Ikioi Shōta
Ikioi Shōta | |
---|---|
勢 翔太 | |
Personal information | |
Born | Shōta Toguchi October 11, 1986 Katano, Osaka, Japan |
Height | 1.94 m (6 ft 4+1⁄2 in) |
Weight | 173 kg (381 lb; 27.2 st) |
Career | |
Stable | Isenoumi |
Current rank | see below |
Debut | March, 2005 |
Highest rank | Sekiwake (May, 2016) |
Championships | 1 (Jūryō) |
Special Prizes | 4 (Fighting Spirit) |
Gold Stars | 4 (Hakuhō 2), (Kakuryū 2) |
* Up to date as of September 23, 2018. |
Ikioi Shōta (勢 翔太) (born 11 October 1986 as Shōta Toguchi) is a professional sumo wrestler from Katano, Osaka, Japan. He began his career in March 2005. He won the jūryō championship in November 2011 in his very first tournament in the division and just two tournaments later made his makuuchi division debut. He was runner up to Jōkōryū in the jūryō division in September 2012. His highest rank has been sekiwake.
Early life and sumo background
From his preschool years Toguchi was enrolled at a local sumo dōjō, coincidentally the future Gōeidō was also enrolled there at this time. In 1996 as a primary school fourth grader, he came in runner up at a national children's sumo tournament. After junior high school, he attempted to enter Hōtoku Gakuen high school which had a strong sumo team, but when he failed he decided to take a break from sumo and worked at his parents' sushi restaurant for three years while continuing to stay in shape.
Career
Acceding to his mother's wishes, at eighteen he joined Isenoumi stable and first entered the ring in March 2005. He took the shikona or ring name of Ikioi from his first pro tournament. In his second tournament in July 2005 in the jonidan division he achieved a perfect record, but lost his second bout in a three-way playoff for the championship to the future Daidō. In September 2006 while competing in the makushita division he was punched in the face in the dressing room after a bout with forty-year-old Kotokanyu, who apparently objected to being slapped around the face (a legitimate tactic known as harite) by someone over twenty years his junior.[1] Kotokanyu was told to retire immediately afterwards. Over the next five years, Ikioi managed to work his way slowly up the ranks until he was finally awarded promotion to the salaried jūryō division after a 5-2 record at makushita 3 in September 2011. In contrast to his slow progress previously, Ikioi found unprecedented success in the jūryō second division. He had only one loss in the first thirteen days of his jūryō debut, and even though he lost his last two bouts he still managed to win the tournament. His 10-5 record in the following January 2012 tournament earned him promotion to the makuuchi top division.
Ikioi was the first wrestler to have only one Chinese character in his ring name to enter the top division since Yokozuna Akebono twenty-two years before. He posted only posted a 5-10 record in his makuuchi debut in March and was immediately relegated back to jūryō. He repeated the same pattern in the following two tournaments, posting a strong winning record in upper jūryō to again enter makuuchi only to get a 7-8 losing record to again be relegated to the lower division. His September 2012 division effort at jūryō 1 was where he managed to turn things around, achieving an 11-4 record and a chance at the championship which he lost to Jōkōryū in a playoff. This performance saw him promoted to maegashira 10. He achieved his first kachi-koshi or winning record in the top division at the third attempt in November 2012, and was promoted to maegashira 5 for the January 2013 tournament. In this basho he defeated his first ever san'yaku opponent, Tochiōzan, and came through with another winning record.
Ikioi is now a makuuchi regular, and in the May 2014 tournament recorded an 11-4 at maegashira 5 and received his second special prize for Fighting Spirit. He made his sanyaku debut at komusubi rank in the November 2014 tournament. However, he scored only six wins, and struggled badly when facing the top ranked wrestlers again, scoring only 1-14 at maegashira 2 in January and 2-13 at maegashira 3 in July. When dropped to maegashira 12 in September he returned to form, and after eleven days he was in second place with a 10-1 record. He then lost his next three but recovered to beat Amuuru on the final day to end with an 11-4 record and a Fighting Spirit prize.[2] In November he produced his best performance in the top division, winning twelve matches and finishing in a three-way tie for second place. He also earned his fourth Fighting Spirit prize.[3]
In January 2016 Ikioi was ranked at komusubi again but recorded only five wins and was relegated to maegashira 4. He performed much better in March, posting a 10-5 record: only a loss to Kotoyuki on the final day prevented him from taking a fifth Fighting Spirit prize.[4] With both komusubi and both sekiwake having losing records in that tournament, Ikioi was promoted to sekiwake for the first time for the following May 2016 basho. He became the first sekiwake from Isenoumi stable since Tosanoumi was promoted in 1997.[5] He lost the rank after scoring only 4–11, but he earned a first kinboshi or gold star for a yokozuna upset in the July tournament in Nagoya, defeating Hakuhō on the ninth day.[6] He earned his second kinboshi in defeating Kakuryū in January 2017, and his third in beating Hakuhō again in the following tournament in March.[7] In March 2018 he finished with an 11–4 record, but a defeat on the final day meant he missed out on a share of the Fighting Spirit Prize.[8] Ikioi has not missed a bout since his professional debut, and he fought his 500th consecutive makuuchi match in May 2018.
