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Ganyū Kenji

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Ganyū Kenji
巌雄 謙治
Personal information
BornKenji Hirano
(1970-08-06) 6 August 1970 (age 54)
Himeji, Hyōgo, Japan
Height1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in)
Weight173 kg (381 lb)
Career
StableKitanoumi
Record400-382-53
DebutMarch, 1986
Highest rankMaegashira 1 (September, 1997)
RetiredMay, 2000
Elder nameYamahibiki
Championships2 (Makushita)
1 (Jonidan)
* Up to date as of Sep. 2012.

Ganyū Kenji (born 6 August 1970 as Kenji Hirano) is a former sumo wrestler from Himeji, Hyōgo, Japan. He made his professional debut in March 1986, and reached the top division in March 1996. His highest rank was maegashira 1. He retired in 2000 and became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association. In 2015 he became the head coach of Yamahibiki stable following the death of his old stablemaster, Kitanoumi.

Career

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In junior high school he liked basketball and shot put, but began taking sumo seriously from his third year when he attended a Nippon Steel sumo class in his home town. He began his professional career in March 1986 at the age of 15, joining Kitanoumi stable which had been founded the previous year by former yokozuna Kitanoumi. He picked up a tournament championship or yūshō in the jonidan division in September 1989 with an undefeated record, and in November 1991 another 7–0 record in the makushita division saw him promoted to jūryō in January 1992. In his first tournament as a sekitori he managed only a 3–12 record and was demoted back to makushita. He missed the May 1992 tournament through injury and a 2–5 record in July saw him fall back to sandanme. It was only when he won the makushita championship in May 1995 that he returned to jūryō, over three years after his jūryō debut. He fared much better the second time around, with four straight kachi-koshi or winning records seeing him promoted to the top makuuchi division for the March 1996 tournament, exactly ten years after his professional debut. He was the first member of Kitanoumi stable to reach makuuchi since its founding in 1985.

Ganyū fought in the top division for 23 tournaments, with a total of 144 wins against 193 losses. He did not manage to win a special prize or a gold star, and he never made san'yaku, his top rank being maegashira 1 which he reached in September 1997. In May 1999 he continued fighting in the tournament despite having ligament damage in his ankle, in search of the eighth win that would give him a winning record.[1] He was also restricted by persistent knee problems. His last makuuchi tournament was in November 1999.

Retirement from sumo

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He retired in May 2000, having been demoted to makushita, and became an elder in the Japan Sumo Association under the name Yamahibiki.[2] He took over the running over the Kitanoumi stable in November 2015 after the death of Kitanoumi. The stable was renamed Yamahibiki stable, as Kitanoumi had a special one-generation elder status and the name could not be passed on. As of 2021 the stable does not have any sekitori. Yamahibiki served as a councilor of the Japan Sumo Association alongside Minatogawa-oyakata and Ōtake-oyakata for two years from 2014. He was elected to the Sumo Association's board of directors in 2016, and served as director of the sumo training school, replacing Tomozuna. He was re-elected in 2018, but stood down in 2020.[3]

Fighting style

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Ganyū was a yotsu-sumo wrestler who primarily used grappling techniques as opposed to pushing. His preferred grip on his opponent's mawashi or belt was migi-yotsu, a left hand outside, right hand inside position. His most common winning kimarite were yorikiri (force out) and uwatenage (outer arm throw).

Career record

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Ganyū Kenji[4]
Year January
Hatsu basho, Tokyo		 March
Haru basho, Osaka		 May
Natsu basho, Tokyo		 July
Nagoya basho, Nagoya		 September
Aki basho, Tokyo		 November
Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
1986 x (Maezumo) West Jonokuchi #10
4–3
 		 West Jonidan #123
4–3
 		 West Jonidan #97
3–4
 		 West Jonidan #111
6–1
 
1987 West Jonidan #40
5–2
 		 West Jonidan #4
2–5
 		 West Jonidan #39
5–2
 		 East Jonidan #4
4–3
 		 West Sandanme #90
5–2
 		 East Sandanme #54
3–4
 
1988 East Sandanme #68
6–1
 		 East Sandanme #18
4–3
 		 East Sandanme #5
4–3
 		 East Makushita #46
5–2
 		 East Makushita #28
1–6
 		 West Makushita #56
Sat out due to injury
0–0–7
1989 West Makushita #56
4–3
 		 East Makushita #44
0–1–6
 		 East Makushita #20
Sat out due to injury
0–0–7		 East Makushita #80
Sat out due to injury
0–0–7		 West Jonidan #40
7–0–P
Champion
 		 East Sandanme #45
6–1
 
1990 East Makushita #60
3–4
 		 East Sandanme #15
3–4
 		 West Sandanme #31
6–1
 		 East Makushita #52
5–2
 		 East Makushita #31
4–3
 		 West Makushita #18
3–4
 
1991 West Makushita #25
6–1
 		 East Makushita #8
2–5
 		 West Makushita #20
4–3
 		 East Makushita #13
3–4
 		 East Makushita #18
7–0
Champion
 		 East Makushita #1
4–3
 
1992 East Jūryō #13
3–12
 		 East Makushita #9
5–2
 		 West Makushita #4
Sat out due to injury
0–0–7		 East Makushita #44
2–5
 		 West Sandanme #3
6–1
 		 East Makushita #33
5–2
 
1993 West Makushita #20
0–1–6
 		 West Makushita #60
6–1
 		 East Makushita #31
4–3
 		 West Makushita #24
3–4
 		 West Makushita #32
5–2
 		 West Makushita #20
3–4
 
1994 East Makushita #29
3–4
 		 West Makushita #42
5–2
 		 West Makushita #26
6–1
 		 East Makushita #12
3–4
 		 East Makushita #20
5–2
 		 West Makushita #12
3–4
 
1995 East Makushita #20
4–3
 		 East Makushita #15
5–2
 		 West Makushita #7
7–0
Champion
 		 East Jūryō #11
9–6
 		 West Jūryō #7
9–6
 		 East Jūryō #3
8–7
 
1996 East Jūryō #2
9–6
 		 East Maegashira #15
9–6
 		 East Maegashira #8
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #13
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #12
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #7
6–9
 
1997 East Maegashira #12
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #6
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #7
7–8
 		 West Maegashira #8
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #1
3–12
 		 East Maegashira #7
7–8
 
1998 East Maegashira #9
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #3
3–12
 		 East Maegashira #8
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #5
3–12
 		 West Maegashira #11
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #3
3–12
 
1999 West Maegashira #10
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #7
5–10
 		 East Maegashira #12
7–7–1
 		 West Maegashira #14
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #9
5–10
 		 East Maegashira #14
0–10–5
 
2000 East Jūryō #10
7–8
 		 East Jūryō #12
2–13
 		 East Makushita #10
Retired
0–0–7		 x x x
Record given as wins–losses–absences    Top division champion Top division runner-up Retired Lower divisions Non-participation

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

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References

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  1. ^ Panek, Mark (2006). Gaijin Yokozuna: A Biography of Chad Rowan. University of Hawaii Press. p. 80. ISBN 9780824830434.
  2. ^ "Oyakata (Coaches)". Nihon Sumo Kyokai. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  3. ^ "大相撲理事・副理事選、６期ぶり無投票決定…山響親方の出馬見送りで無風化". Hochi (in Japanese). 31 January 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Ganyu Kenji Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
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  • Ganyū Kenji's official biography (English) at the Grand Sumo Homepage
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