Wakatakakage Atsushi

Japanese sumo wrestler
1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)Weight127 kg (280 lb; 20 st 0 lb)CareerStableArashioUniversityToyo UniversityCurrent ranksee belowDebutMarch, 2017Highest rankSekiwake (March, 2022)Championships1 (Makuuchi)
2 (Makushita)
1 (Sandanme)Special Prizes4 (Technique)* Up to date as of 31 January 2024.

Wakatakakage Atsushi (Japanese: 若隆景 渥, born December 6, 1994 as Atsushi Onami (大波 渥, Ōnami Atsushi)) is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Fukushima. He made his debut in March 2017 and reached the top makuuchi division in November 2019. He wrestles for Arashio stable, where he is a stablemate of his older brothers Wakatakamoto and Wakamotoharu. His highest rank has been sekiwake. He won his first top division championship in March 2022 and has collected four Technique prizes.

Wakatakakage sat out for several tournaments in 2023 while recovering from reconstructive knee surgery.[1]

Family background

The three Onami brothers are the grandchildren of former komusubi Wakabayama. They were given their shikona or sumo names by Arashio stable's head coach Ōyutaka, after the three sons of Mōri Motonari in the well-known Japanese parable "Lesson of the three arrows" – Takamoto, Motoharu, and Takakage.[2] The eldest brother, Wakatakamoto, has a highest rank of makushita 7 and has been in sumo the longest, debuting in November 2009. Wakatakakage and Wakamotoharu are the 19th pair of brothers in sumo to both reach sekitori level.[3] Wakamotoharu is the second eldest and entered in November 2011, but did not make his jūryō debut until after Wakatakakage, in March 2019. On the January 2022 banzuke Wakamotoharu made his makuuchi division debut.[4] Wakatakakage, the youngest brother, has had by far the quickest rise up the rankings of the three.

Wakatakakage and his brother Wakamotoharu are the fourth siblings in history to reach sumo's third-highest rank of sekiwake, achieved with Wakamotoharu's promotion in May 2023. They are the first siblings to reach the rank since yokozuna brothers Takanohana and Wakanohana in the early 1990s.[5]

Career

Sumo debut and makuuchi promotion

Wakatakakage made his professional debut in March 2017, and because of his success in amateur sumo began as a sandanme tsukedashi entrant. He won the sandanme division championship in May 2017 with a perfect 7–0 record and also won the makushita division championship in January 2018 by the same score. He made his jūryō debut in May 2018, the second to do from Arashio stable after Sokokurai in 2010 and the first from Fukushima Prefecture since Sōtairyū [ja] in 2009. He rose slowly up the jūryō division, winning promotion to the top makuuchi division after a 9–6 record at jūryō 3 in September 2019. Despite a poor 2–6 start to that tournament he won his final seven matches (including wins over top division veterans such as Toyonoshima and Kaisei) to secure his promotion. He was the third sandanme tsukedashi entrant to reach the top division after Yutakayama and Asanoyama.

Wakatakakage won his first four bouts in his top division debut in November 2019, but dislocated a joint in his right foot after landing awkwardly during his fourth day win over Terutsuyoshi and had to withdraw from the rest of the tournament.[6] Back in jūryō he put together two consecutive winning records of 9–6 and 10–5 upon his return from injury to earn promotion back the top division for the (subsequently cancelled) May 2020 tournament at his highest rank to date of maegashira 14. In July 2020 he completed his first full tournament in makuuchi, posting a respectable 10 wins. In September he was on the leaderboard for much of the tournament, although he picked up his fourth loss to Mitakeumi on Day 14[7] and finished in a share of third place on 11–4.

Original tegata (handprint and signature ) of sumo wrestler Wakatakakage

On 31 December 2020 – 10 days before the start of the January 2021 basho - it was announced by the Sumo Association that Wakatakakage tested positive for COVID-19.[8] The entire Arashio stable – along with the Miyagino, Tomozuna and Kokonoe stables – sat out the tournament.[9] He returned in March and produced a 10–5 record, defeating two ōzeki and receiving the Technique Prize.[10] He earned his second Technique Prize in May 2021 with a 9–6 record and was promoted to the san'yaku ranks for the first time as komusubi.[11] He was the first from Arashio stable to reach the komusubi rank since its founding in 2002.[12]

San'yaku

After consecutive winning records at the top maegashira rank in November 2021 and January 2022, Wakatakakage was promoted to a career-best rank of sekiwake for the March 2022 tournament.[13] He followed up this sekiwake debut by winning his first makuuchi tournament after producing a 12-3 record and defeating co-leader Takayasu in a playoff, along with receiving his third Technique prize. This marked the first time in 86 years that a newly promoted sekiwake won the championship (after Futabayama in 1936), as well as the first time in 50 years that a wrestler from Fukushima Prefecture won the championship (after Tochiazuma in January 1972).[14] Wakatakakage failed to defeat ōzeki Shōdai in the final regulation match (thus missing out on the Outstanding Performance Prize that he would have received with a 13–2 record),[15] but was guaranteed at least a playoff as Takayasu had lost his own match to Abi earlier in the day.[16]

