Kotoyuki Kazuyoshi

Kotoyuki Kazuyoshi - 琴勇輝一巖 (born April 2, 1991) is a former Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Shodoshima, Kagawa. He made his debut in March 2008 and wrestled for Sadogatake stable. He reached the makuuchi division in January 2013 and has 1 special prize as well as 1 kinboshi. His highest rank was sekiwake and he retired in May 2021.

Early Life[]

EnomotoHS — Enomoto in his first year of high school (c. 2007)

Yuki Enomoto was born on April 2, 1991, in Marugame, Kagawa. He was interested in sumo from a very young age and joined the Kagawa Sumo Club during his fourth year at Tarumi Elementary School.^[1]

None of the junior high schools in his area had a sumo club, so he asked an acquaintance who was a sumo coach to help him to transfer to a school in the nearby town of Uchinomi that did have a sumo club. In junior high school, Enomoto also excelled in academics and served as the president of the student council during his third year. After junior high school, he attended Shodoshima Chuo High School where he was a member of the school's sumo club. In high school as a first year he participated in a Shikoku-wide amateur sumo tournament and in the young men's individual class he took the championship. He also made the best sixteen in an inter-high school competition and was chosen as one representative for the high school Japan team in an international competition. His successes in high school and amateur sumo garnered him invitations from many sumo stables, but after participating in a training camp with Sadogatake stable while the stable was in Kyushu for the November tournament, he made his decision and dropped out of high school in that same year to join this stable.^[1]^[2]

Career[]

Early Career[]

Enomoto first stepped onto the pro sumo dohyo in May 2008. Though he was born in Marugame City, he chose to list Shodoshima, where he went to junior and senior high school, and where he got most of his sumo experience, as his hometown.^[3] He found success early on, recording five straight tournaments with five or more wins out of seven bouts until he finally had his first losing tournament in his makushita division debut in March 2009. After this tournament he changed his shikona from "Kotoenomoto" (琴榎本) to "Kotoyuki" (琴勇輝). He struggled in makushita, posting more losing tournaments then winning one over the next ten tournaments before finally finding his stride in the January 2011 tournament. From this tournament record of 5–2 at makushita 45, he would score two consecutive winning tournaments, which would propel him for the first time into the salaried ranks of the juryo division.^[4]

Juryo Career[]

Kotoyuki5 — Kotoyuki throws and defeats Masakaze (c. 2012)

He was the first wrestler from Kagawa prefecture since 2004 to reach sekitori status and the first ever from Shodoshima.^[5] Though he lost his first four juryo bouts, Kotoyuki bounced back winning nine bouts, seven of them consecutively to post a very strong debut record of 9–6. Kotoyuki had two winning tournaments following this, and when he was ranked juryo 1 for the March 2012 tournament he needed only a kachi-koshi to attain promotion to the top-tier makuuchi division, but with stiff competition at this level he had a 6–9 record. In the following May tournament, though he managed a 4–1 start, on the sixth day, in a loss to Takarafuji he fell off the dohyo and injured his right knee, forcing him miss four days.^[6] He came back for the last five days, but only had one more win. He was back in form for the next tournament however, and in this and the following tournament posted consecutive 9–6 records. In the second of these tournaments, he won eight of those nine wins on the last eight days of the tournament. This earned him makuuchi promotion for the first time in his career for the January 2013 tournament.^[4]

Makuuchi Career[]

Kotoyuki was the first Kagawa prefecture born wrestler since Wakamisugi in 1958 to reach makuuchi.^[7] At maegashira 15 however, he only lasted one tournament, earning only 6–9 record and relegation. Just as in his previous ranking at juryo 1 he only managed a 6–9 record and went down two ranks to juryo 3 for the May 2013 tournament. He posted his strongest juryo performance ever in this tournament, beating the other contender for the title, Tokushoryu on the final day to post a 13–2 record and taking the juryo championship. He was again promoted to the top division for the July tournament. He was able to stay in the division for three tournament, but was injured in the November 2013 tournament, missing the last eight days, and also sitting out the subsequent January 2014 tournament which guaranteed his relegation.^[8] He first tournament back from injury in March 2014 was lackluster but in May he had a breakout tournament, winning 11 bouts and participating in a four-man play-off for the championship which he lost to up and coming Ichinojo.^[4]

