# Kotokasuga Keigo

Kotokasuga Keigo (琴春日 桂吾, Kotokasuga Keigo, born 25 August 1977 as Keigo Yamada) is a former sumo wrestler from Kasuga, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. He began his professional career in 1993, reaching the top makuuchi division some 15 years later in 2008. His highest rank was maegashira 7. He retired in April 2011 after the Japan Sumo Association found him guilty of involvement in match-fixing.

## Career

At elementary school he was a softball player and at junior high school he excelled at baseball. After his graduation he was recruited by Sadogatake stable, and made his professional debut in March 1993. Initially fighting under the shikona of Kotonoyama, he progressed to the sandanme division in 1995, and first reached the makushita division in 1997. He adopted the name of Kotokasuga in 1999, in honour of his hometown. In November 2004 he finally made the elite sekitori ranks when he was promoted to the jūryō division. He was ranked in jūryō for four further tournaments in May, July and September 2005 and January 2006, but then struggled again in makushita. After injuries to both his elbows he considered retiring, but he won promotion back to jūryō in September 2007 at the age of 30, and then four consecutive kachi-koshi or winning records saw him promoted to the top makuuchi division in May 2008. It had taken him 91 tournaments from his professional debut to get there, the second slowest ever at the time. He could only manage a 4–11 record in his top division debut and dropped back to jūryō. However, he made a return to makuuchi in September 2010, and on this occasion came through with a winning score of 9–6. This saw him promoted to his highest rank of maegashira 7 for the November 2010 tournament.

## Retirement from sumo

In April 2011, along with 19 other wrestlers and coaches, he was ordered to retire by the Sumo Association after an investigation found he arranged the result of matches. He submitted retirement papers on 4 April. His danpatsu-shiki or retirement ceremony was held at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in June 2011. He now runs a yakiniku restaurant in Fukuoka city.

## Fighting style

Kotokasuga was an oshi-sumo specialist who preferred pushing and thrusting to fighting on the mawashi. His most common winning kimarite was oshi-dashi (push out), closely followed by yori-kiri (force out). Together these two techniques accounted for half his career victories.

## Personal life

Kotokasuga announced upon his promotion to the top division in May 2008 that he was marrying an old classmate who he became re-acquainted with after the March tournament of 2006 and who he began dating in May of that year. Kotokasuga pointed out that he had not had a make-koshi or losing record since they got together. He had first proposed to her in November 2009, but her father had insisted that Kotokasuga reach makuuchi first.

## Career record

Kotokasuga Keigo :
| 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 |
| 1993 | x | (Maezumo) | East Jonokuchi #32 4–3 | West Jonidan #178 4–3 | West Jonidan #144 4–3 | West Jonidan #112 3–4 |
| 1994 | East Jonidan #140 4–3 | West Jonidan #111 4–2–1 | East Jonidan #91 5–2 | West Jonidan #51 3–4 | East Jonidan #75 3–4 | West Jonidan #90 6–1 |
| 1995 | East Jonidan #18 3–4 | West Jonidan #40 4–3 | West Jonidan #16 3–4 | East Jonidan #31 5–2 | West Sandanme #97 3–4 | East Jonidan #14 5–2 |
| 1996 | East Sandanme #71 2–5 | East Sandanme #99 5–2 | West Sandanme #60 5–2 | West Sandanme #26 4–3 | West Sandanme #11 3–4 | East Sandanme #26 4–3 |
| 1997 | East Sandanme #13 5–2 | West Makushita #54 1–6 | East Sandanme #28 5–2 | West Makushita #60 4–3 | West Makushita #50 2–5 | East Sandanme #11 4–3 |
| 1998 | East Makushita #59 4–3 | East Makushita #50 2–5 | West Sandanme #10 5–2 | East Makushita #51 2–5 | East Sandanme #13 4–3 | West Sandanme #2 3–4 |
| 1999 | West Sandanme #16 5–2 | East Makushita #56 2–5 | West Sandanme #22 4–3 | East Sandanme #10 3–4 | West Sandanme #21 6–1 | West Makushita #47 3–4 |
| 2000 | West Sandanme #2 5–2 | East Makushita #41 2–5 | West Makushita #56 2–5 | East Sandanme #23 5–2 | West Makushita #59 Sat out due to injury 0–0–7 | East Sandanme #39 5–2 |
| 2001 | East Sandanme #13 3–4 | West Sandanme #26 5–2 | East Sandanme #2 6–1 | East Makushita #29 3–4 | West Makushita #40 3–4 | East Makushita #53 1–6 |
| 2002 | West Sandanme #25 5–2 | West Makushita #59 4–3 | West Makushita #51 5–2 | West Makushita #30 4–3 | West Makushita #22 3–4 | West Makushita #30 3–4 |
| 2003 | East Makushita #41 4–3 | East Makushita #33 4–3 | East Makushita #28 4–3 | East Makushita #21 4–3 | West Makushita #15 5–2 | East Makushita #8 3–4 |
| 2004 | West Makushita #10 4–3 | East Makushita #8 6–1 | East Makushita #1 3–4 | East Makushita #4 4–3 | West Makushita #1 4–3 | East Jūryō #14 7–8 |
| 2005 | East Makushita #1 3–4 | East Makushita #4 4–3 | West Jūryō #13 8–7 | West Jūryō #8 6–9 | West Jūryō #10 5–10 | West Makushita #1 4–3 |
| 2006 | West Jūryō #12 5–10 | West Makushita #2 1–6 | West Makushita #22 2–5 | West Makushita #37 4–3 | East Makushita #30 5–2 | East Makushita #18 5–2 |
| 2007 | East Makushita #8 4–3 | East Makushita #7 4–3 | West Makushita #4 5–2 | East Makushita #1 6–1 | East Jūryō #10 9–6 | West Jūryō #6 8–7 |
| 2008 | East Jūryō #4 8–7 | East Jūryō #3 8–7 | East Maegashira #16 4–11 | East Jūryō #5 6–8–1 | East Jūryō #8 6–9 | East Jūryō #11 10–5 |
| 2009 | West Jūryō #4 6–9 | West Jūryō #8 8–7 | West Jūryō #5 7–8 | East Jūryō #7 8–7 | West Jūryō #3 6–9 | West Jūryō #6 8–7 |
| 2010 | West Jūryō #2 5–10 | East Jūryō #6 9–6 | West Jūryō #2 8–7 | East Jūryō #1 8–7 | East Maegashira #11 9–6 | East Maegashira #7 5–10 |
| 2011 | West Maegashira #13 8–7 | Tournament Cancelled 0–0–0 | East Maegashira #13 Retired – | x | x | x |
| Record given as wins–losses–absences 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 |||||||