Ōhō Kōnosuke Explained

Ōhō Kōnosuke
Native Name:王鵬 幸之介
Birth Name:Kōnosuke Naya
Birth Date:14 February 2000
Birth Place:Kōtō, Tokyo Prefecture
Japan
Weight:1760NaN0
Heya:Ōtake
Rank:see below
Record:241-193
Debut:January 2018
Highestrank:Maegashira 3 (March 2024)
Yushos:1 (Jonokuchi)
Goldstars:1 (Terunofuji)
Update:28 July 2024

, born February 14, 2000, as, is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Kōtō, Tokyo. He made his professional debut in January 2018 wrestling for Ōtake stable. He reached the second-highest division, jūryō, in January 2021 and reached the top division, makuuchi, in January 2022. His highest rank has been maegashira 3. He has earned one gold star for defeating a yokozuna. A third generation makuuchi wrestler, he is the son of former sekiwake Takatōriki and the grandson of the 48th yokozuna Taihō.[1]

Early life and sumo background

Ōhō began sumo in elementary school, where he did reasonably well in tournaments despite having what he later admitted was a lazy attitude due to buying into his family legacy.[2] He attended Saitama Sakae High School which is famous for its sumo program. He was a high school classmate of future sekitori Kotoshōhō,[3] Kotonowaka and Gōnoyama.[4] In his third year, he won two national championships in both individual and team competition.[5] Following his high school graduation, he elected to postpone his debut in professional sumo in order to compete in the 2017 All Japan Sumo Championships.

Career

Early career

In December 2017, Ōhō officially began training at Ōtake stable, which was founded by his grandfather Taihō and formerly owned by his father Takatōriki. He began training with sandanme and makushita ranked wrestlers while he was set to compete in the lowest division, jonokuchi.[6] At the entrance exam for new recruits, he was both the tallest and heaviest recruit.[6] He made his professional debut in January 2018, competing under his own surname . During the presentation ceremony for new recruits, Ōhō presented himself wearing a keshō-mawashi that had belonged to his grandfather.[7] During his first fights in maezumō, he defeated his three opponents, including fellow debutant Hōshōryū.[8] In his first official tournament on the banzuke in March 2018, he won the jonokuchi division championship with a perfect 7–0 record, defeating Hōshōryū again and inflicting on him his only defeat of this tournament.[9] Since then, he and Hōshōryū have maintained a certain rivalry.[10] [11]

Ōhō reached the makushita division in September 2018, and competed exclusively in makushita in 2019 and 2020. He steadily climbed the rankings, achieving winning records in nine of eleven tournaments. In the March 2019 tournament, Ōhō was in contention for the makushita championship but was defeated in his seventh match by eventual champion Churanoumi.[12] In November 2020, he achieved a record of 6-1 from the top makushita rank which earned him a promotion to juryo.

His promotion to sekitori status saw him adopt the shikona .[13] Ōtake-oyakata (former jūryō wrestler Dairyū), Ōhō's stablemaster, commented that he had considered giving Ōhō the shikona but could not because Taihō was also the name of a non-transferable elder share (ichidai toshiyori) within the Sumo Association.[14] He therefore replaced the character with as a bit of wordplay to evoke the memory of Taihō and the solid mentality of Ōhō.[13] The character can be pronounced the same as the character which is commonly used by wrestlers of Ōtake stable in deference to both the founder's (Taihō) and the current stablemaster's (Dairyū) shikona. The character is taken directly from Taihō's shikona.[15]

Ōhō's jūryō debut in January 2021 ended with a 5–10 record and he was demoted back to makushita; however, he quickly returned to jūryō by achieving a winning record in March. On his return to jūryō, Ōhō scored eight victories but injured his right ankle and had to leave the competition on the final day, handing a victory by default to his opponent Wakamotoharu. This injury absence was the first of his career.[16] He posted double-digit winning records in two of the next three tournaments. His 11-win performance at jūryō 7 in November 2021 was enough to promote him to the top makuuchi division for the January 2022 tournament.[17]

