Takanonami Sadahiro

Takanonami Sadahiro
貴ノ浪 貞博
Personal information
Born Sadahiro Namioka
(1971-10-27)October 27, 1971
Aomori, Japan
Died June 20, 2015(2015-06-20) (aged 43)
Height 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)
Weight 160 kg (350 lb)
Career
Stable Futagoyama
Record 777-559-13
Debut March, 1987
Highest rank Ōzeki (March 1994)
Retired May, 2004
Championships 2 (Makuuchi)
Special Prizes Fighting Spirit (3)
Gold Stars 2 (Musashimaru)
* Up to date as of June 20, 2015.

Takanonami Sadahiro (born Sadahiro Namioka October 27, 1971 – June 20, 2015) was a Japanese sumo wrestler and coach from Aomori. He held sumo's second highest rank of ōzeki from 1994 until 2000 and won two tournament titles. He was a sumo coach from his retirement in 2004 until his death in 2015 at the age of 43.[1]

Career

Born in Misawa, Aomori, the young Namioka did sumo at elementary school, but did not initially consider it as a profession, intending to follow his father and work in local government.[2] However, he was introduced to Fujishima Oyakata (the former Takanohana Kenshi) who was in Misawa to give a speech, and was persuaded to join Fujishima Stable.[2]

Takanonami made his professional debut in 1987. He became an elite sekitori ranked wrestler in March 1991 when he was promoted to the second highest jūryō division, and he reached the top makuuchi division in November 1991. He led the race for the championship in the first week of the tournament, the first debutant to do so, and defeated Kotonishiki, the winner of the previous tournament.[2] However he started losing in the second week and finished with a score of 8-7. He earned his first special prize in his first tournament at komusubi rank in May 1993. After a 13-2 runner-up performance from sekiwake rank in January 1994, he earned promotion to ōzeki simultaneously with Musashimaru. His two tournament victories in January 1996 and November 1997 both came after playoff wins against stablemate Takanohana. He normally avoided having to meet Takanohana, as well as other top division stars such as Wakanohana, Takatōriki and Akinoshima, as they were all members of Futagoyama stable, a large and dominant heya which had merged with Fujishima in 1993. At his peak he consistently scored 11 or 12 wins in a tournament and was runner-up three times in 1996. He was ranked as an ōzeki for 37 tournaments in total. He lost the rank at the end of 1999 after two make-koshi or losing scores, but was promoted back after scoring ten wins as a sekiwake in January 2000: the first wrestler to achieve this since Mienoumi in 1976. However, after two more losing scores in March and May 2000 he was demoted once again, and was never able to return.

Rivalry with Musashimaru

Takanonami had a well-known rivalry with fellow ōzeki and later yokozuna, Musashimaru. They met a total of 58 times in the top division, which is second only to Kotoshogiku vs Kisenosato for the most between any two wrestlers in the history of sumo.[3] In all, Musashimaru had the upper hand, winning 37 bouts to Takanonami's 21, although Takanonami did manage to beat him seven times in a row from November 1996 to January 1998, and also won their last three matches, after he had fallen from the ōzeki rank. Two of those wins provided Takanonami with his only kinboshi.

Fighting style

Takanonami had an unusual defensive style, often being driven back to the edge of the dohyō before using his long reach to lean over and grab his opponent's arms and launch a counter-offensive.[3] He regularly won by kimedashi (arm barring force out), a sumo technique seldom seen today. In his later years his various injuries (particularly those to his ankles) meant he was less effective at this, and his results suffered. He largely remained in the maegashira ranks and had six consecutive losing scores in 2003.

Retirement

By May 2004 Takanonami was the only top division wrestler left from the once dominant Futagoyama stable, which had been renamed Takanohana stable a few months earlier. He had slipped to maegashira 13 in the rankings and after losing his first two bouts, he announced his retirement.[4] He worked as a coach in his old stable under the name Otowayama.[5] Along with five other oyakata (Magaki, Onomatsu, Ōtake, Tokiwayama and Futagoyama), he left the Nishonoseki ichimon or group of stables in January 2010 after declaring his support for his former stablemate Takanohana's unsanctioned bid to be elected to the board of directors of the Sumo Association.[6] He was appointed as a judge of tournament bouts in February 2015.[7] As an oyakata he was known as one of the more bright personalities in his stable, and he appeared on a number of variety programs on Japanese TV largely due to his accessible personality.

Takanonami was reportedly a big fan of American football and appeared as a commentator on sports programs in Japan.

