Takaazuma Katsushige - 孝東 克重 (born July 17, 1981) is a former Brazilian professional sumo wrestler from Guarulhos, Sao Paulo, Brazil. He made his debut in May 2004 and wrestled for Tamanoi stable. His highest rank was makushita 24 and he retired in September 2008.
Early Life[]
Born in the city of Guarulhos, Sao Paulo, Cristiano Luiz de Sousa began practicing sumo at the Academy Sao Paulo with many Japanese-Brazilians. Due to his physical strength and build, he started to garner some attraction and was recruited into Tamanoi stable, which is a popular destination for many Brazilian sumo wrestlers.
Career[]
He made his debut in May 2004 alongside Estonians Baruto and Kitaoji, and wrestled under the shikona "Takaazuma" (孝東). He had a strong start where he produced five straight winning records which sent him to the makushita division by his sixth professional tournament.
However, he pulled out on the first day of the May 2005 tournament and fell back down to sandanme. He wrestled in sandanme for five tournaments before injuring himself. As a result, he had to pull out of two consecutive tournaments which sent him back down to jonidan. He eventually returned to makushita in November 2007 and reached a career-best makushita 24 in March 2008.
Retirement from Sumo[]
Polpetta Rotisserie Chicken food truck in Chiyoda, Tokyo.
Takaazuma suddenly announced his retirement after the September 2008 tournament due to injuries. After retirement, he did not return to Brazil and stayed in Japan. He currently operates a Brazilian food truck called Polpetta Rotisserie Chicken (ポルペッタロティサリーチキン) in Chiyoda, Tokyo.
Personal Life[]
- Cristiano married a Japanese and has three kids.
- In 2015, he helped repair damages after the severe flood disaster in Joso, Ibaraki. His house was not swallowed by the mud, but the the water ruined the interior. Due to his proficiency in Japanese, Portuguese, English, Chinese, and Spanish (according to Facebook), he was able to help other foreigners by restoring damaged properties, doing translations and repair work.
Fighting Style[]
Takaazuma defeats Daiki by hatakikomi (slap down)
Takaazuma was a yotsu-sumo wrestler who prefers grappling to pushing and thrusting techniques. He won most of his bouts with a straightforward yorikiri, or force out. He also won many bouts with oshidashi (push out).
Record[]
Division Results[]
- Total: 99-63-20/161 (27 basho)
- Makushita: 20-23-6/42 (7 basho)
- Sandanme: 55-36-14/91 (15 basho)
- Jonidan: 18-3/21 (3 basho)
- Jonokuchi: 6-1/7 (1 basho)
Shikona History[]
- Takaazuma Katsushige (2004.05 - 2008.09)
Gallery[]
