Towanoyama Yoshimitsu

Towanoyama Yoshimitsu - 鳥羽の山 喜充 (born July 10, 1977) is a former Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Toshima, Tokyo. He made his debut in November 1993 and last wrestled for Dewanoumi stable. He reached the makuuchi division in March 2002. His highest rank was maegashira 13 and he retired in January 2015.

## **Career**

### **Early Career**

Kobayashi joined Dewanoumi stable in March 1993 after dropping out from his first year of high school. He initially wrestled under the shikona of "Kobayashiyama" (小林山) before switching to "Otakayama" (大鷹山) in March 1994. He was promoted to thesandanme division in January 1995 and makushita in March 1996. After six consecutive winning records he was promoted to the rank of makushita 2 in May 1998, but could only manage two wins; he followed this tournament with a 3-4 record. As a result to change his fortune, he changed his shikona to "Towanoyama" (鳥羽の山). After this he produced a 6-1 record and three tournaments later won all seven matches to claim the makushita yusho. As a result he was promoted to juryo in May 1999.

### **Juryo Career**

He suffered an injury to his right ankle which required surgery and affected his performances, resulting in demotion back to makushita after only four tournaments. However, in May 2001 he won his second makushita championship and returned to the second division. A strong 11-4 record in January 2002 earned him promotion to the top makuuchi division, alongside Shimotori.

### **Makuuchi Career**

At the time Towanoyama was the heaviest Japanese wrestler in sumo, weighing over 200 kilograms (440 lb). He was the highest ranked wrestler in his stable and was able to use his immense weight to good advantage. However, on the day of his first match in the top division in March 2002, he injured his knee in training and was forced to pull out of the tournament without participating in a single bout. This was to prove to be his only top division tournament.

### **Later Career**

After winning only five bouts in the next tournament he fell to makushita once again. He was able to return to the juryo division in November 2003, but on the tenth day of the March 2004 tournament, whilst trying to force a throwing move against Wakakosho, he fell badly and tore his patella tendon. He was hospitalised for four months, requiring transplant surgery for thigh tendons. He missed five consecutive tournaments, which meant he fell greatly in rank, ending up in the second lowest jonidan division.

After rehabilitation and weight training programs Towanoyama returned to the ring in March 2005 and made his way slowly back up the rankings, but never managed to regain sekitori status. A 6-1 score in May 2008 moved him up to Makushita 6 for July, his highest ranking since his 2004 injury. He produced a 5-2 score there, putting him on the brink of promotion back to juryo, and he was even called up to face a juryo opponent, Kaiho, in the following tournament - his first match against a sekitori in 27 basho. However, after two losing scores he slid down the makushita division again. In 2009 he rebounded again with three consecutive winning records. His results slowly begin to slip however, and over a four-year period he slowly dropped in the ranks of makushita being relegated to the lower sandanme division in May 2013, but achieving a winning record in that tournament and the next to gain promotion back to his mainstay of makushita.

## **Retirement from Sumo**

He announced his retirement after the January 2015 tournament, where he achieved his 500th career win but lost his six other bouts. He was the first wrestler to be ranked in the top division but not have any makuuchi wins since Kenrokuzan missed his only top division tournament in May 1926, before the Showa era. His danpatsu-shiki, or retirement ceremony, was held on January 25th, 2015.

As an active wrestler he obtained a qualification to work at a dispensing office through a correspondence course. As of February 1st, 2015, he is employed as a dispenser in a pharmacy at the Asakusabashi district in Taito, Tokyo. He also works as an actor, portraying a sumo wrestler, and has appeared in multiple commercials.

## **Fighting Style**

Towanoyama was a yotsu-sumo specialist, preferring grappling techniques to pushing or thrusting. His favored grip on his opponent's mawashi is migi-yotsu, a left hand outside, right hand inside position. His most common winning kimarite was yorikiri, a straightforward force out, which accounts for about 45 percent of his career victories.

## **Record**

### **Division Results**

* **Total:** 500-426-68/921 (127 basho)
* **Makuuchi:** 0-1-14/0 (1 basho)
* **Juryo:** 87-89-19/175 (13 basho)
* **Makushita:** 300-279-16/577 (85 basho)
* **Sandanme:** 73-38-15/111 (18 basho)
* **Jonidan:** 34-18-4/51 (8 basho)
* **Jonokuchi:** 6-1/7 (1 basho)

### **Championships**

* 2 **Makushita** Championships
	+ 1st (March 1999)
	+ 2nd (May 2001)

### **Achievements**

* Only wrestler since the beginning of the Showa era in 1926 to have been ranked in the top division without winning any bouts there.

## **Shikona History**

* Kobayashiyama Akihito (1993.11 - 1994.01)
* Otakayama Akihito (1994.03 - 1998.07)
* Towanoyama Yoshimitsu (1993.09 - 2015.01)

## **Gallery**

### **JSA Profile Pictures and Tegata**

Towanoyama Yoshimitsu - 2002 (Retrieved from the JSA)Towanoyama Yoshimitsu - 1999 (Retrieved from the JSA)Towanoyama's tegata
### **Career Overview**

Towanoyama wins his second Makushita Yusho (c. 2001)Towanoyama battles Ushiomaru in Juryo (c. 2003)Towanoyama launches at his opponent (c. 2004)Towanoyama falls to the unsalaried ranks (c. 2007)Towanoyama battles Shoketsu in Makushita (c. 2009)Towanoyama after wrestling his final match (c. 2015)Towanoyama's retirement ceremony (c. 2015)

## **Sources**

* Towanoyama Yoshimitsu Japanese Wikipedia Article
* Towanoyama Yoshimitsu Rikishi Information