Kotoshoho Yoshinari

Kotoshoho Yoshinari - 琴勝峰 吉成 (born August 26, 1999) is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Kashiwa, Chiba. He made his debut in November 2017 and currently wrestles for Sadogatake stable. He reached the makuuchi division in July 2020. His highest rank as of 2023 is maegashira 3.

## **Early Life**

He began sumo in the first grade of elementary school, and won the national junior high school championship in his third year of junior high school. He went to Saitama Sakae High School, famous for its sumo program, and was classmates with Naya and Tsukahara. He became a regular in team competitions during his first, second and third year. Even though he was active in team competitions for majority of his high school career, he never won an individual championship. After graduating from high school he joined Sadogatake stable and was recruited by ex-sekiwake Kotonowaka, to whom he had a connection as Kotonowaka's eldest son was a fellow member of Kashiwa City's boys sumo club.

## **Career**

### **Early Career**

He made his professional debut in November 2017, using the shikona of Kototebakari Toshiki (琴手計 富士紀), based on his own name. In his first tournament on the banzuke in January 2018 he took part in a playoff with Tsukahara for the jonokuchi division championship after both finished with a 6–1 record. He continued his strong run and produced three consecutive winning records which boosted him up to the makushita division for the September 2018 tournament.

Upon promotion to makushita, Kototebakari suffered his first losing record and was regulated back down to the sandanme division. After one tournament in sandanme, Kototebakari was promoted back to makushita and after five straight kachi-koshi, or winning records, Kototebakari was promoted to juryo for the November 2019 tournament.

### **Juryo Career**

Upon promotion to sekitori status, Kototebakari changed his shikona to "Kotoshoho Yoshinari". Kotoshoho produced a satisfactory 9-6 record in his first tournament and would achieve another 9-6 record in the following tournament. Kotoshoho won the juryo division yusho or championship with a 12–3 record in March 2020, only his third tournament in the division, and this earned him promotion to the top division for the Natsu tournament scheduled for May 2020.

### **Makuuchi Career**

Kotoshoho was only 20 years old in his makuuchi debut and he produced a solid 8-7 record. In the following tournament, Kotoshoho achieved his first double-digit makuuchi record with a 10-5 score. He continued his streak of winning records (12 straight winning records) after finishing the November 2020 tournament with an 8-7 record. However, he posted a disastrous 2-13 record in January 2021 and he missed several days of the March 2021 tournament due to injury, only managing to record one win, and he was demoted back to juryo for the May 2021 tournament. He returned to makuuchi in March 2022 after winning his second juryo yusho in the January 2022 tournament. He had to withdraw from Day 11 of the July 2022 tournament after a COVID outbreak at Sadogatake stable.

He secured a winning record of 9–6 in March 2022, but then had losing records in the next four tournaments. From the rank of maegashira 13 in January 2023, he entered the final day level with ozeki Takakeisho on 11–3, and fought him for the championship in the final match of the tournament, the first maegashira to be in such a position since 15-day tournaments were established in 1949. Although he was defeated and missed out on the Outstanding Performance award, he did receive the Fighting Spirit award for his 11–4 performance, the best of his career. Kotoshoho withdrew on Day 10 of the May 2023 tournament due to a patellar subluxation in his left knee, after having suffered eight consecutive defeats. He also had sprained his right ankle during the spring jungyo. He nevertheless expressed his desire to return to the competition and was later scheduled to return on Day fourteen.

Kotoshoho was demoted to the juryo division after suffering ten losses at the rank of maegashira 14 in September 2023. He won the November 2023 juryo title–his third career title in that division–with ten wins and a playoff victory over 2023 tsukedashi entrant Onosato. As the top-ranked jūryo competitor at the time, Kotoshoho appeared likely to return to the top division for the next tournament in January 2024.

## **Personal Life**

* He has been praised by commentators for his calm demeanour and his maturity in the dohyo despite being only 20 years of age at the time of his promotion.
* Kotoshoho has a younger brother who also wrestles as a professional in the same stable under the ring name Kototebakari, a shikona inspired by both brothers' real surname. In June 2023, Kotoshoho held a press conference at Ryogoku Kokugikan to announce his engagement to a woman of the same age, living in Yame, Fukuoka Prefecture, to whom he proposed after the May 2023 tournament. Although he and his wife don't plan to live together until August of the same year, it was announced in July that the couple were expecting their first child, a boy.

## **Fighting Style**

According to his Japan Sumo Association profile, Kotoshoho prefers a migi-yotsu (left hand outside, right hand inside grip on his opponent’s mawashi and his most common winning kimarite are yorikiri (force out) and oshidashi (push out).

## **Record**

### **Division Results**

* **Total:** 230-192-15/419 (36 basho)
* **Makuuchi:** 89-106-15/192 (14 basho)
* **Juryo:** 94-116-15/207 (15 basho)
* **Makushita:** 26-16/42 (6 basho)
* **Sandanme:** 16-5/21 (3 basho)
* **Jonidan:** 6-1/7 (1 basho)
* **Jonokuchi:** 6-1/7 (1 basho)

### **Championships**

* 2 **Juryo** Championships
	+ 1st (March 2020)
	+ 2nd (January 2022)
	+ 3rd (November 2023)

### **Achievements**

* **Special Prizes:** Fighting Spirit Prize (1)

## **Shikona History**

* Kototebakari Toshiki (2017.11 - 2019.09)
* Kotoshoho Yoshinari (2019.11 - )

## **Gallery**

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

Kotoshoho Yoshinari - 2022 (Retrieved from the JSA)Kotoshoho Yoshinari - 2022 (Retrieved from the JSA)Kotoshoho Yoshinari - 2020 (Retrieved from the JSA)Kotoshoho Yoshinari - 2019 (Retrieved from the JSA)Kotoshoho Yoshinari - 2019 (Retrieved from the JSA)Kotoshoho's tegata
### **Career Overview**

Kototebakari in Maezumo (c. 2017)Kototebakari ensures promotion to Juryo (c. 2019)Kototebakari becomes Kotoshoho upon promotion to Juryo (c. 2019)Kotoshoho presented with his kesho-mawashi (c. 2019)Kotoshoho prepares for his upcoming match (c. 2019)Kotoshoho defeats Gagamaru (c. 2019)Kotoshoho defeats Chiyonoumi to win his first Juryo Yusho (c. 2020)Kotoshoho wins his first Juryo Yusho (c. 2020)Kotoshoho after promotion to Makuuchi (c. 2020)Kotoshoho defeats former Ozeki Takayasu (c. 2020)Kotoshoho prepares for his upcoming match (c. 2020)Kotoshoho defeats Tokushoryu (c. 2021)Kotoshoho defeats Yago to win his 2nd Juryo Yusho (c. 2022)Kotoshoho wins his second Juryo Yusho (c. 2022)Kotoshoho defeats Daieisho (c. 2023)Kotoshoho with his first sansho prize (c. 2023)Kotoshoho throws Onosato to win his third Juryo Yusho (c. 2023)Kotoshoho wins his third Juryo Yusho (c. 2023)
## **Sources**

* Kotoshoho Yoshinari Japanese Wikipedia Article
* Kotoshoho Yoshinari Rikishi Information