Yutakayama Katsuo

Sumo wrestler infobox

wrestlername = 豊山 勝男
Yutakayama Katsuo
birthname =Katsuo Uchida
dateofbirth =birth date and age|1937|8|18
placeofbirth =Niigata, Japan
dateofdeath =
placeofdeath =
height =height|meters=1.89
weight =convert|137|kg|lb|abbr=on|lk=on
heya =Tokitsukaze
rank =
record =413-245-8
debut =March, 1961
highestrank =Ozeki (March, 1963)
retireddate =September, 1968
yushos =1 (Juryo)
prizes = Fighting Spirit (4) Outstanding Performance (3)
goldstars =1
blogurl =
weburl =
email =
update =July 2007

Yutakayama Katsuo (born 18 August 1937 as Katsuo Uchida) is a former sumo wrestler from Niigata, Japan. His highest rank was "ozeki." Although he never managed to win a top division tournament championship he was a runner-up on eight occasions. Before wrestling professionally he was an amateur champion at Tonodai University and he was the first former collegiate competitor to reach the "ozeki" rank. After retirement he was head coach of the Tokitsukaze stable. From 1998 until 2002 he also served as head of the Japan Sumo Association.

Career

Born in Shibata, he attended the Tokyo University of Agriculture, and in amateur sumo earned the Collegiate Yokozuna title. He made his professional debut at the age of 23 in May 1961, joining Tokitsukaze stable, run by the former "yokozuna" great Futabayama. Due to his amateur achievements he was given "makushita tsukedashi" status and began in the third "makushita" division, fighting under his real name of Uchida. He reached the second "juryo" division in three tournaments and after winning the "juryo" division "yusho" or championship with a perfect 15-0 score in November 1961 he was promoted to the top "makuuchi" division.

He adopted the "shikona" of Yutakayama upon his entry to the top division in January 1962 and was a runner-up to "yokozuna" Taiho in his debut tournament with a score of 12-3, also receiving the Fighting Spirit prize. He made "komusubi" rank in May 1962 but fell just short with seven wins. However, after a fine 12-3 score in September he was elevated straight to "sekiwake" and two more runner-up performances (to Taiho once again) saw him promoted to the second highest rank of "ozeki".

Yutakayama remained at "ozeki" for the rest of his career, and was ranked there for 34 tournaments, eighth on the all-time list. He was runner-up on five more occasions, but never managed to win a top division championship. He was perhaps unlucky to be fighting in the same era as the dominant Taiho, whom he was able to beat only four times in 32 meetings. There were a number of other strong "yokozuna" around as well, such as Sadanoyama and Kashiwado, with whom he also had a poor head-to-head record. After finishing as runner-up to Wakanami in March 1968 and Tamanoshima in May, he then had two "make-koshi" (losing scores) in a row, managing only a poor 4-11 record in September. He announced his retirement at the end of that tournament at the age of 31.

Retirement from sumo

Yutakayama remained in the sumo world as an elder, initially under the name of Nishikijima. When his stablemaster Futabayama died a few months later in December 1968, a previous "yokozuna" from the stable, Kagamisato, briefly took charge, but Yutakayama was asked by Futabayama's widow to assume control instead. Kagamisato left to found another stable and Yutakayama took on the Tokitsukaze name in 1969. Over the years he produced a number of top division wrestlers such as Kurama, Oshio, Oyutaka, Yutakayama Hiromitsu, Tokitsunada, Aogiyama and Tokitsuumi. In February 1998 he successfully challenged Sakaigawa (the former Sadanoyama) for the chairmanship of the Japan Sumo Association, coming first in the ballot ahead of Kitanoumi. He remained in charge until February 2002. Later that year he handed control of Tokitsukaze stable over to former "komusubi" Futatsuryu and left the Sumo Association upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 65.

Top division record

ee also

*Glossary of sumo terms
*List of past sumo wrestlers

References