Makuuchi career

After the banzuke for the January 2022 tournament was announced, confirming him at maegashira 18, Ōhō spoke to reporters and said he was looking forward to competing in the top division, [18] that he had visited his grandfather's grave,[17] and he thought his grandfather, who died aged 72 in 2013, was cheering him on in heaven.[19] In his makuuchi debut Ōhō began well with seven wins from his first ten bouts but he lost his last five to finish with a record of 7–8. Ōhō attributed his late fade to a lack of concentration.[20] The losing record saw him demoted to jūryō for the March 2022 tournament but he returned to makuuchi in May 2022 with the rank of maegashira 14 following a 10–5 record.[21] He competed in makuuchi for the remainder of 2022, alternating winning and losing records.

Ōhō achieved his first double-digit win performance in the top division in November 2022.[22] On Day 12 he defeated Sekiwake Hōshōryū to improve to 10–2, sharing the lead with Hōshōryū and Takayasu.[23] However, he lost to Takayasu the following day[24] and finished with a 10-5 record.

Over the course of 2023, Ōhō was able to cement his status in the top division but struggled with consistency, posting losing scores in four of six tournaments but also achieving a career-best score of 11-4 in the May tournament. In August of that year, after his rival Hōshōryū was promoted to the rank of ōzeki, Ōhō commented on how far he still had to go after achieving mixed results in the first half of the year and mentioned his regret at not being able to compete at the san'yaku level.[11]

Ōhō's 2024 started well with a 10-5 record in the January tournament and was promoted to a career-high rank of maegashira 3. In the March tournament, he narrowly missed scoring a winning record in his first tournament in the joi-jin but he earned his first gold star for defeating yokozuna Terunofuji.[25] In the May tournament, he finished 6-9 but was able to defeat two ōzeki (Kirishima on Day 6 and Hōshōryū on Day 7) and two sekiwake (Abi on Day 9 and Wakamotoharu on Day 14).[26] [27]

Fighting style

Ōhō prefers pushing and thrusting techniques (tsuki/oshi) over grabbing his opponent's belt (yotsu-zumō). The majority of his wins are by oshidashi (frontal push out), yorikiri (frontal force out), tsukidashi (frontal thrust out), and oshitaoshi (front push down).[28] He has been criticized by the commentator and former yokozuna Kitanofuji for a reliance on pull-down attempts.[29]

Personal life

Ōhō is a third-generation professional sumo wrestler. His maternal grandfather is the 48th yokozuna Taihō. His mother, Mieko, is Taihō's third daughter. His father is former sekiwake Takatōriki. Ōhō is the third-born of four brothers. His oldest brother, Yukio, is a professional wrestler in Japan. His second-oldest brother, Takamori, joined Ōtake stable in 2020 after an amateur career at Chuo University and wrestles in makushita under the shikona (納谷). His younger brother, Kōsei, joined the stable in 2019 and wrestles in makushita under the shikona (夢道鵬).