Image 1c0153a5b03d20af4fef546 large — Kotoyuki happily poses with his Special Prize (c. 2016)

He then worked his way back to makuuchi for the November 2014 tournament with consecutive 8–7 tournaments near the top of juryo. He remained near the bottom of makuuchi throughout 2015, posting mostly small winning records. He faced his first ever ozeki ranked wrestler on the final day of the November 2015 tournament, losing to Terunofuji, and in the following tournament in January 2016 he scored nine wins against six losses at the rank of maegashira 4. He reached maegashira 1 in the March tournament in Osaka, and on the third day defeated Harumafuji to earn his first gold star for an upset of a yokozuna ranked wrestler. He won his last eleven matches, including wins over the ozeki Goeido and Terunofuji to end with a career-best 12–3 record and the special prize for Outstanding Performance. This performance earned him promotion to his highest rank to date of sekiwake.^[4]

Kotoyuki just failed to record a majority of wins against losses in his sekiwake debut, finishing on 7–8. He remained in the san'yaku ranks for the following tournament at komusubi but scored only 2–13. Kotoyuki posted five consecutive make-koshi or losing records from November 2016 to July 2017 and was demoted down to the juryo division for the September tournament. He took part in a three way play-off for the juryo championship and although he lost, his 10–5 record was good enough for an immediate return to makuuchi. He withdrew from the March 2018 tournament on the fourth day, citing an injury to his right leg.^[9] He returned on Day 6, but was unable to prevent his demotion to juryo. Since then he has moved between the juryo and makuuchi divisions a number of times. In 2019 he produced winning records in three straight makuuchi tournaments which took him to maegashira 3, his highest rank for over three years. However he withdrew from Day 1 of the January 2020 tournament, due to elbow osteoarthritis.^[10] He fell to the makushita division after the January 2021 tournament. In October 2020 he had surgery for a longstanding left knee tendon injury, and the same problem forced him to miss the March 2021 tournament.^[11]

Retirement from Sumo[]

Kotoyuki24 — Kotoyuki's retirement ceremony (c. 2021)

After significant injury issues causing his demotion from the professional ranks, Kotoyuki announced his retirement in April 2021.^[12] He is staying in the Sumo Association as a coach at Sadogatake stable, initially under the elder name of Kimigahama (君ヶ濱), which he borrowed from active Okinoumi, then switching to the Kitaijin elder name owned by Endo following Okinoumi's retirement. He became the first elder born after the Showa era. His danpatsu-shiki was held at the Ryogoku Kokugikan on October 2, 2021.^[13] In July 2023 it was announced that he would inherit the name Araiso from former ozeki Wakashimazu, who was retiring definitively after being asked to serve as a consultant as he approached his 65th birthday.^[14]

Personal Life[]

Like many sumo wrestlers, Kotoyuki had a distinctive pre-match ritual. He would let out a loud 'Huh!'—a hoot-like sound—into his fist, followed by slapping his belly, a routine that often drew enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.^[15] However, the Japan Sumo Association deemed the display undignified, and Yokozuna Hakuho was reportedly personally opposed to it.^[16] As a result, Kotoyuki eventually discontinued his signature ritual.^[17]
Kotoyuki was married in June 2017. He has two children.^[18]
Kotoyuki was born in Marugame City, however he chose to list Shodoshima as his shusshin (birthplace/hometown), where he went to junior and senior high school, and where he got most of his sumo experience, as his hometown.^[3]
Kotoyuki's hobbies include taking naps and going to public hot bathes. There are a couple of public hot bathes 15 minutes away from his stable, and Kotoyuki visited them frequently.^[19] Kotoyuki's favorite food is ramen. Kotoyuki also likes McDonald's cheeseburgers, however junk food is banned in his stable and he usually had to eat the burgers in secrecy.^[20]
Kotoyuki was raised by a single mother and is the oldest son. Kotoyuki helped his mother raise his younger brother by four years and even supplemented his brother's medical school tuition.^[21]

Fighting Style[]

Kotoyuki is a tsuki and oshi specialist, preferring pushing and thrusting techniques to fighting on the mawashi. Nearly half of all his career victories to date have been by oshidashi, or push out.^[22]