Health problems and death

Takanonami was first diagnosed as having a possible heart condition, specifically atrial fibrillation, in 1998. He spent some time in hospital whilst still an active wrestler, but in February 2006 he was admitted to hospital once again with septicemia, pneumonia and other complications. He fell into cardiac arrest and had to undergo emergency surgery, which saved his life. On June 20, 2015, he died of acute heart failure.[1]

Career record

Takanonami Sadahiro[8]
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
1987 x (Maezumo) East Jonokuchi #4
6–1
 		 West Jonidan #87
4–3
 		 East Jonidan #58
4–3
 		 West Jonidan #29
3–4
 
1988 West Jonidan #41
6–1
 		 West Sandanme #81
4–3
 		 West Sandanme #61
3–4
 		 East Sandanme #76
5–2
 		 West Sandanme #41
4–3
 		 West Sandanme #23
4–3
 
1989 West Sandanme #10
4–3
 		 West Makushita #58
4–3
 		 West Makushita #43
4–3
 		 East Makushita #33
4–3
 		 East Makushita #24
4–3
 		 West Makushita #16
1–1–5
 
1990 East Makushita #40
5–2
 		 East Makushita #24
5–2
 		 West Makushita #11
4–3
 		 West Makushita #8
2–5
 		 West Makushita #22
5–2
 		 East Makushita #9
4–3
 
1991 East Makushita #4
5–2
 		 East Jūryō #13
9–6
 		 East Jūryō #7
8–7
 		 West Jūryō #4
7–8
 		 East Jūryō #6
12–3–P
 		 East Maegashira #13
8–7
 
1992 East Maegashira #11
10–5
 		 East Maegashira #4
5–10
 		 East Maegashira #10
7–8
 		 West Maegashira #12
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #5
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #10
9–6
 
1993 East Maegashira #7
10–5
 		 East Maegashira #1
9–6
 		 East Komusubi #1
10–5
F		 East Sekiwake #2
9–6
 		 West Sekiwake #1
10–5
 		 East Sekiwake #1
12–3
 
1994 West Sekiwake #1
13–2
F		 East Ōzeki #2
12–3–PP
 		 East Ōzeki #1
9–6
 		 East Ōzeki #2
12–3
 		 East Ōzeki #2
12–3
 		 East Ōzeki #2
12–3
 
1995 East Ōzeki #1
11–4
 		 East Ōzeki #2
9–6
 		 East Ōzeki #2
6–9
 		 East Ōzeki #2
9–6
 		 East Ōzeki #2
8–7
 		 East Ōzeki #2
9–6
 
1996 East Ōzeki #2
14–1–P
 		 East Ōzeki #1
11–4
 		 West Ōzeki #1
12–3
 		 West Ōzeki #1
12–3
 		 East Ōzeki #1
9–6
 		 East Ōzeki #2
11–4–PP
 
1997 East Ōzeki #2
6–9
 		 East Ōzeki #2
11–4
 		 West Ōzeki #1
10–5
 		 East Ōzeki #2
9–6
 		 West Ōzeki #1
12–3
 		 West Ōzeki #1
14–1–P
 
1998 East Ōzeki #1
10–5
 		 West Ōzeki #1
8–7
 		 East Ōzeki #2
11–4
 		 East Ōzeki #1
9–6
 		 West Ōzeki #1
10–5
 		 West Ōzeki #1
8–7
 
1999 West Ōzeki #1
6–9
 		 West Ōzeki #2
12–3
 		 West Ōzeki #1
9–6
 		 East Ōzeki #1
8–7
 		 East Ōzeki #1
3–4–8
 		 East Ōzeki #2
6–9
 
2000 West Sekiwake #2
10–5
 		 East Ōzeki #2
7–8
 		 West Ōzeki #2
6–9
 		 West Sekiwake #2
7–8
 		 West Komusubi #1
9–6
 		 East Sekiwake #1
6–9
 
2001 East Maegashira #1
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #3
6–9
 		 West Maegashira #5
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #1
5–10
 		 East Maegashira #5
5–10
 		 East Maegashira #10
9–6
 
2002 West Maegashira #3
8–7
 		 West Komusubi #1
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #2
4–11
 		 West Maegashira #7
9–6
 		 West Komusubi #1
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #1
10–5
F★
2003 East Komusubi #1
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #1
7–8
 		 West Maegashira #2
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #3
6–9
★		 West Maegashira #4
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #5
5–10
 
2004 East Maegashira #10
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #8
5–10
 		 East Maegashira #13
Retired
0–3		 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)
Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi

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

See also

References

  1. 1 2 http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20150620/k10010122021000.html
  2. 1 2 3 Sharnoff, Lora (1993). Grand Sumo. Weatherhill. p. 217. ISBN 0-8348-0283-X.
  3. 1 2 Perran, Thierry (June 2004). "Departure of Takanonami: the end of a glorious era". Le Monde Du Sumo. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  4. ↑ "Asashoryu wins 33rd straight". The Japan Times Online. 2004-05-12. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
  5. ↑ "Beya guide: Takanohana Beya". Nihon Sumo Kyokai. 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-11.
  6. ↑ "Takanohana speaks out after six supporters kicked out of sumo faction". Mainichi Daily News. 20 January 2010. Archived from the original on 24 January 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  7. ↑ "Ex-ozeki Takanonami, 43, dies of cardiac failure". Japan Times. 20 June 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  8. ↑ "Takanonami Sadahiro Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2012-07-25.
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