According to his official profile on the Sumo Association's website, his favorite foods are fruit and karaage (Japanese-style fried chicken). His hobby is reading manga, his favorite series being "One Piece". His favorite television show is Ametalk (アメトーーク).[30]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: 2017-08-24. Sumo legend Taiho's grandson to make pro debut at Kyushu tournament. en. Mainichi Daily News. 2021-08-30.
  2. Web site: Gunning. John. 2018-04-18. Family legacy weighs heavily on young sumo prospects. 2021-08-30. The Japan Times. en-US.
  3. Web site: 琴ノ若Jr.鎌谷 高校横綱破る大金星!埼玉栄2年ぶりV. 2021-08-30. Sports Nippon. ja.
  4. Web site: 小結・琴ノ若、埼玉栄高の後輩3人らとの申し合いに感慨「あの頃を思い出しますね」…先輩の意地で13勝4敗 . Japanese . Sports Hochi. 5 July 2023. 6 July 2023.
  5. Web site: 王鵬が新入幕「祖父の名前で応援してくれる人もいる」 昭和の大横綱・大鵬の孫 入門から4年ついに . ja. Sankei Sports. 24 December 2021. 11 July 2023.
  6. Web site: 大鵬孫・納谷幸之介「挑戦」体同様、心もブレない. 11 January 2018. 11 July 2023. Nikkan Sports. ja.
  7. Web site: 納谷「背筋が伸びる」大鵬現役時の化粧まわし披露. 21 January 2018. 11 July 2023. Nikkan Sports. ja.
  8. Web site: 大鵬の孫、納谷3連勝「しっかり期待に応えたい」. subscription. 18 January 2018. 11 July 2023. Mainichi Shimbun. ja.
  9. Web site: 朝青龍のおい豊昇龍6勝も納谷に敗れた1敗に悔しさ. 23 March 2018. 11 July 2023. Nikkan Sports. ja.
  10. Web site: 大鵬の孫 王鵬 朝青龍のおいとの一番制しトップに並ぶ . 24 November 2022. 11 July 2023. NHK. ja.
  11. Web site: 王鵬「早く、当たるところまで行きたい」デビュー当時のライバル豊昇龍に 祖父・大鵬との秘話も . 2 August 2023. 3 August 2023. Nikkan Sports. ja.
  12. Web site: 美ノ海が大鵬孫下し幕下V 納谷は「まだまだ早い」. 22 March 2019. 11 July 2023. Nikkan Sports. ja.
  13. Web site: 大鵬の孫・納谷十両昇進 王鵬に改名「すごくうれしい」. Asahi Shimbun. 25 November 2020. 11 July 2023. subscription. ja.
  14. Web site: News Navigator: What are the rules for sumo wrestlers' ring names?. The Mainichi. en. 12 January 2021.
  15. Web site: 大鵬の孫納谷が十両昇進、王鵬へ改名 番付編成会議. Nikkan Sports. ja. 11 November 2020.
  16. Web site: 十両王鵬、右足首負傷で初の休場 元横綱大鵬の孫. Nikkei Shimbun. ja. 23 May 2021. 11 July 2023.
  17. Web site: 大鵬の孫・王鵬 新入幕に決意「堂々と」. Sankei Shimbun. ja. 24 December 2021. 11 July 2023.
  18. Web site: 'No starting over': A fresh year for sumo may be just like the last. Gunning. John. 5 January 2022. Japan Times. 6 January 2022.
  19. Web site: SUMO/ All eyes on ex-yokozuna Taiho's grandson as he starts fast. 11 January 2022. Asahi Shimbun. 23 January 2022.
  20. Web site: 王鵬が返り入幕の夏場所へ抱負「しっかり勝ち越して、そこからまた大勝ちを目指したい」. 4 May 2022. Nikkan Sports. ja. 2 June 2022.
  21. Web site: Sumo: Wakatakakage, Mitakeumi renew their battle on the east. 25 April 2022. Kyodo News. 5 May 2022.
  22. Web site: Sumo: Hoshoryu beats Shodai, stays tied for lead with Oho on Day 10. 22 November 2022. Kyodo News. 20 December 2022.
  23. Web site: Sumo: Oho victory levels the playing field in Fukuoka. 24 November 2022. Kyodo News. 20 December 2022.
  24. Web site: Sumo: Takayasu beats Oho, takes sole lead as Takakeisho tops Hoshoryu. 25 November 2022. The Mainichi. 20 December 2022.
  25. Web site: 王鵬、横綱初挑戦で金星「結び…すごい気持ちよかったですね」大横綱大鵬の孫で父は元関脇貴闘力. 14 March 2024. Nikkan Sports. ja. 15 March 2024.
  26. Web site: 王鵬が2日連続で大関撃破「誇らしいですね」過去1勝1敗の同級生豊昇龍を破る. 18 May 2024. Nikkan Sports. ja. 19 May 2024.
  27. Web site: 「結び勝率100%」王鵬、大関豊昇龍との同期生対決制す 次戦大関琴桜戦も勝って総撃破へ. 18 May 2024. Nikkan Sports. ja. 19 May 2024.
  28. Web site: 日本相撲協会公式サイト. 2021-08-30. 日本相撲協会公式サイト. en.
  29. Web site: 北の富士コラム はやわざ御免. 2023-01-09. ja.
  30. Web site: Japan Sumo Association . Ōhō Kōnosuke Rikishi Profile . ja.