Kotogaume Tsuyoshi

Kotogaume Tsuyoshi (born 5 October 1963 as Satoru Kitayama) is a former sumo wrestler from Yatsuo, Nei District, Toyama Prefecture, Japan. He joined sumo in 1979 and made the top makuuchi division in 1985. His highest rank was sekiwake, which he held on twelve occasions. After his retirement in 1997 he worked as a coach at Sadogatake stable until 2007.

Kotogaume Tsuyoshi
琴ヶ梅 剛史
Personal information
BornSatoru Kitayama
(1963-10-05) 5 October 1963
Toyama, Japan
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight183 kg (403 lb)
Career
StableSadogatake
Record691-663-37
DebutMarch, 1979
Highest rankSekiwake (September, 1986)
RetiredMay, 1997
Elder nameSee retirement
Championships1 (Jūryō)
2 (Sandanme)
Special PrizesTechnique (2)
Outstanding Performance (1)
Fighting Spirit (4)
Gold Stars2 (Hokutoumi, Ōnokuni)
* Up to date as of June 2020.

Career

In his youth he practiced judo and was a black belt, 1st dan.[1] He made his professional sumo debut in March 1979, after finishing junior high school. Initially he fought under his own surname of Kitayama, before being given the shikona of Kotogaume ("Harp of the Plum"). In his early career he served as a tsukebito or personal attendant to ozeki Kotokaze.[1] He made his first appearance in the titled sanyaku ranks of the top division in November 1985, the same tournament in which Kotokaze announced his retirement.[1] He reached his highest rank of sekiwake for the first time in September 1986. In 1989 he came close to ozeki promotion by producing two double figure scores at sekiwake in July and September, but he fell short with only eight wins in November 1989. In his later career he suffered increasingly from diabetes and fell to the second jūryō division. He made his last appearance in makuuchi in January 1995 and retired in May 1997.

Kotogaume earned two gold stars for defeating yokozuna whilst ranked as a maegashira, and at sekiwake in May 1988 he was also the last man to defeat Chiyonofuji before the latter embarked on his 53 bout winning streak.[1] He also received seven special prizes. His best result in a tournament was third place in January 1988, behind Asahifuji and Konishiki.

Retirement from sumo

Kotogaume became an elder of the Sumo Association upon his retirement, but he did not own permanent toshiyori elder stock and had to borrow from wrestlers still active. He used Terao's Shikoroyama name until 2002, and then switched to Dejima's Onaruto name, but had to leave the Sumo Association in November 2007 when it was needed by the retiring Buyuzan, a member of Dejima's stable.

After leaving sumo, he opened up a chankonabe restaurant in Tokyo, named Kotogaume.[2] He has also worked as an assistant instructor at Shikoroyama stable.

Fighting style

Kotogaume throughout his career relied almost entirely on pushing and thrusting techniques, and seemed to have little interest in using his opponent's mawashi for throws.[1] Oshi-dashi, a straightforward push out, was the kimarite used in exactly half of his victories at sekitori level.[3]

Career record

Kotogaume Tsuyoshi[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
1979 x (Maezumo) East Jonokuchi #6
43
 
East Jonidan #88
34
 
East Jonidan #103
43
 
East Jonidan #81
43
 
1980 East Jonidan #56
43
 
East Jonidan #33
34
 
West Jonidan #52
43
 
West Jonidan #33
34
 
East Jonidan #49
43
 
West Jonidan #20
43
 
1981 West Jonidan #1
52
 
East Sandanme #61
34
 
West Sandanme #72
34
 
West Sandanme #84
43
 
West Sandanme #73
70P
Champion

 
East Makushita #58
25
 
1982 West Sandanme #18
70
Champion

 
West Makushita #23
52
 
East Makushita #12
25
 
East Makushita #29
25
 
West Makushita #51
43
 
East Makushita #42
34
 
1983 West Makushita #52
61
 
East Makushita #23
43
 
East Makushita #17
34
 
West Makushita #24
43
 
West Makushita #19
43
 
East Makushita #14
61
 
1984 East Makushita #2
52
 
West Jūryō #11
78
 
West Jūryō #13
69
 
West Makushita #2
52
 
West Jūryō #13
105
 
East Jūryō #7
105
 
1985 East Jūryō #3
114
 
West Maegashira #12
87
 
East Maegashira #9
78
 
East Maegashira #11
87
 
West Maegashira #7
96
F
West Komusubi #1
78
 
1986 East Maegashira #1
96
F
West Komusubi #1
69
 
East Maegashira #2
87
 
East Komusubi #1
96
T
East Sekiwake #1
87
 
East Sekiwake #1
69
 
1987 West Maegashira #1
0312
 
West Maegashira #13
87
 
East Maegashira #11
87
 
West Maegashira #5
69
 
West Maegashira #10
96
 
East Maegashira #3
510
 
1988 East Maegashira #7
123
F
East Komusubi #1
87
 
West Sekiwake #1
87
O
West Sekiwake #1
87
 
West Sekiwake #1
87
 
West Sekiwake #1
510
 
1989 East Maegashira #3
87
East Komusubi #1
87
 
East Sekiwake #1
87
 
East Sekiwake #1
105
F
East Sekiwake #1
105
T
East Sekiwake #1
87
 
1990 West Sekiwake #1
87
 
West Sekiwake #1
78
 
West Komusubi #1
411
 
East Maegashira #7
87
 
East Maegashira #3
78
 
West Maegashira #4
78
 
1991 West Maegashira #5
78
 
East Maegashira #7
87
 
East Maegashira #3
87
 
West Maegashira #1
69
 
West Maegashira #5
510
 
East Maegashira #10
87
 
1992 West Maegashira #8
510
 
East Maegashira #14
312
 
East Jūryō #6
114
Champion

 
East Maegashira #15
87
 
West Maegashira #10
69
 
East Maegashira #13
78
 
1993 East Maegashira #15
2310
 
West Jūryō #8
Sat out due to injury
0015
West Jūryō #8
87
 
East Jūryō #7
96
 
East Jūryō #6
87
 
East Jūryō #4
87
 
1994 West Jūryō #3
105
 
West Maegashira #15
87
 
West Maegashira #13
87
 
West Maegashira #11
78
 
East Maegashira #14
510
 
East Jūryō #2
96
 
1995 East Maegashira #16
510
 
West Jūryō #3
69
 
East Jūryō #7
87
 
West Jūryō #5
87
 
West Jūryō #3
69
 
East Jūryō #7
96
 
1996 West Jūryō #4
69
 
East Jūryō #9
69
 
West Jūryō #11
87
 
West Jūryō #10
69
 
West Jūryō #13
96
 
West Jūryō #10
87
 
1997 West Jūryō #5
510
 
West Jūryō #10
78
 
West Jūryō #11
Retired
29
x x 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. Patmore, Angela (1990). The Giants of Sumo. MacDonald & Co. ISBN 0-356-18120-0.
  2. Brooker, Charlie (2 May 2012). "Sumo: martial art or fight in a pub doorway?". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  3. "Wins of Kotogaume". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
  4. "Kotogaume Tsuyoshi Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
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