Dewanohana Yoshitaka

Dewanohana Yoshitaka (born 13 May 1951 as Soichi Nomura) is a former sumo wrestler from Nakasato, Aomori, Japan. He made his professional debut in July 1974, and reached the top division in November 1977. His highest rank was sekiwake. He retired in January 1988 and became an elder in the Japan Sumo Association under the name Dekiyama.[1] Upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 65 in May 2016 he was re-hired by the Sumo Association for five years as a consultant.

Dewanohana Yoshitaka
出羽の花 義貴
Personal information
BornSoichi Nomura
(1951-05-13) 13 May 1951
Nakasato, Aomori, Japan
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight122 kg (269 lb)
Career
StableDewanoumi
Record572-586-6
DebutMarch, 1974
Highest rankSekiwake (March, 1982)
RetiredJanuary, 1988
Elder nameDekiyama
Championships1 (Jūryō)
Special PrizesOutstanding Performance (1)
Fighting Spirit (5)
Technique (4)
Gold Stars2
Wakanohana II
Takanosato
* Up to date as of Sep. 2012.

Career

Nomura was an amateur champion at Nihon University, earning the amateur yokozuna title, and on entering professional sumo he was given makushita tsukedashi status, allowing him to begin at the bottom of the makushita division. He joined Dewanoumi stable, which was recommended to him by his cousin, a former wrestler at the stable named Dewanohana Yoshihide, and fought his first bout in March 1974. He had a losing record or make-koshi in his debut tournament, and was demoted to the sandanme division. However, five consecutive winning records in his next five tournaments saw him promoted to the jūryō division in May 1975, whereupon his changed his shikona or fighting name from Nomura to Dewanohana. He weighed barely more than 100 kilos and initially struggled as a sekitori, falling back to makushita for five tournaments. Upon his return to jūryō he won the division championship or yūshō with an 11–4 record. In November 1977 he was promoted to the top makuuchi division.

Dewanohana was to spend 62 consecutive tournaments in the top division, compiling a record of 441 wins against 483 losses, with 6 injury absences. He received ten sanshō or special prizes, one for Outstanding Performance, five for Fighting Spirit and four for Technique. He earned two kinboshi or gold stars for defeating a yokozuna when ranked as a maegashira. (He also defeated Kitanoumi twice at sekiwake rank.) His best performance in a tournament was in January 1985 when he was runner-up to Chiyonofuji with an 11–4 record in the first tournament held in the new Ryōgoku Kokugikan. His first appearance in the sanyaku ranks was at komusubi in November 1979, and he spent a total of 19 tournaments in sanyaku, 12 at komusubi and seven at sekiwake. He held the sekiwake rank for four straight tournaments in 1982 but failed to mount a challenge for ōzeki promotion, falling to 6–9 in September 1982. His last appearance in the sanyaku ranks came in September 1987 at the age of 36, where he could only score three wins against twelve losses. He retired just two tournaments later in January 1988, rather than face demotion to jūryō.

Retirement from sumo

He has remained in sumo as an elder of the Japan Sumo Association, and works as a coach at Dewanoumi stable. His elder name ever since his retirement has been Dekiyama Oyakata. He was a judge of tournament bouts and joined the Sumo Association's executive board in 2014, managing the public relations department. He reached the mandatory retirement age for elders of 65 in 2016, but has been re-employed as a consultant for a period of five years on reduced pay.

Fighting style

Dewanohana was a yotsu-sumo wrestler who grappled rather than pushed, and was noted for his skill on the mawashi. His most common winning kimarite were yorikiri (force out) and uwatenage (overarm throw), and he also liked to employ the rare move komatosukui (over thigh sccoping body drop). Among his most memorable rivalries were with Wakashimazu (with whom he had a 15–14 win/loss record in the top division) and Takanosato (12–16).

Career record
Dewanohana Yoshitaka[2]
Year in sumo January
Hatsu basho, Tokyo		 March
Haru basho, Osaka		 May
Natsu basho, Tokyo		 July
Nagoya basho, Nagoya		 September
Aki basho, Tokyo		 November
Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
1974 x Makushita tsukedashi #60
3–4
 		 East Sandanme #11
5–2
 		 West Makushita #49
6–1
 		 East Makushita #18
6–1
 		 East Makushita #5
4–3
 
1975 East Makushita #4
4–3
 		 East Makushita #3
5–2
 		 East Jūryō #13
8–7
 		 West Jūryō #11
9–6
 		 East Jūryō #8
6–9
 		 West Jūryō #11
8–7
 
1976 West Jūryō #7
6–9
 		 East Jūryō #11
9–6
 		 West Jūryō #6
3–12
 		 West Makushita #1
4–3
 		 East Makushita #1
3–4
 		 East Makushita #5
4–3
 
1977 East Makushita #4
4–3
 		 West Makushita #2
5–2
 		 East Jūryō #13
11–4
Champion
 		 East Jūryō #3
8–7
 		 East Jūryō #1
10–5
 		 West Maegashira #10
7–8
 
1978 East Maegashira #11
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #7
5–10
 		 East Maegashira #13
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #9
10–5
F		 East Maegashira #2
6–9
 		 West Maegashira #5
7–8
 
1979 West Maegashira #6
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #8
5–10
 		 West Maegashira #12
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #11
10–5
F		 East Maegashira #2
8–7
★		 West Komusubi #1
3–12
 
1980 East Maegashira #6
9–6
 		 West Komusubi #1
4–11
 		 West Maegashira #5
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #6
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #7
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #2
5–10
 
1981 West Maegashira #8
7–8
 		 West Maegashira #8
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #5
7–8
 		 West Maegashira #6
9–3–3
 		 East Maegashira #2
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #6
10–5
 
1982 West Komusubi #1
10–5
 		 East Sekiwake #1
9–6
OT		 East Sekiwake #1
11–4
T		 East Sekiwake #1
8–7
 		 West Sekiwake #1
6–9
 		 West Maegashira #11
9–6
 
1983 East Komusubi #1
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #1
11–4
T		 West Sekiwake #1
8–7
F		 East Sekiwake #1
7–8
 		 West Sekiwake #1
3–12
 		 West Maegashira #5
7–8
 
1984 West Maegashira #6
10–5
T		 East Komusubi #1
7–8
 		 West Komusubi #1
5–10
 		 East Maegashira #6
7–5–3
 		 East Maegashira #7
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #1
4–11
 
1985 West Maegashira #9
11–4
F		 West Komusubi #1
3–12
 		 West Maegashira #7
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #1
5–10
 		 West Maegashira #4
7–8
★		 East Maegashira #6
9–6
 
1986 East Komusubi #1
6–9
 		 West Maegashira #1
9–6
 		 East Komusubi #1
3–12
 		 West Maegashira #5
9–6
 		 East Komusubi #1
3–12
 		 West Maegashira #5
10–5
 
1987 East Komusubi #1
5–10
 		 East Maegashira #4
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #7
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #10
11–4
F		 West Komusubi #1
3–12
 		 East Maegashira #5
6–9
 
1988 West Maegashira #7
Retired
4–11		 x x x x x
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Top Division Runner-up Retired Lower Divisions

Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique     Also shown: ★=Kinboshi(s); P=Playoff(s)
Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna — Ōzeki — Sekiwake — Komusubi — Maegashira
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See also

References
  1. "Oyakata (Coaches)". Nihon Sumo Kyokai. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  2. "Dewanohana Yoshitaka Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
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