59 Facts About Kisenosato Yutaka

Kisenosato Yutaka is a Japanese sumo elder from Ibaraki.

Kisenosato Yutaka earned three kinboshi or gold stars by defeating yokozuna in his career leading up to ozeki and nine special prizes.

Kisenosato Yutaka scored more than 20 double-digit winning records at the ozeki rank.

Kisenosato Yutaka had been a candidate four times previously, but in each case, he failed to achieve the necessary number of wins.

Kisenosato Yutaka is an elder of the Japan Sumo Association under the name of Nishonoseki Yutaka.

Kisenosato Yutaka Hagiwara was born in Ashiya, Hyogo, but moved to Ryugasaki, Ibaraki when he was two years old.

Kisenosato Yutaka eventually gave up when he realized he was only excelling because of his size.

Kisenosato Yutaka fought his first bout in March 2002 under his real name.

Kisenosato Yutaka rose quickly through the divisions, entering the second-highest juryo division in May 2004, aged 17 years and 9 months, the second youngest ever juryo wrestler after Takanohana, whom Hagiwara had idolised when he was a boy.

Kisenosato Yutaka was promoted to the rank of komusubi in July 2006, which he held until March 2007 when he fell back to maegashira 1.

Early in his top division career, Kisenosato Yutaka was involved in some controversial bouts with yokozuna Asashoryu.

Kisenosato Yutaka defeated him for the first time in September 2006 and was awarded the Outstanding Performance Prize.

In March 2007 Kisenosato Yutaka slapped Asashoryu around the face during their match.

Kisenosato Yutaka spent nine tournaments at komusubi without making sekiwake, which has only happened to three previous wrestlers, Dewanishiki, Fujinishiki, and Takamiyama.

Kisenosato Yutaka scored eight wins there, and Aminishiki's losing record meant Kisenosato finally made his long-awaited sekiwake debut in March 2009, in his tenth tournament at a san'yaku rank.

Kisenosato Yutaka remained in san'yaku for the next three tournaments but fell back to maegashira 1 in November 2010.

Kisenosato Yutaka was rewarded with the Outstanding Performance prize and promotion back to sekiwake.

Japan Sumo Association official Takanohana said after the tournament that Kisenosato Yutaka would be considered for promotion to ozeki if he won at least 13 bouts in the March 2011 honbasho, which would give him 33 wins over three tournaments.

Kisenosato Yutaka credited his success to his late stablemaster, the former yokozuna Takanosato, who had died suddenly shortly before the tournament.

Kisenosato Yutaka's stablemaster had criticized him in 2010 for his attitude in training.

Kisenosato Yutaka pulled out on the final day, missing the first bout of his career.

Kisenosato Yutaka finished runner-up in May 2014, January 2015, and May 2015.

Kisenosato Yutaka went into the July 2016 tournament with the possibility of being promoted to yokozuna if he could win the tournament he was unable to clinch a victory and was runner-up for the eleventh time, and the third time in a row.

Kisenosato Yutaka finished out 2016 with the most victories in a calendar year getting 69 wins.

Kisenosato Yutaka is the first wrestler in the modern era of sumo to do this without winning a tournament.

In 2016 Kisenosato Yutaka was runner-up four times, and under yokozuna promotion consideration twice.

Kisenosato Yutaka started off the January 2017 tournament very strong, winning his first 8 days straight, however on day 9 Kisenosato Yutaka lost to fellow ozeki Kotoshogiku.

On Day 14, Kisenosato Yutaka secured his much-anticipated first career top-division championship with a win over Ichinojo and a Hakuho loss against Takanoiwa.

The Japan Sumo Association's Yokozuna Deliberation Council met on January 23,2017, and determined that Kisenosato Yutaka was a suitable candidate.

Kisenosato Yutaka was the first wrestler of Japanese descent to be promoted to yokozuna since Wakanohana in 1998.

Kisenosato Yutaka chose to use the Unryu style of ring entrance ceremony after studying footage of previous yokozuna and practicing until late the previous night to master the technique.

