4 days ago
Nagoya Sumo Tournament Winner Kotoshoho Climbs Ladder Following Elder-Brother-Like Kotozakura
Kotoshoho, a rank-and-file wrestler in the makuuchi division, cemented his name on Sunday as the first champion of a Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament after the event venue in the city was relocated to the IG Arena in Kita Ward, Nagoya.
The 25-year-old wrestler belonging to the Sadogatake Stable won the Emperor's Cup while holding the east maegashira 15th rank, a lower standing, and without experience in the elevated sanyaku positions of ozeki, sekiwake and komusubi.
'I still feel that my emotions have not caught up with reality,' he said with a smile in an interview after winning the championship. 'But I'm glad.'
Kotoshoho is from Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture. He took up sumo in his childhood and had practiced hard as a member of a local sumo group of boys.
Ozeki Kotozakura, 27, who is two years senior of Kotoshoho, also participated in the boys' group. Because of the personal tie, Kotoshoho had often visited the Sadogatake Stable for fun since his childhood.
Stablemaster Sadogatake, who is former sekiwake Kotonowaka and the father of Kotozakura, recalled his impression of the boy who became Kotoshoho, saying, 'He was a soft kid with a big body.'
As did Kotozakura, Kotoshoho enrolled at Saitama Sakae High School, which has a sumo club that is known to be strong. He debuted as a professional sumo wrestler in the 2017 Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament.
He was promoted to the juryo division in two years and changed his shikona wrestler name from Kototebakari to Kotoshoho. The kanji character of 'sho' was taken from his deceased grandmother's posthumous Buddhist name, and the kanji character of 'ho' means a mountain peak — indicating his determination to reach the summit of the sumo world.
Kotoshoho is a strongly built man who is 190 centimeters tall. In 2020, the year following his promotion to the juryo division, he was again promoted to the makuuchi division. However, his record was unremarkable partly due to leg injuries.
Other oyakata coaches in the stable encouraged him to scale the ladder further. 'You are no longer a junior wrestler,' one of them once told him. 'When can you climb up to the sanyaku positions?'
In the 2023 New Year Grand Sumo Tournament, Kotoshoho won many matches, but he lost in the championship-deciding bout between two wrestlers with the same number of victories against Takakeisho, who is now oyakata coach Minatogawa, on the final day of the tourney.
As a result, Kotoshoho fell one step shy of summiting the sumo world. 'My basic capability is insufficient,' he said at the time. 'I want to be stronger.'
Using many regrets as motivation, Kotoshoho has practiced hard.
Stablemaster Sadogatake said, 'I shed tears in delight. Kotoshoho made great efforts spurred by Kotozakura's achievements.' Kotozakura won the championship in last year's September Grand Sumo Tournament.
The stablemaster also expressed his desire that the two wrestlers will grow further, saying, 'I hope Kotoshoho's championship will prompt Kotozakura to achieve greater records.'
In a parade to celebrate his championship, Kotoshoho asked Kotozakura, whom he has respected as an elder brother, to sit next to him in the car as the holder of the championship flag. Kotoshoho beamed huge smiles to spectators during the parade.