Wakatakakage followed up his tournament win with a 9–6 record in the May 2022 tournament.[17] Maintaining his sekiwake rank in July, Wakatakakage recovered from losing his first three matches in September to produce an 11–4 record.[18] He received his fourth Technique Prize on the final day.[19] He achieved an 8–7 record in the November tournament to close out the year.[20]

Injury and relegation

In the January 2023 tournament Wakatakakage earned a 9–6 record.[21] He withdrew towards the end of the March 2023 basho after injuring his right ACL and meniscus in his win over Kotonowaka on Day 13.[22] The following month stablemaster Arashio (former maegashira Sōkokurai) announced that Wakatakakage would be sidelined for up to one year after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery.[1] After his operation, Wakatakage resumed training at the end of August 2023, notably facing sandanme stablemates.[23] When withdrawing from the September tournament, his medical certificate with the Sumo Association indicated he would need "approximately one month of treatment and outpatient rehabilitation."[24]

In preparation for the November 2023 tournament, Wakatakakage was demoted to the makushita division, where he was ranked sixth. No longer a sekitori, observers noted that he now wore the black mawashi of the lower-ranked wrestlers during his trainings.[25] Noting his training sessions without knee braces, Sports Hochi speculated about a possible return to competition for the Kyushu tournament that same month,[25] something that Wakatakakage's master, Arashio, had already hinted at at the beginning of October.[26] Wakatakakage's return at the November tournament was confirmed when his name was listed among the makushita matches for the first day.[27] He began his comeback with a defeat but bounced back to finish the tournament with a score of 5–2.[28][29] During the first tournament of 2024, Wakatakakage won all his matches, winning his second makushita championship, the first in six years.[30] This victory marks the second time a former makuuchi championship winner has won a makushita championship after a period of demotion, the first being Yokozuna Terunofuji in 2019.[30] After his championship victory, it was announced that Wakatakakage would be repromoted to the jūryō division for the March tournament.[31]

Fighting style

According to his Japan Sumo Association profile Wakatakakage prefers a migi-yotsu (right hand inside, left hand outside) grip on his opponent's mawashi. His most common winning kimarite are oshi-dashi (push out), yori-kiri (force out) and okuri-dashi (push out from behind).[32] He is below the average weight for a sekitori at 124 kilograms (273 lb) and makes use of his speed and agility. Wakatakakage is also known for his effective use of the ottsuke arm-blocking technique with his right arm, being able to employ it both as a defensive and offensive move.

Personal life

Wakatakakage is married with children. During his second makushita championship victory, he thanked his family for their support during his rehabilitation.[30]

Career record

Wakatakakage Atsushi[33]
Year January
Hatsu basho, Tokyo		 March
Haru basho, Osaka		 May
Natsu basho, Tokyo		 July
Nagoya basho, Nagoya		 September
Aki basho, Tokyo		 November
Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
2017 x Sandanme tsukedashi #100
5–2
 		 West Sandanme #63
7–0
Champion
 		 West Makushita #38
6–1
 		 East Makushita #16
4–3
 		 East Makushita #12
3–4
 
2018 East Makushita #17
7–0
Champion
 		 East Makushita #1
4–3
 		 West Jūryō #14
8–7
 		 East Jūryō #12
9–6
 		 West Jūryō #7
8–7
 		 West Jūryō #6
8–7
 
2019 East Jūryō #5
7–8
 		 East Jūryō #5
8–7
 		 West Jūryō #2
6–9
 		 East Jūryō #4
8–7
 		 West Jūryō #3
9–6
 		 East Maegashira #16
4–1–10
 
2020 East Jūryō #5
9–6
 		 West Jūryō #2
10–5
 		 West Maegashira #14
Tournament Cancelled
0–0–0		 West Maegashira #14
10–5
 		 West Maegashira #8
11–4
 		 West Maegashira #1
7–8
 
2021 West Maegashira #2
Sat out due to COVID rules
0–0–15		 West Maegashira #2
10–5
T		 East Maegashira #1
9–6
T		 East Komusubi #1
5–10
 		 East Maegashira #3
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #1
8–7
 
2022 East Maegashira #1
9–6
 		 East Sekiwake #1
12–3–P
T		 East Sekiwake #1
9–6
 		 East Sekiwake #1
8–7
 		 East Sekiwake #1
11–4
T		 East Sekiwake #1
8–7
 
2023 East Sekiwake #1
9–6
 		 East Sekiwake #1
7–7–1
 		 West Komusubi #1
Sat out due to injury
0–0–15		 West Maegashira #12
Sat out due to injury
0–0–15		 West Jūryō #7
Sat out due to injury
0–0–15		 West Makushita #6
5–2
 
