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Wakatakakage Atsushi

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In this Japanese shikona name, the surname is Wakatakakage.
Wakatakakage Atsushi
若わか隆景たかかげ 渥
Wakatakakage in 2022
Personal information
BornAtsushi Onami
(1994-12-06) December 6, 1994 (age 29)
Fukushima, Fukushima, Japan
Height1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Weight127 kg (280 lb; 20 st 0 lb)
Career
StableArashio
UniversityToyo University
Current ranksee below
DebutMarch, 2017
Highest rankSekiwake (March, 2022)
Championships1 (Makuuchi)
1 (Juryo)
2 (Makushita)
1 (Sandanme)
Special Prizes4 (Technique)
* Up to date as of 31 January 2024.

Wakatakakage Atsushi (Japanese: 若わか隆景たかかげ 渥, born December 6, 1994 as Atsushi Onami (大波おおなみ 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

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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

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Sumo debut and makuuchi promotion

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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

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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

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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] He won the May 2024 jūryō championship with 14 wins, likely resulting in his return to the top division in July.[32]

Fighting style

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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).[33] 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

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

Career record

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Wakatakakage Atsushi[34]
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
 		 West Jūryō #6
14–1
Champion
 		 East Maegashira #14
11–4
 		 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

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Sumo: Sekiwake Wakatakakage out for up to year after knee surgery". Kyodo News. 14 April 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  2. ^ "大波おおなみ、しこ名なは毛利もうり元就もとなりの三男さんなんから「若わか隆景たかかげ」". 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. ^ "【三さん賞しょう】殊勲賞しゅくんしょう13勝しょう２敗はいで優勝ゆうしょうすれば若わか隆景たかかげ 敢闘かんとう賞しょうは高安たかやすと琴きんノ若わか 技能ぎのう賞しょうは若わか隆景たかかげ (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. ^ "関脇せきわけ若わか隆景たかかげが休場きゅうじょう、前日ぜんじつ取とり直なおしの一番いちばんで右みぎ脚あし痛いためる 霧きり馬山まやま不戦勝ふせんしょうで優勝ゆうしょう争あらそい千秋楽せんしゅうらくに持もち越こし" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 25 March 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  23. ^ "右みぎ膝ひざ手術しゅじゅつの若わか隆景たかかげ、今月こんげつから相撲すもう取とる稽古けいこ再開さいかい「１ひとつずつ積つみ重かさねて良よくなるようにしていけたら」" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  24. ^ "元もと関脇せきわけで十じゅう両りょうの若わか隆景たかかげが秋場所あきばしょ初日しょにちから休場きゅうじょう　今こん場所ばしょも全休ぜんきゅうなら来場らいじょう所しょの幕下まくした転落てんらくが確実かくじつに" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  25. ^ a b "幕下まくした転落てんらく・若わか隆景たかかげが約やく５年ねん半はんぶり黒くろまわし姿すがたで計けい７番ばん　九州きゅうしゅう場所ばしょでの復帰ふっきへ順調じゅんちょう「土俵どひょうで活躍かつやくする姿すがたを見みせられたら」" (in Japanese). Sports Hochi. 31 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  26. ^ "４場所ばしょ連続れんぞく休場きゅうじょう中ちゅうの若わか隆景たかかげについて師匠ししょうの荒あら汐しお親方おやかた「このまま順調じゅんちょうにいけば、九州きゅうしゅうは出場しゅつじょうできる」" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 13 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  27. ^ "元もと関脇せきわけ若わか隆景たかかげ、右みぎ膝ひざ靱帯じんたい再建さいけん手術しゅじゅつ受うけ４場所ばしょぶりの復帰ふっき　初日しょにちに西にし幕下まくした６枚まい目めの嘉陽かようとの取組とりくみ" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 11 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  28. ^ "４場所ばしょぶり復帰ふっきの若わか隆景たかかげは黒星くろぼしスタート「切きり替かえて、次つぎはしっかり自分じぶんの相撲すもうを」【大相撲おおずもう九州きゅうしゅう場所ばしょ】" (in Japanese). Chunichi Sports. 12 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  29. ^ "元もと関脇せきわけの若わか隆景たかかげ「ケガなく終おえられたことがよかった」8カ月かげつぶりの復帰ふっき場所ばしょは幕下まくしたで5勝しょう2敗はい" (in Japanese). Sports Nippon. 25 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  30. ^ a b c "若わか隆景たかかげが関取せきとり復帰ふっきに花はな添そえる幕下まくした優勝ゆうしょう「また強つよい姿すがたを見みせたい」リハビリ生活せいかつ支ささえた家族かぞくに感謝かんしゃ" (in Japanese). Sports Nippon. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  31. ^ "北きたはり磨みがけ、記録きろく的てきな復活ふっかつ劇げき　若わか隆景たかかげ、対馬つしま洋よう、伯はく桜さくら鵬おおとりとともに再さい十じゅう両りょう". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 31 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  32. ^ "大相撲おおずもう夏場所なつばしょ 十じゅう両りょう優勝ゆうしょうは若わか隆景たかかげ 来場らいじょう所しょは幕内まくうち復帰ふっきが濃厚のうこうに" (in Japanese). NHK. 26 May 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  33. ^ "Wins of Wakatakakage". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  34. ^ "Wakatakakage Atsushi Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
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