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Wakakeisho Hiroki

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Wakakeisho Hiroki - 若圭翔 裕樹 (born January 28, 1984) is a former Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Shimabara, Nagasaki. He made his debut in May 2006 and wrestled for Oitekaze stable. His highest rank was makushita 1 and he retired in March 2016.

Early Life[]

Keisho Shimoda was born on January 28, 1984, in Shimabara, Nagasaki. He started sumo wrestling during his fourth year at Shimabara Shiritsu Daisan Elementary School. He then attended Shimabara Shiritsu Daini Junior High School and Isahaya Agricultural Senior High School where he continued to practice sumo.[1] During his third year of high school, he finished runner-up at the Inter-High School Championships and won the heavyweight division at the Junior Sumo World Championships.[2]

Kyodo shimoda1.jpg

Shimoda as Student Yokozuna (c. 2005)

After finishing high school, Shimoda enrolled at Nihon University where he won the East Japan Student Sumo Rookie Championship during his first year, [3] and placed third at the National Student Sumo Championship during his second year.[4] In his third year, he won the Sumo World Championships open-weight division.[5]

In his fourth and final year, he served as captain of Nihon University's sumo club and won the Kokutai National Sumo Tournament as well as the National Student Sumo Championship. Shimoda was expected to be granted the elite makushita 10 tsukedashi status which is only reserved for wrestlers who win two out of the four major amateur tournaments. However, he lost at the semi-finals of the All Japan Sumo Championship and finished third. Nevertheless, he accumulated a total of 16 titles during his time at Nihon University.[1] At the 2005 World Games, just when sumo became an officially-recognized sport by the Olympic committee, Shimoda won a gold medal in the over -115 kg weight category and the silver in the open weight category.[6]

After graduating university, Shimoda was expected to join professional sumo, however, he decided to stay at Nihon University because the director of the sumo club recommended he remain at the school as a staff member. However, after seeing his college teammate Sakaizawa and his high school teammate Kitazono turn professional he was inspired to go professional as well. After consulting with the director of Nihon University's sumo program, he decided to join Oitekaze stable.[7] On April 17, 2006, his makushita tsukedashi status was approved, allowing him to make his debut at the rank of makushita 15.[8]

Career[]

Shimoda made his professional debut in May 2006 where he won the makushita yusho with a perfect 7-0 record. He was the first wrestler to win the makushita yusho while debuting at the rank of makushita 15 and many assumed that he was going to be promoted to juryo in only one tournament. However, he was denied promotion as the banzuke committee claimed that the rank of "makushita 15 east or west" is not equivalent to "makushita 15 tsukedashi".[8]

He was promoted to the rank of makushita 1 west for the following July 2006 tournament. During the tournament, he noticed an abnormality in his knee before his first bout against Kageyama, but he pushed through the pain and chose to compete anyway. However, he lost the match and aggravated his knee injury. Still, he did not want to withdraw from the tournament, as he felt he was already close to a juryo promotion. Having finished with a perfect 7–0 record in the previous tournament, Shimoda believed he could secure the minimum four wins needed to move up.[1] He ultimately finished with a 2–5 record, missing the opportunity for a juryo promotion. He would never come that close to promotion again in his career.[9]

In January 2009, he was given the shikona "Takateru" (宇映) after he dropped down to makushita 51, his lowest ranking ever at the time. After the shikona change, he posted six consecutive winning-records and rose as high makushita 7 in May 2010, but he finished with a 3-4 record. In May 2012, he was given the new shikona "Wakakeisho" (若圭翔), however, after the shikona change he posted two losing records and was demoted to sandanme for the first time in November 2012. He spent the majority of his later career bouncing between makushita and sandanme.[9]

Retirement from Sumo[]

Wakakeisho retired from sumo in March 2016 after falling down to the second lowest jonidan division for the first time in his career.[10] The direct cause of his retirement was ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL). During the September 2015 tournament, he lost all strength in his right hand and had to wrestle using only his left hand. His right hand became so weak that he could not even hold a towel. After the tournament, he went from one university hospital to another seeking treatment for his neck, but at each one, he was advised to retire immediately.[1]

After retiring, he returned to work for Nihon University.[11] He is also active on the amateur sumo circuit, having been permitted to return to amateur sumo on May 26, 2016.[12] He served as a referee during the 2016 All Japan Sumo Championship.[8]

Fighting Style[]

Wakakeisho's Fighting Style

Wakakeisho defeats Nakanishi by oshidashi (push out)

The Japan Sumo Association listed his favorite technique as oshi (pushing).[13] However, his most often used winning kimarite was yorikiri (force out), which requires a grip on his opponent's mawashi. He also regularly won by oshidashi (push out) and hatakikomi (slap down).[14]

Record[]

Division Results[]

  • Total: 196-193-24/388 (59 basho)
  • Makushita: 163-163-3/325 (47 basho)
  • Sandanme: 33-30-14/63 (11 basho)
  • Jonidan: 0-0-7/0 (1 basho)

Shikona History[]

  • Shimoda Keisho (2006.05 - 2008.11)
  • Takateru Keisho (2009.01 - 2012.03)
  • Wakakeisho Hiroyasu (2012.05 - 2012.05)
  • Wakakeisho Hiroki (2012.07 - 2016.05)

Gallery[]

External Links[]

References[]

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