Wakakosho Taihei

Wakakosho Taihei - 若光翔 大平 (born March 4, 1975) is a former Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Nishiwaki, Hyogo. He made his debut in May 1990 and wrestled for Matsugane stable. He reached the makuuchi division in November 2000. His highest rank was maegashira 14 and he retired in March 2005.

## **Early Life**

Miura was born and raised in Nishiwaki, Hyogo. He was a member of the baseball club in junior high school. After graduation from junior high school he was introduced to Matsugane stable by an acquaintance. He joined the stable in May 1990 at the age of fifteen.

## **Career**

### **Early Career**

Miura initially struggled and did not make the jonidan division until March 1991. He was promoted to sandanme in September 1992 and makushita in May 1994. He went as high as makushita 5 before injuring his knee in the November 1996 tournament which sidelined him for two tournaments. After four consecutive 4-3 records he was promoted to juryo in January 2000 after nearly ten years in the unsalaried divisions.

### **Juryo Career**

Wakakosho posted an 8-7 in his sekitori debut and followed it with another 8-7 record. In the May 2000 tournament, Wakakosho got off to a solid start and posted 6 wins by the end of tenth day. However, he went on to lose the last five matches and finished with a 6-9 record. In September 2008, he produced a strong 12-3 record at the rank of juryo 8 and it earned him an immediate promotion to the top makuuchi division.

### **Makuuchi Career**

Wakakosho won his first makuuchi match against Minatofuji but went on to lose the next four matches. He went on to produce a 7-8 record and since was ranked at the bottom of the division a fall to juryo seemed likely. Luckily for him he was ranked at maegashira 14 east and instead fell to maegashira 14 west. However, he produced a 6-9 record after losing his last three matches and was demoted back down to juryo. He never returned to makuuchi after this.

### **Later Career**

Wakakosho remained in juryo for the next two years where at best he produced many insignificant results and at best he posted an 8-7 record. He was demoted to makushita in November 2003 after a disastrous 1-14 record. He returned to juryo after two tournaments in makushita. In May 2004 he produced a 7-8 record at the bottom of juryo (J13 west), but did not suffer a demotion. This was the first time a wrestler did not get demoted from the bottom of juryo since 1933. Nonetheless, he was demoted after the following tournament.

## **Retirement from Sumo**

After falling back down to makushita in September 2004 he remained in Makushita for four more tournaments before announcing his retirement on the second day of the March 2005 tournament. His danpatsu-shiki, or retirement ceremony, was held on April 2005 in the Ryogoku Kokugikan.

After retirement he was employed in the cleaning and restaurant industry. According to his Facebook he currently lived in Himeji, Hyogo, and is employed in sales at a company called Em-Tech (株式会社エムテック).

## **Personal Life**

* Wakakosho's hobby is fishing and his least favorite foods are crab and shrimp.

## **Fighting Style**

Wakakosho was a yotsu-zumo wrestler who prefers grappling to pushing and thrusting techniques. He won about most of his bouts with a straightforward yorikiri, or force out.

## **Record**

### **Division Results**

* **Total:** 415-400-16/814 (90 basho)
* **Makuuchi:** 13-17/30 (2 basho)
* **Juryo:** 169-191/360 (24 basho)
* **Makushita:** 131-112-16/242 (37 basho)
* **Sandanme:** 45-25/70 (10 basho)
* **Jonidan:** 45-39/84 (12 basho)
* **Jonokuchi:** 12-16/28 (4 basho)

## **Shikona History**

* Miura Taihei (1990.05 - 1994.07)
* Wakakosho Taihei (1994.09 - 2005.03)

## **Gallery**

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

Wakakosho Taihei - 2001 (Retrieved from the JSA)Wakakosho's tegata
### **Career Overview**

Wakakoho after promotion to Juryo (c. 1999)Wakakosho in Juryo (c. 2000)Wakakosho trains in his stable (c. 2001)Wakakosho (c. 2001)Wakaosho during the dohyo-iriWakakosho defeats Ushiomaru (c. 2003)Wakakosho's retirement ceremony (c. 2005)
## **Sources**

* Wakakosho Taihei Japanese Wikipedia Article
* Wakakosho Taihei Rikishi Information