Shoeito Hirokatsu - 祥映斗 宏勝 (born June 6, 1971) is a former Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Kirishima, Kagoshima. He made his debut in March 1987 and wrestled for Izutsu stable. His highest rank was makushita 3 and he retired in May 1999.
Early Life[]
Hiroshi Murata was born on June 6, 1971, in the town of Yokogawa (currently incorporated into Kirishima City) in Kagoshima prefecture. Prior to joining sumo, he was an avid swimmer and won a local 50m freestyle competition in Kagoshima in 1983. He was later recruited into Izutsu stable.
Career[]
He made his professional debut in March 1987 and initially wrestled under his surname Murata. He initially struggled and was unable to break through the lowest jonokuchi division. In September 1988, he finished with a strong 6-1 record, but missed out on the jonokuchi yusho after losing to the American Sentoryu in a playoff. Nevertheless, after this tournament he began producing more consistent results. In May 1989 he was given the shikona "Kirinowaka" (霧の若). He was promoted to sandanme in March 1990 and makushita in May 1992.
In January 1993, he won the sandanme yusho with a perfect 7-0 record and after the yusho, he established himself in the upper-half of makushita. In September 1994, he was given the new shikona "Shoeito" (祥映斗). He reached a career-best makushita 3 in May 1996, but failed to capitalize on a juryo promotion after finishing with a 3-4 record. He returned to the rank of makushita 3 in November 1996, but finished with another 3-4 record.
Retirement from Sumo[]
Towards his, he suffered a neck injury which hindered his fighting ability and he subsequently retired from sumo in May 1999. After retiring from sumo he became an actor under the stage name "Hiroshi Ryogoku" (両國 宏).
Personal Life[]
- Shoeito was known for his muscular build and his resemblance to senior stablemate Kirishima.
- He fought a total of five matches in juryo: once against Daishi, once against Tochiazuma, once against Saigo, and twice against Kotogaume, however, he lost all five matches.
Fighting Style[]
Shoeito was a yotsu-sumo wrestler who prefers grappling to pushing and thrusting techniques. His most common kimarite was yorikiri (force out) followed by uwatenage (overarm throw).
Record[]
Division Results[]
- Total: 255-237-19/492 (74 basho)
- Makushita: 111-115-5/226 (33 basho)
- Sandanme: 84-63-14/147 (23 basho)
- Jonidan: 33-30/63 (9 basho)
- Jonokuchi: 27-29/56 (8 basho)
Championships[]
- 1 Sandanme Championship (January 1993)
Shikona History[]
- Murata (1987.03 - 1989.03)
- Kirinowaka Taro (1989.05 - 1994.07)
- Shoeito Hirokatsu (1994.09 - 1999.05)
Gallery[]