Kisenosato Yutaka was listed on the west side of the new banzuke released on February 27,2017, the first Japanese born wrestler to appear as a yokozuna on the ranking sheets since Takanohana retired in January 2003.

In spite of his injured shoulder, Kisenosato Yutaka won the playoff match beating Terunofuji again to win the tournament, his second in a row.

Kisenosato Yutaka was ranked as the top East Yokozuna on the May 2017 banzuke, the first time a Japanese wrestler held the highest position since Takanohana in July 2001.

Kisenosato Yutaka withdrew from the tournament on Day 11 having lost four matches, due to his failure to recover from his upper body injuries and inability to use his left arm properly.

Nishiiwa Oyakata, a coach at Tagonoura stable, said that Kisenosato Yutaka had suffered from a lack of preparation time.

Kisenosato Yutaka then withdrew from the tournament on Day 6 after suffering a left ankle ligament injury in his defeat the previous day to Ikioi.

Kisenosato Yutaka's stablemaster said he was suffering from a contusion in his lower back and a left leg ligament injury.

Kisenosato Yutaka's stablemaster indicated that Kisenosato had injured the left pectoralis major muscle of his chest, near his old injury.

Kisenosato Yutaka did not enter the March 2018 tournament, and his decision not to participate in May meant a failure to complete seven straight tournaments, equalling the longest absence for a yokozuna since the six tournaments a year system began in 1958.

Kisenosato Yutaka fully participated in the Yokozuna Deliberation Council's soken or training session shortly before the September 2018 tournament.

Kisenosato Yutaka met Hakuho on the 13th day for the 60th time, but the first time as a yokozuna.

Kisenosato Yutaka is someone who will propel the sport to greater prosperity.

Kisenosato Yutaka became the first yokozuna to lose his first three matches since Asahifuji in January 1992.

Kisenosato Yutaka withdrew from the tournament the following day, citing an injury to his right knee suffered on the opening day.

The council had not previously issued any sort of resolution on the previous occasions in which Kisenosato Yutaka had withdrawn or abstained from participating in a tournament.

Kisenosato Yutaka pulled out of the winter regional tour, but on December 25 he told reporters he intended to compete in the January 2019 tournament.

Kisenosato Yutaka was listed as the top yokozuna on the January 2019 banzuke, despite not winning a match in November, because the other two yokozuna had sat out completely.

Kisenosato Yutaka lost his opening three bouts of the tournament, giving him a sequence of eight straight losses from the last day of the September 2018 tournament, the worst by a yokozuna since 15-day tournaments were established in 1949.

Kisenosato Yutaka told me he could no longer perform at the level he wanted to.

Kisenosato Yutaka remained in sumo as a coach for Tagonoura stable under the elder name Araiso for the mandatory one-year period before planning to open his own stable.

Kisenosato Yutaka initially looked for premises in the area between Akihabara Station and Asakusabashi Station.

Kisenosato Yutaka took four wrestlers from Tagonoura stable with him when the stable first opened.

In December 2021 it was announced that Kisenosato Yutaka would be changing his elder name to Nishonoseki, to coincide with the previous holder of the name, former ozeki Wakashimazu, reaching the mandatory retirement age of 65 in January 2022.

Kisenosato Yutaka was appointed as a shimpan in March 2022.

Kisenosato Yutaka made his debut as a judge at the May 2022 tournament.

Kisenosato Yutaka was mainly a yotsu-sumo wrestler, and his favourite grip on his opponent's mawashi was hidari-yotsu, or right hand outside, left hand inside.

Kisenosato Yutaka was criticized for frequently stalling at the tachi-ai, or initial charge, in an attempt to unsettle his opponent.

Kisenosato Yutaka had been encouraged by his first stablemaster, Naruto Oyakata, to base his style around his powerful left arm, and after the injury commentators noted that it appeared difficult for him to adapt and use his right in tournament bouts.