- Musōyama Masashi
-
武双山 正士
Musōyama Masashi
Personal information Born Takehito Oso
February 14, 1972
Ibaraki, JapanHeight 1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in) Weight 175 kg (390 lb) Career Heya Musashigawa Record 554-377-122 Debut January, 1993 Highest rank Ōzeki (May, 2000) Retired November, 2004 Yūshō 1 (Makuuchi)
2 (Makushita)Sanshō Outstanding Performance (5)
Fighting Spirit (4)
Technique (4)Kinboshi 2 * Career information is correct as of July 2007. Musōyama Masashi (born February 14, 1972 as Takehito Oso) is a former sumo wrestler from Mito, Ibaraki, Japan. A former amateur champion, he turned professional in January 1993, and he won promotion to the top makuuchi division in just four tournaments. He won thirteen special prizes and spent a total of 31 tournaments at komusubi and sekiwake before finally reaching the second highest rank of ōzeki in 2000, shortly after winning his only top division tournament championship or yusho. He retired in 2004. He is now the head coach of Fujishima stable.
Contents
Early career
Musōyama was interested in sumo from a young age, as his father was the director of the Ibaraki Prefecture sumo association.[1] Musōyama won national amateur titles at high school and at Senshu University, where he was a rival of Tosanoumi. He made his professional debut in January 1993 in the third makushita division, as due to his amateur achievements he had been given makushita tsukedashi status. He breezed through makushita undefeated with two consecutive 7-0 scores to earn promotion to the second jūryō division, and he made his debut in the top makuuchi division in September 1993. It took him only seven tournaments from his professional debut to make the sanyaku ranks, debuting at sekiwake in March 1994. In September he won his first eleven matches, finishing as runner up to Takanohana with a fine 13-2 record. Over the next few years he was regularly ranked at either sekiwake or komusubi, but was unable to make the next step up. He suffered a number of injuries, including a dislocated shoulder and a persistent problem with his left big toe which affected his speed of movement.
Ozeki career
In January 2000 Musōyama won his first top division yusho or tournament championship with a score of 13-2, finishing one win ahead of Takanohana who he had defeated earlier in the tournament. He followed up with a 12-3 score in March, his second runner-up performance, which earned him promotion to ōzeki.[2] He missed the whole of his debut ōzeki tournament through injury and could manage only a 4-11 record on his return, resulting in demotion back to sekiwake. However he scored ten wins in the September 2000 tournament, which immediately restored him to ōzeki status. His time at ōzeki was bedeviled by further injuries which meant he was often merely struggling to maintain his rank instead of challenging for tournament championships and further promotion. His best performance as an ōzeki was a 12-3 runner-up score in March 2001, but in general he was unable to win more than eight or nine bouts. On the 6th day of the May 2001 tournament he had a match with Kotomitsuki that lasted a total of nine minutes and 17 seconds. After two breaks, the match was eventually called off and rescheduled for later in the day, the first time this had happened in the top division since 1978. Musoyama lost the rearranged match. The last tournament in which he managed a score in double figures was in July 2003. After pulling out of the September 2004 tournament with only two wins he lost his first three matches in November and announced his retirement, at the age of 32.
After retirement
Musōyama remained in sumo as a coach at his stable, Musashigawa, and is now known as Fujishima-oyakata. He has also worked as a shinpan or judge of tournament bouts. In September 2010 he took over as the head coach and changed its name to Fujishima stable.
Fighting style
He was mainly a oshi-sumo wrestler, preferring pushing and thrusting techniques. His most common winning kimarite was oshi-dashi, a simple push out.[3] However, he was also capable of fighting on the mawashi, his favoured grip being hidari-yotsu (right hand outside, left hand inside).
Top division record
Musōyama Masashi[4]
year in sumo January
Hatsu basho, TokyoMarch
Haru basho, OsakaMay
Natsu basho, TokyoJuly
Nagoya basho, NagoyaSeptember
Aki basho, TokyoNovember
Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka1993 x x x x West Maegashira #15
9–6
West Maegashira #11
9–6
1994 West Maegashira #3
10–5
O★West Sekiwake #1
9–6
West Sekiwake #1
9–6
West Sekiwake #1
8–7
East Sekiwake #1
13–2
FOEast Sekiwake #1
7–8
1995 West Komusubi #1
4–3–8
Sat out due to injury
0–0–15West Maegashira #4
11–4
FO★West Sekiwake #1
10–5
TWest Sekiwake #1
8–7
East Sekiwake #1
7–8
1996 West Komusubi #1
10–5
East Sekiwake #2
12–3
TEast Sekiwake #1
10–5
West Sekiwake #1
7–8
East Komusubi #1
7–8
West Komusubi #1
8–7
1997 East Komusubi #1
8–7
East Sekiwake #1
7–8
East Komusubi #1
6–9
East Maegashira #1
9–6
East Komusubi #1
0–3–12
East Maegashira #6
11–4
F1998 East Sekiwake #1
10–5
FWest Sekiwake #1
9–6
West Sekiwake #1
5–10
East Maegashira #2
9–6
East Komusubi #1
8–7
East Komusubi #1
9–6
1999 West Sekiwake #2
10–5
OEast Sekiwake #1
1–2–12
Sat out due to injury
0–0–15East Maegashira #6
11–4
West Komusubi #1
8–7
East Komusubi #1
10–5
2000 East Sekiwake #2
13–2
OTEast Sekiwake #1
12–3
T
Sat out due to injury
0–0–15West Ōzeki #2
4–11
West Sekiwake #1
10–5
West Ōzeki #3
9–6
2001 West Ōzeki #3
9–6
West Ōzeki #1
12–3
West Ōzeki #1
9–6
West Ōzeki #1
10–5
East Ōzeki #2
10–5
East Ōzeki #1
9–6
2002 West Ōzeki #1
10–5
East Ōzeki #2
10–5
East Ōzeki #2
9–5–1
Sat out due to injury
0–0–15West Ōzeki #2
8–7
West Ōzeki #2
10–5
2003 West Ōzeki #1
8–7
East Ōzeki #1
1–6–8
East Ōzeki #2
8–7
East Ōzeki #2
10–5
East Ōzeki #2
1–5–9
West Ōzeki #2
9–6
2004 East Ōzeki #2
5–4–6
West Ōzeki #2
9–6
West Ōzeki #2
6–9
East Ōzeki #2
8–7
East Ōzeki #2
2–7–6
East Ōzeki
Retired
0–4–0Record 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)
Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna — Ōzeki — Sekiwake — Komusubi — Maegashira
Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — JonokuchiSee also
References
- ^ "Musoyama: A bull quits the Arena". Le Monde Du Sumo. December 2004. http://lemondedusumo.com/english/MDS7_musoyama.php?mag=mds&num=7. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
- ^ "Musoyama promoted". The Japan Times Online. 2000-03-30. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ss20000330a1.html. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
- ^ "Musoyama bouts by kimarite". Sumo Reference. http://sumodb.sumogames.com/Rikishi_kim.aspx?r=6. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
- ^ "Rikishi in Juryo and Makunouchi". szumo.hu. http://www.szumo.hu/sekitori/Musoyama.html. Retrieved 2009-11-23.
External links
Categories:- 1972 births
- Living people
- Japanese sumo wrestlers
- Ōzeki
- People from Mito, Ibaraki
- Senshu University alumni
- Sumo people from Ibaraki Prefecture
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