Miyabiyama Tetsushi | |
---|---|
雅山哲士 | |
Personal information | |
Born | Masato Takeuchi July 28, 1977 Ibaraki, Japan |
Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 1 1⁄2 in) |
Weight | 182 kg (401 lb; 28.7 st) |
Web presence | website |
Career | |
Stable | Fujishima |
Record | 654-582-68 |
Debut | July 1998 |
Highest rank | Ōzeki (July 2000) |
Retired | March 2013 |
Championships | 2 (Jūryō) 2 (Makushita) |
Special Prizes | Outstanding Performance (2) Fighting Spirit (5) Technique (1) |
Gold Stars | 2 (Asashōryū) |
* Up to date as of March 2013. |
Miyabiyama Tetsushi (born July 28, 1977 as Masato Takeuchi) is a former sumo wrestler from Mito, Ibaraki, Japan. A former amateur champion, he turned professional in 1998. With the exception of two tournaments, he was ranked in the top division of professional sumo from 1999 until the end of his career in 2013, holding the second highest rank of ōzeki from 2000 to 2001. He won eight special prizes and was runner-up in four top division tournaments. He wrestled for Fujishima stable (formerly Musashigawa stable), where he now works as a coach.
Miyabiyama competed in amateur sumo tournaments while at Meiji University, but left before graduation to join the professional ranks. He was accepted by Musashigawa stable in July 1998 and given makushita tsukedashi status, meaning he could begin at the bottom of the third highest makushita division. He quickly worked his way through the ranks, logging in four consecutive championships, two in makushita and two in jūryō to reach the top makuuchi division in March 1999 just eight months after entering professional sumo. His rise to the middle ranks of makuuchi was so quick that he did not yet have a topknot, a true rarity and one that did not go unnoticed by announcers. He won a fighting spirit prize in his first top division tournament, and was promoted to komusubi in January 2000. In that tournament he delivered an impressive 12-3 record, finishing as runner up to stablemate Musōyama. He followed that up with two 11-4 marks at sekiwake rank in March and May 2000. After that tournament he was promoted to sumo's second highest rank of ōzeki. He had made the rank only 12 tournaments after his professional debut, tying for the record with Yutakayama (another amateur champion) and Haguroyama.