2003. He produced the top division wrestlers Kiyoseumi in 2008 and Gagamaru in 2010. In May 2010 Kise was demoted two ranks by the Sumo Association after he was found to have made arrangements for the distribution of tickets to the previous July's Nagoya tournament that ended up in the hands of around 50 high-profile yakuza affiliated to the Yamaguchi-gumi crime syndicate.[1] As a result, Kise stable closed down and Kise and all his wrestlers moved to Kitanoumi stable, where Higonoumi worked as an assistant coach.[2] He has admitted that until around 2007 he had ties with a yakuza member.[3] He was allowed to re–open Kise stable in April 2012, and in September of that year his wrestler Jōkōryū earned promotion to makuuchi in a record nine tournaments from jonokuchi. He has since produced a number of other sekitori including Hidenoumi, Tokushōryū and Ura.

Fighting style

Higonoumi's most common winning kimarite or techniques were basic and straightforward ones: yorikiri, a force out, and oshidashi, push out. He also regularly used hatakikomi (slap down), okuridashi (push out from behind), tsukiotoshi (thrust over) and uwatedashinage (pulling overarm throw).[4]

Career record

Higonoumi Naoya[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
1992 Makushita tsukedashi #60
61
 
East Makushita #31
61
 
East Makushita #13
70
Champion

 
West Jūryō #10
87
 
West Jūryō #8
96
 
West Jūryō #5
87
 
1993 West Jūryō #3
96
 
East Maegashira #16
96
 
West Maegashira #9
78
 
West Maegashira #11
87
 
East Maegashira #5
69
 
East Maegashira #7
510
 
1994 East Maegashira #13
87
 
West Maegashira #8
96
 
East Maegashira #2
411
 
West Maegashira #9
87
 
West Maegashira #4
69
 
West Maegashira #6
411
 
1995 West Maegashira #13
87
 
West Maegashira #10
105
 
West Maegashira #1
672
East Maegashira #3
Sat out due to injury
0015
East Maegashira #3
411
 
West Maegashira #8
69
 
1996 East Maegashira #14
96
 
East Maegashira #3
411
 
East Maegashira #9
69
 
East Maegashira #14
96
 
West Maegashira #8
78
 
West Maegashira #10
96
 
1997 West Maegashira #4
510
 
West Maegashira #8
78
 
West Maegashira #9
87
 
West Maegashira #3
213
 
West Maegashira #12
87
 
West Maegashira #5
69
 
1998 West Maegashira #8
510
 
East Maegashira #14
96
 
East Maegashira #9
87
 
West Maegashira #6
69
 
West Maegashira #10
96
 
East Maegashira #2
411
 
1999 West Maegashira #7
87
 
East Maegashira #4
69
East Maegashira #7
87
 
West Maegashira #3
213
 
West Maegashira #11
87
 
West Maegashira #7
87
 
2000 East Maegashira #3
258
 
West Maegashira #11
Sat out due to injury
0015
West Maegashira #11
96
 
East Maegashira #5
411
 
West Maegashira #12
105
 
West Maegashira #2
510
 
2001 East Maegashira #7
78
 
West Maegashira #8
69
 
East Maegashira #11
114
 
West Maegashira #2
312
 
East Maegashira #9
510
 
West Maegashira #13
482
 
2002 West Jūryō #4
Sat out due to injury
0015
West Jūryō #4
96
 
East Jūryō #1
447
 
West Jūryō #6
Sat out due to injury
0015
West Jūryō #6
411
 
West Jūryō #13
Retired
2103
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. "Sumo association punishes coaches over distribution of tournament seats to yakuza". Mainichi Daily News. 27 May 2010. Archived from the original on 30 May 2010. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  2. "Kise wrestlers to join Kitanoumi stable". Japan Times. 30 May 2010. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  3. "Sumo coach Kise reveals having ties with member of crime syndicate". Canadian Press/AP. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  4. "Wins of Higonoumi". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
  5. "Higonoumi Naoya Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 18 September 2012.


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