Hokutoiwa Osamu

Hokutoiwa Osamu - 北勝岩 治 (born June 1, 1974) is a former Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Kanagi, Aomori. He made his debut in March 1997 and last wrestled for Hakkaku stable. He reached the juryo division in March 2002. His highest rank was juryo 10 and he retired in May 2010.

## **Early Life**

Osamu Harada was born the eldest son of hotel owners who owned a hotel called "Harada Hotel" (原田酒店). He began practicing sumo at a an early age at village festivals. He attended Goshogawara Shiritsu Kanagi Elementary School and joined the school's sumo club in his second year, even though the club was usually reserved for students in the fourth grade. He continued his sumo career at Goshogawara Municipal Kanagi Minami Junior High School and Goshogawara Agricultural & Forestry High School. He later enrolled at Nihon University and was a member of the school's sumo club. He played an active role in national competitions and due to his amateur success he was granted makushita tsukedashi status.

## **Career**

### **Early Career**

Harada joined Hakkaku stable in March 1997 and made his debut at the bottom of makushita due to his amateur accomplishments. He produced a poor 3-4 record in his debut and was demoted to sandanme. He initially struggled to establish himself in makushita due to injuries. In January 1999 he was given the shikona "Hokutoiwa" (北勝岩). From March 2001 to January 2002 he produced six consecutive winning records and was promoted to juryo in March 2002.

### **Juryo Career**

Hokutoiwa produced a solid 8-7 record in his sekitori debut and was promoted to a career-best juryo 10 in May 2002. However, in this tournament he posted a 6-9 record and followed it with a 5-10 record which resulted in a fall back down to makushita. He remained in makushita for three and a half years before returning to juryo in March 2006. He managed eight wins in his returned but followed with four consecutive losing records which regulated him back down to the unsalaried ranks. He returned for a brief stint in March 2007 but could only manage two wins. This proved to be his last tournament as a sekitori.

### **Later Career**

Hokutoiwa remained in makushita for a year, before falling back down to sandanme in May 2008 due to a decline in his physical strength. His last appearance in makushita was in January 2010 where he produced a disastrous 1-6 record.

## **Retirement from Sumo**

Hokutoiwa announced his retirement after the thirteenth day of the May 2010 tournament. His danpatsu-shiki, or retirement ceremony, took place after the last day of the May 2010 tournament and he is currently working at a restaurant after retirement.

## **Fighting Style**

Hokutoiwa was a tsuki/oshi specialist, who prefers pushing and thrusting at his opponents rather than fighting on the mawashi or belt. His most common winning kimarite or technique is oshidashi or a straightforward push out.

## **Record**

### **Division Results**

* **Total:** 309-317-7/626 (80 basho)
* **Juryo:** 55-80/135 (9 basho)
* **Makushita:** 199-201-7/400 (58 basho)
* **Sandanme:** 55-36/91 (13 basho)

## **Shikona History**

* Harada Osamu (1997.03 - 1998.11)
* Hokutoiwa Osamu (1999.01 - 2010.05)

## **Gallery**

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

Hokutoiwa Osamu - 2002 (Retrieved from the JSA)Hokutoiwa's tegata
### **Career Overview**

Hokutoiwa after promotion to juryo (c. 2002)Hokutoiwa (c. 2002)Hokutoiwa during the juryo dohyo-iri (c. 2006)Hokutoiwa and stablemate, HokutoarashiHokutoiwa falls to the unsalaried ranks (c. 2008)Ryota Hama, fka Hokutoarashi, with Hokutoiwa (right) (c. 2016)
## **Sources**

* Hokutoiwa Osamu Japanese Wikipedia Article
* Hokutoiwa Osamu Rikishi Information