Fighting style
Ikioi favours a migiyotsu (right hand inside, left hand outside grip on his opponent′s mawashi). His favourite winning kimarite is a straightforward yorikiri, or force out. He also regularly employs oshidashi, or push out, and sukuinage, or scoop throw.
Personal life
Ikioi announced his engagement to professional golfer Mamiko Higa on 27 June 2018 with the wedding planned for 11 October 2018, their mutual birthdays.[9]
Career record
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2005 | x | (Maezumo) | West Jonokuchi #22 4–3 |
East Jonidan #122 7–0–PP |
West Sandanme #98 6–1 |
East Sandanme #37 5–2 |
2006 | West Sandanme #9 3–4 |
West Sandanme #21 5–2 |
East Makushita #56 5–2 |
East Makushita #35 3–4 |
East Makushita #46 4–3 |
West Makushita #37 4–3 |
2007 | East Makushita #29 3–4 |
East Makushita #40 4–3 |
East Makushita #36 4–3 |
West Makushita #28 3–4 |
East Makushita #37 3–4 |
East Makushita #49 3–4 |
2008 | East Makushita #57 5–2 |
West Makushita #35 3–4 |
West Makushita #44 3–4 |
East Makushita #54 4–3 |
East Makushita #43 3–4 |
West Makushita #53 5–2 |
2009 | West Makushita #37 4–3 |
West Makushita #30 4–3 |
West Makushita #23 4–3 |
East Makushita #18 3–4 |
East Makushita #25 2–5 |
East Makushita #41 4–3 |
2010 | East Makushita #35 5–2 |
East Makushita #25 3–4 |
West Makushita #30 5–2 |
West Makushita #22 4–3 |
West Makushita #14 6–1 |
West Makushita #2 3–4 |
2011 | East Makushita #5 3–4 |
West Makushita #8 Tournament Cancelled 0–0–0 |
West Makushita #8 3–4 |
West Makushita #8 4–3 |
East Makushita #3 5–2 |
East Jūryō #14 12–3 Champion |
2012 | East Jūryō #3 10–5 |
West Maegashira #14 5–10 |
East Jūryō #2 8–7 |
East Maegashira #16 7–8 |
East Jūryō #1 11–4–P |
East Maegashira #10 9–6 |
2013 | West Maegashira #5 8–7 |
West Maegashira #3 4–11 |
West Maegashira #9 9–6 |
East Maegashira #5 9–6 |
West Maegashira #1 5–10 |
West Maegashira #6 11–4 F |
2014 | West Maegashira #2 6–9 |
West Maegashira #4 7–8 |
West Maegashira #5 11–4 F |
East Maegashira #1 5–10 |
West Maegashira #5 10–5 |
West Komusubi #1 6–9 |
2015 | West Maegashira #2 1–14 |
East Maegashira #13 8–7 |
East Maegashira #10 10–5 |
East Maegashira #3 2–13 |
East Maegashira #12 11–4 F |
East Maegashira #4 12–3 F |
2016 | East Komusubi #1 5–10 |
East Maegashira #4 10–5 |
West Sekiwake #1 4–11 |
West Maegashira #4 5–10 ★ |
West Maegashira #7 7–8 |
West Maegashira #8 10–5 |
2017 | West Maegashira #3 8–7 ★ |
West Maegashira #1 5–10 ★ |
West Maegashira #6 9–6 |
East Maegashira #3 4–11 |
West Maegashira #7 6–9 |
West Maegashira #10 9–6 |
2018 | West Maegashira #6 4–11 |
East Maegashira #14 11–4 |
West Maegashira #5 8–7 |
East Maegashira #2 8–7 ★ |
East Maegashira #1 3–12 |
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) |
See also
- List of sumo tournament top division runners-up
- List of sumo tournament second division champions
- List of active gold star earners
- Glossary of sumo terms
- List of active sumo wrestlers
- List of sekiwake
References
- ^ "Wrestler quits after punching rival". Japan Times. 20 September 2006. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
- ^ staff (27 September 2015). "Kakuryu bounces back to grab elusive 2nd title". The Japan News by Yomiuri Shimbun.
- ^ "Harumafuji wins Kyushu title despite final-day defeat". Japan Today. 22 November 2015. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Hakuho wins 36th career title". Japan Today. 27 March 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "2016 May Grand Sumo Tournament Banzuke Topics". Japan Sumo Association. May 2016. Archived from the original on 9 May 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Sumo: Hakuho, Harumafuji stumble as Kisenosato catches big break". The Mainichi. 18 July 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
- ^ "Hakuho suffers 2nd loss of Spring tourney - The Japan News". Japan News. 15 March 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
- ^ "Sumo: Takayasu finishes strong with win over champion Kakuryu". The Mainichi. 26 March 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ "Ikioi Shōta announced engagement". NHK News. Retrieved 2018-06-27.
- ^ "Ikioi Shōta Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2012-09-23.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Ikioi Shōta's official biography (English) at the Grand Sumo Homepage