Maeta Masaru

Maeta Masaru - 前田勝 (born June 24, 1982 - August 26, 2020) was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Tsuruoka, Yamagata. He made his debut in March 2005 and last wrestled for Shibatayama stable. His highest rank was makushita 3 and he retired in September 2018.

Early Life[]

Masaru Maeta was born in the town of Kushibiki (now part of Tsuruoka City) and his parent's house was near the birthplace of Yokozuna Kashiwado. He attended a local sumo club in Tsuruoka during his time in elementary school and junior high school. He was deemed a high hope since his elementary school days and he won the Wanpaku National Sumo Tournament two years in a row, earning him the title of Elementary School Yokozuna.

For high school, Maeta attended Saitama Sakae High School, which was known for its strong sumo program. He served as the captain of the school's sumo club and led the school to five consecutive victories at the national team competition. He also won the 2000 World Junior Sumo Championship's open-weight category. After graduating high school, he enrolled at Nihon University but he was unable to achieve the level of success he had in high school. Already weighing over 200 kg (441 lb), he was one of the heaviest collegiate sumo wrestlers. After graduating university, he joined Hanaregoma stable.

Career[]

He made his professional debut in March 2005 and wrestled under his surname Maeta. In March 2006, he won the sandanme yusho with a perfect 7-0 record and was promoted to makushita for the following May 2006 tournament. He continued to have an impressive progression and rose as high as makushita 6 in January 2007. However, his sumo progression stalled after that. In May 2010, Maeta won the makushita yusho with a perfect 7-0 record and was promoted to the rank of makushita 3 for the following July 2010 tournament. However, he finished with a poor 1-6 record in this tournament and was unable to capitalize on a juryo promotion.

In January 2013, his Hanaregoma stable closed down so he transferred to Shibatayama stable. In July 2016, he suffered an injury to his left leg's Achilles tendon and withdrew from the tournament. He sat out of the following two tournaments as well which resulted in a drop back down to jonokuchi in January 2017. Upon returning to sumo in January 2017, he suffered a concussion in a match against Kinjo on the 11th day and subsequently withdrew from the tournament.

Retirement from Sumo[]

Maeta retired from sumo after the September 2018 tournament. After retiring, he worked for a company called "Sanken Soil" (三研ソイル), a company that researches and develops soil for rice and vegetables in Hachimantai, Iwate. He was also involved with the company's sumo club and also coached elementary and junior high school students three times a week.

Death[]

On August 26, 2020, he was coaching students at a sumo dojo in Tairadate High School in Hachimantai, Iwate, but around 7:30 PM, Maeta suddenly collapsed. Although there were attempts to resuscitate him with an automated external defibrillator, he did not regain consciousness and was taken to Hachimantai City Hospital where he his official cause of death was listed as a myocardial infarction. He was 38 years old.

On December 10, 2020, his hometown Tsuruoka City issued a letter of appreciation, in recognition of his achievements during his lifetime. The letter was received on behalf of his father. Maeta had been active with the sumo scene in Tsuruoka ever since his active days.

Fighting Style[]

Maeta was a yotsu-sumo wrestler who prefers grappling to pushing and thrusting techniques. He favored a hidari-yotsu (right hand outside, left hand inside) position when gripping his opponent's mawashi (belt). However, his most common kimarite was oshidashi (push out) followed by yorikiri (force out).