Okinoumi Ayumi

隠岐の海　歩 Okinoumi Ayumi
Personal information
Born	Ayumi Fukuoka July 29, 1985 (1985-07-29) (age 26) Okinoshima, Oki Islands, Japan
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Weight	134.5 kg (297 lb; 21.18 st)
Career
Heya	Hakkaku
Current rank	see below
Debut	January, 2005
Highest rank	Maegashira 1 (September, 2011)
Yūshō	1 (Makushita)
Sanshō	Fighting Spirit (1)
* Career information is correct as of Nov 2011.

Okinoumi Ayumi (born 29 July 1985 as Ayumi Fukuoka) is a sumo wrestler from Okinoshima, Shimane Prefecture, Japan. He joined professional sumo in 2005, reaching the top division in 2010. His highest rank has been maegashira 1. He wrestles for Hakkaku stable.

Career

At school he attended local sumo clubs and took part in national competitions, but had no desire to take up sumo as a profession, instead wanting to go to sea and taking examinations to become a licensed mariner. However, he ended up dropping out of high school and was introduced by an acquaintance to Hakkaku-oyakata, the 61st Yokozuna Hokutoumi, who persuaded him to join his Hakkaku stable.

He began his professional career in January 2005, fighting under his family name of Fukuoka. He was promoted to the second highest jūryō division after taking the yusho or tournament championship in the makushita division in January 2009 with a perfect 7-0 record. He changed his shikona to Okinoumi, a reference to his birthplace of Okinoshima (a tiny and remote island in Western Japan) which had been suggested by his father.^[1] He became the first sekitori from the Oki Islands since 1960. Troubled by a shoulder injury, he was demoted from jūryō after two losing records, but after reverting back to the name Fukuoka he won immediate promotion back to jūryō in July 2009. Fighting as Okinoumi once again, in January 2010 he won promotion to the top makuuchi division, becoming the first wrestler from Shimane Prefecture to do so in 88 years. He came through with a kachi-koshi or winning record in his debut makuuchi tournament in March, winning his last three bouts to score 8-7. This saw him promoted to maegashira 10 for May.

He was suspended from the July 2010 tournament, along with several other wrestlers, after admitting involvement in illegal gambling on baseball. As a result, he dropped back to jūryō for September. Ranked at jūryō 8 East, a 10-5 record was enough to return him to the top division for the November tournament, where he secured his majority of wins on the final day. His best performance to date came in the January 2011 tournament where he finished runner-up to yokozuna Hakuho and received his first sansho award, for Fighting Spirit. This saw him promoted to a new highest rank of maegashira 4 for the May 2011 "technical examination tournament." There he fought all the top-ranked men for the first time and defeated three ozeki: Kaio, Harumafuji and Kotooshu. He lost his last two bouts, to komusubi Kakuryu and Toyonoshima, to fall to a make-koshi 7-8 but remained at the same rank for the next tournament. Securing his majority of wins on the final day of the July tournament, he reached a new highest rank of maegashira 1 in September.

Okinoumi is known for his good looks. His stablemaster joked at a press conference after Okinoumi's promotion to jūryō that this made him envious.^[1]

Fighting style

Okinoumi is a yotsu-sumo fighter, preferring grappling techniques to pushing or thrusting. His most common winning kimarite is yori-kiri or force out, and he favours a migi-yotsu grip on the mawashi, with his left hand outside and right hand inside his opponent's arms. He also regularly uses uwatenage, or overarm throw.

Tournament record

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Okinoumi Ayumi^[2]

year in sumo	January Hatsu basho, Tokyo	March Haru basho, Osaka	May Natsu basho, Tokyo	July Nagoya basho, Nagoya	September Aki basho, Tokyo	November Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
2005	(Maezumo)	West Jonokuchi #33 4–3	East Jonidan #112 6–1	East Jonidan #30 5–2	East Sandanme #95 4–3	West Sandanme #77 6–1
2006	West Sandanme #21 5–2	East Makushita #58 4–3	West Makushita #48 5–2	East Makushita #29 2–5	West Makushita #48 5–2	West Makushita #33 5–2
2007	East Makushita #21 4–3	East Makushita #16 3–4	East Makushita #24 3–4	West Makushita #32 2–5	West Makushita #47 5–2	West Makushita #31 5–2
2008	East Makushita #19 2–5	West Makushita #33 5–2	East Makushita #18 5–2	West Makushita #9 4–3	West Makushita #7 5–2	West Makushita #1 5–2
2009	East Makushita #1 7–0 Champion	East Jūryō #7 4–11	East Jūryō #13 5–10	East Makushita #4 4–3	West Jūryō #14 10–5	West Jūryō #5 8–7
2010	East Jūryō #2 10–5	East Maegashira #12 8–7	West Maegashira #10 5–10	West Maegashira #14 Suspended 0–0–15	(Juryo)	West Maegashira #16 8–7
2011	East Maegashira #13 11–4 F	East Maegashira #4 Tournament Cancelled 0–0–0	East Maegashira #4 7–8	East Maegashira #4 8–7	West Maegashira #1 8–7	East Maegashira #1 –
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Retired Lower Divisions Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique     Also shown: ★=Kinboshi(s) P=Playoff(s) Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna — Ōzeki — Sekiwake — Komusubi — Maegashira

See also

• List of active sumo wrestlers

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Willacy, Mark (14 February 2009). "Japan's new sumo hope looks good". ABC. http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2008/s2491526.htm. Retrieved 10 November 2010. 
2. ^ "Okinoumi Ayumi Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. http://www.sumoreference.com/Rikishi.aspx?r=6463. Retrieved 10 November 2010. 

External links

• Okinoumi Ayumi's official biography (English) at the Grand Sumo Homepage

Persondata
Name	Okinoumi, Ayumi
Alternative names	Fukuoka, Ayumi
Short description	Sumo wrestler
Date of birth	29 July 1985
Place of birth	Okinoshima, Oki Islands, Japan
Date of death
Place of death