Meisei Chikara

Meisei Chikara (Japanese: 明生 力, born Meisei Kawabata (川畑 明生) on July 24, 1995) is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Setouchi, Kagoshima. He debuted in sumo wrestling in July 2011 and made his makuuchi debut in July 2018. His highest rank has been maegashira 2. He wrestles for Tatsunami stable. Unusually for a top-class sumo wrestler, he uses his given name as his shikona.

In this Japanese shikona name, the surname is Meisei.
Meisei Chikara
明生力
Meisei in May 2019
Personal information
BornMeisei Kawabata
(1995-07-24) July 24, 1995
Setouchi, Kagoshima, Japan
Height1.79 m (5 ft 10 1⁄2 in)
Weight147 kg (324 lb)
Career
StableTatsunami
Current ranksee below
DebutJuly, 2011
Highest rankMaegashira 2 (Nov, 2019)
Championships1 jūryo
* Up to date as of August 2, 2020.

Background

Meisei was born in Setouchi, a town on Amami Ōshima, one of the Ryukyu Islands. He began sumo at the age of five and was strongly encouraged by his father and other family members. When his elementary school closed their sumo programme he joined a sumo club in a neighboring town and in sixth grade he won the All-Japan Primary School Sumo Tournament. He moved to the Kamogawa Junior High School and competed in national championships but failed to win any further championships. Although he considered attending High School he took his father's advice and left education at the age of 15 to pursue a career in professional sumo.[1][2][3]

Career

Early career

In 2011 Meisei joined the Tatsunami stable, bringing him under the tutelage of the former komusubi Asahiyutaka. Unlike most new wrestlers who begin their careers under their family names he took his given name as his shikona surname. Shortly before his sixteenth birthday he began his professional career in July 2011 and recorded four wins in seven bouts in the jonokuchi division to secure promotion to jonidan. A 5-2 result in November saw him promoted to the fourth sandanme division but in January 2012 he won only two matches and returned to jonidan after posting his first make-koshi (losing record). He returned to sandanme after a 6-1 record in March 2012 and a run of kachi-koshi (winning records) saw him promoted to makushita (third division) in January 2013. After moving up and down between sandanme and makushita several times he established himself in the higher division and began a steady climb through the ranks. In September 2016 a 4-3 result at the rank of makushita 3 saw him promoted to the second juryo division for the first time. He returned to makushita after recording a 5-10 record in November but was promoted back to juryo after two consecutive kachi-koshi. A series of solid results saw him rise to the top of the second division and in May 2018 a 10-5 record at juryo saw him promoted to the makuuchi division.[4]

Makuuchi career

In his first tournament in the top division Meisei was assigned the rank of maegashira 16. His kesho-mawashi, which featured the sun rising from the sea was embroidered by Miyuki Tanaka whose previous clients had included Chiyonofuji.[5] He recorded six wins including victories over Hokutofuji and Chiyomaru but was relegated back to juryo. Nine wins at juryo 2 saw him return to the top division in November 2018 when he posted a 9-6 record including wins over Chiyomaru and Onosho. In January he reached a score of 6-7 after 13 days but reached his kachi-koshi by beating Yoshikaze and Onosho in his last two bouts. Competing a career high of maegashira 11 in March 2019 he won nine of his fourteen bouts highlighted by an uwatedashinage win over the former ōzeki Kotoshogiku on day 13. In the following tournament, at another career high rank of maegashira 7 he lost his first three bouts but won ten of his remaining twelve matches including a victory over Tochinoshin. He reached his highest ranking to date of maegashira 2 in November 2019.

On December 28 during training at his stable he injured his left upper arm muscle. He still entered the January 2020 tournament but withdrew on Day 8 with only one win.[6] He failed to make kachi-kochi in March 2020 at the rank of maegashira 17, and secured his demotion to Juryo. In July 2020, he won the Juryo Championship following six-man playoff, ensuring his return to Makuuchi.

Fighting style

Meisei has shown a preference for yotsu techniques which involve grasping his opponent's mawashi or belt and favors the hidari-yotsu, or left-hand inside grip. His most common kimarite or winning move is yorikiri, the force-out.[7]

Career record

　　

Meisei Chikara[4]
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
2011 x x(Maezumo) West Jonokuchi #2
4–3
 		 East Jonidan #73
5–2
 		 East Jonidan #31
5–2
 
2012 West Sandanme #96
2–5
 		 East Jonidan #31
6–1
 		 West Sandanme #67
5–2
 		 West Sandanme #35
4–3
 		 West Sandanme #20
4–3
 		 East Sandanme #10
4–3
 
2013 West Makushita #59
4–3
 		 East Makushita #51
3–4
 		 East Sandanme #9
4–3
 		 West Makushita #59
3–4
 		 West Sandanme #11
4–3
 		 West Makushita #60
3–4
 
2014 East Sandanme #8
4–3
 		 West Makushita #58
3–4
 		 East Sandanme #14
6–1
 		 East Makushita #38
6–1
 		 East Makushita #16
4–3
 		 West Makushita #13
3–4
 
2015 West Makushita #18
5–2
 		 East Makushita #11
4–3
 		 West Makushita #8
4–3
 		 East Makushita #7
2–5
 		 West Makushita #19
5–2
 		 East Makushita #9
3–4
 
2016 West Makushita #17
3–4
 		 West Makushita #23
5–2
 		 West Makushita #12
5–2
 		 East Makushita #5
4–3
 		 East Makushita #3
4–3
 		 West Jūryō #14
5–10
 
2017 East Makushita #6
4–3
 		 West Makushita #3
5–2
 		 East Jūryō #14
9–6
 		 West Jūryō #11
9–6
 		 West Jūryō #8
9–6
 		 East Jūryō #4
7–8
 
2018 West Jūryō #4
8–7
 		 East Jūryō #3
7–8
 		 East Jūryō #4
10–5
 		 West Maegashira #16
6–9
 		 East Jūryō #2
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #15
9–6
 
2019 West Maegashira #12
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #11
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #7
10–5
 		 East Maegashira #4
4–11
 		 West Maegashira #10
10–5
 		 West Maegashira #2
6–9
 
2020 East Maegashira #5
1–7–7
 		 East Maegashira #17
7–8
 		 East Jūryō #1
Tournament Cancelled
0–0–0		 East Jūryō #1
10–5–PPP
Champion
 		 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. ベースボール・マガジン社刊 『相撲』 2016年8月号（名古屋場所総決算号） 83頁
  2. 平成19年の試合記録・結果 公益財団法人 日本相撲連盟
  3. ベースボール・マガジン社刊 『相撲』 2014年8月号（名古屋場所総決算号） 91頁
  4. "Meisei Chikara Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference.
  5. "Sumo's Delicate Side". NHK WORLD.
  6. "Absent Rikishi Information". Japan Sumo Association. January 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  7. "Rikishi profile Meisei Chikara". sumo.or.jp.
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