2024 West Makushita #1
7–0
Champion
 		 West Jūryō #10
9–6
 		 x x x x
Record given as wins–losses–absencies    Top division champion Top division runner-up Retired Lower divisions Non-participation

Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique     Also shown: ★=Kinboshi; P=Playoff(s)
Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna — Ōzeki — Sekiwake — Komusubi — Maegashira

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Sumo: Sekiwake Wakatakakage out for up to year after knee surgery". Kyodo News. 14 April 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  2. ^ "大波、しこ名は毛利元就の三男から「若隆景」". Sanspo. 4 March 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  3. ^ Gunning, John (19 March 2019). "Sumo 101: Brothers in sumo". Japan Times. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  4. ^ Armstrong, JIm (10 February 2023). "Sumo brothers Wakatakakage and Wakamotoharu aiming for the pinnacle". Japan Forward. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  5. ^ "Sumo: Kiribayama seeks ozeki promotion, Asanoyama back in top flight". Kyodo News. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  6. ^ "Sumo: Shodai falls on Day 5 to even odds at injury-plagued Kyushu meet". Kyodo News. 14 November 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  7. ^ "Shodai taking lead into final day after beating Asanoyama". Japan Times. 26 September 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  8. ^ "Sumo: Top-flight wrestler Wakatakakage infected with coronavirus". Kyodo. 31 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  9. ^ "SUMO/ 65 wrestlers to stay away from tourney as 5 test positive for virus". Asahi Shimbun. 10 January 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  10. ^ "Sumo: Comeback king Terunofuji triumphs to reclaim ozeki rank". Kyodo News. 28 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  11. ^ "Sumo: Terunofuji beats Takakeisho to win 4th career championship". Kyodo News. 23 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  12. ^ "2021 July Grand Sumo Tournament Banzuke Topics". Japan Sumo Association. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Sumo: New rankings put spotlight on endurance, comebacks". Kyodo News. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  14. ^ "Sumo: Wakatakakage surprises himself with grand tournament win". Kyodo News. 28 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  15. ^ "【三賞】殊勲賞13勝２敗で優勝すれば若隆景 敢闘賞は高安と琴ノ若 技能賞は若隆景 (Special Prizes: Outstanding Performance award to Wakatakakage with 13 wins and 2 losses, Fighting Spirit award to Takayasu and Kotonowaka, Technique Award to Wakatakakage)". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 27 March 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  16. ^ "Sumo: Wakatakakage surprises himself with grand tournament win". Kyodo News. 28 March 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  17. ^ "Sumo: Terunofuji raises 7th Emperor's Cup after loss by Takanosho". Kyodo News. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  18. ^ "Wakatakakage Pleased with Final Result". Japan Forward. 25 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  19. ^ "Sumo: Tamawashi secures 2nd championship with win over Takayasu". Kyodo News. 25 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  20. ^ Chifuri, Hiromitsu (2022-12-26). "2022 Kyushu Basho Results". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  21. ^ Chifuri, Hiromitsu (2023-02-20). "2023 New Year Basho Results". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  22. ^ "関脇若隆景が休場、前日取り直しの一番で右脚痛める 霧馬山不戦勝で優勝争い千秋楽に持ち越し" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 25 March 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  23. ^ "右膝手術の若隆景、今月から相撲取る稽古再開「１つずつ積み重ねて良くなるようにしていけたら」" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  24. ^ "元関脇で十両の若隆景が秋場所初日から休場　今場所も全休なら来場所の幕下転落が確実に" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  25. ^ a b "幕下転落・若隆景が約５年半ぶり黒まわし姿で計７番　九州場所での復帰へ順調「土俵で活躍する姿を見せられたら」" (in Japanese). Sports Hochi. 31 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  26. ^ "４場所連続休場中の若隆景について師匠の荒汐親方「このまま順調にいけば、九州は出場できる」" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 13 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  27. ^ "元関脇若隆景、右膝靱帯再建手術受け４場所ぶりの復帰　初日に西幕下６枚目の嘉陽との取組" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 11 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  28. ^ "４場所ぶり復帰の若隆景は黒星スタート「切り替えて、次はしっかり自分の相撲を」【大相撲九州場所】" (in Japanese). Chunichi Sports. 12 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  29. ^ "元関脇の若隆景「ケガなく終えられたことがよかった」8カ月ぶりの復帰場所は幕下で5勝2敗" (in Japanese). Sports Nippon. 25 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  30. ^ a b c "若隆景が関取復帰に花添える幕下優勝「また強い姿を見せたい」リハビリ生活支えた家族に感謝" (in Japanese). Sports Nippon. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  31. ^ "北はり磨、記録的な復活劇　若隆景、対馬洋、伯桜鵬とともに再十両". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 31 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  32. ^ "Wins of Wakatakakage". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  33. ^ "Wakatakakage Atsushi Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 28 April 2020.

External links

  • Wakatakakage Atsushi's official biography (English) at the Grand Sumo Homepage
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