Takanosato Toshihide facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Takanosato Toshihide
隆の里 俊英
Takanosato's handprint displayed on a monument in Ryōgoku, Tokyo
Personal information
Born	Toshihide Takaya September 29, 1952 Namioka, Aomori, Japan
Died	November 7, 2011(2011-11-07) (aged 59) Fukuoka, Japan
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Weight	159 kg (351 lb)
Career
Stable	Futagoyama
Record	693–493–80
Debut	July 1968
Highest rank	Yokozuna (July 1983)
Retired	January 1986
Elder name	Naruto
Championships	4 (Makuuchi) 1 (Jūryō)
Special Prizes	Outstanding Performance (2) Fighting Spirit (5)
Gold Stars	2 (Wajima, Kitanoumi)
* Up to date as of June 2020.

Takanosato Toshihide (Japanese: 隆の里 俊英, September 29, 1952 – November 7, 2011), whose real name was Toshihide Takaya (高谷 俊英), was a famous Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He was born in Namioka, Aomori. Takanosato reached the highest rank in sumo, becoming the 59th yokozuna (grand champion) from 1983 to 1986. During his career, he won four major sumo tournaments. After he retired from wrestling, he started his own sumo training stable called Naruto stable. He led this stable from 1989 until he passed away.

Takanosato's Early Sumo Journey

Before he started sumo, Takanosato played football and practiced judo. In July 1968, he joined professional sumo with Wakanohana Kanji II. They both trained at the Futagoyama stable.

Takanosato first reached the top sumo division, called makuuchi, in May 1975. However, he sometimes struggled and went back down to the jūryō division. He developed his skills later than some other wrestlers. He didn't reach the san'yaku ranks (the highest ranks below yokozuna and ōzeki) until 1979. By this time, Wakanohana was already a yokozuna.

In 1980, Takanosato finished second in two tournaments in a row. People called him "Popeye" because he was very strong. He was one of the few wrestlers back then who used weight training. This type of training is very common in sumo now.

By 1981, he was regularly in the san'yaku ranks. In January 1982, he was a runner-up again while holding the rank of sekiwake. After this, he was promoted to ōzeki, which is the second-highest rank.

Overcoming Challenges to Become a Champion

After becoming an ōzeki, Takanosato shared that he had been living with diabetes for many years. He had created a special diet to manage his illness.

He won his first top division championship in September 1982. He won every single match, finishing with a perfect 15–0 record. He was a runner-up in the March and May 1983 tournaments. Then, he won his second championship in July. After this amazing win, he was promoted to yokozuna.

Life as a Yokozuna Grand Champion

Takanosato was almost 31 years old when he became a yokozuna. It took him 91 tournaments to reach this rank from his debut. This is the second-longest time in sumo history.

Many yokozuna struggle in their first tournament after promotion. But Takanosato won his first tournament as a yokozuna with a perfect record. He was the first yokozuna to do this since Futabayama in the 1930s.

Rivalry with Chiyonofuji

Even though his time as yokozuna was not very long, he had a great rivalry with another yokozuna, Chiyonofuji. In four tournaments from July 1983 to January 1984, both wrestlers had the same score on the final day. This has never happened before or since in sumo. Takanosato won three of these four final matches. He was one of the few wrestlers who had a winning record against Chiyonofuji.

Takanosato carefully studied Chiyonofuji's fighting style. He watched videos of their matches many times. This helped him stop Chiyonofuji from getting his favorite grip on his opponent's mawashi (the belt sumo wrestlers wear). Takanosato defeated Chiyonofuji eight times in a row between July 1981 and September 1982. Overall, he won 18 out of their 31 matches.

Takanosato's fourth tournament championship in January 1984 was his last. After that, his yokozuna career was not as successful. He missed most of 1985 because of injuries. However, he did take part in a special three-day sumo show in the United States at Madison Square Garden in June. He announced his retirement in January 1986 when he was 33 years old.

Life After Sumo: Becoming a Stable Master

After retiring from wrestling, Takanosato joined the Sumo Association as an oyakata, or elder. He took the name Naruto. In 1989, he opened his own sumo training stable, Naruto stable, in Matsudo, Chiba.

His stable trained several wrestlers who reached the top division. These included Rikio in 1996, Wakanosato in 1998, Takanowaka in 1999, Takanotsuru in 2003, Kisenosato in 2004, and Takayasu and Takanoyama in 2011.

Naruto Oyakata believed in training his wrestlers within his own stable. He did not let them go to other stables for practice. He also worked as a judge for tournament matches and as a sumo commentator for NHK television.

Takanosato's Passing

Naruto Oyakata passed away on November 7, 2011, in Fukuoka. He was 59 years old and died from respiratory failure. Just a few days later, at the end of the Kyushu tournament, Kisenosato from his stable was promoted to ōzeki. This was something Naruto had always hoped to see.

Takanosato's Fighting Style

Takanosato's most common winning technique, or kimarite, was yorikiri, which means "force out." This technique accounted for about 45 percent of his wins at the sekitori level (the two highest divisions).

He preferred a migi-yotsu grip. This meant he had his left hand outside and his right hand inside his opponent's arms. He also often won by uwatenage (an overarm throw) and tsuridashi (a lift out). Tsuridashi is a technique rarely seen today because wrestlers are much heavier now.

See also

• Glossary of sumo terms
• List of sumo tournament top division champions
• List of sumo tournament top division runners-up
• List of sumo tournament second division champions
• List of past sumo wrestlers
• List of yokozuna