Okinoumi Ayumi
Okinoumi Ayumi (Japanese: 隠岐の海 歩, Hepburn: Okinoumi Ayumi, born 29 July 1985 as Ayumi Fukuoka (福岡 歩)) is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Okinoshima, Shimane. He joined professional sumo in 2005, reaching the top division in 2010. He has been runner-up three times in January 2011, March 2013, and November 2017 tournaments all with an 11–4 record. His highest rank has been sekiwake, which he held for one tournament in March 2015 and then held again in November 2016. He has won four Fighting Spirit prizes to date, one for Outstanding Performance, and four gold stars for defeating yokozuna. He wrestles for Hakkaku stable.
| Okinoumi Ayumi | |
|---|---|
 Okinoumi in 2009 | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 福岡 歩 (Fukuoka Ayumi) 29 July 1985 Okinoshima, Shimane, Japan |
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Weight | 160 kg (350 lb; 25 st) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Hakkaku |
| Current rank | see below |
| Debut | January, 2005 |
| Highest rank | Sekiwake (Mar, 2015) |
| Championships | 1 (Makushita) |
| Special Prizes | Fighting Spirit (4) Outstanding Performance (1) |
| Gold Stars | 4 Harumafuji (3), Kakuryū (1) |
| * Up to date as of August 2, 2020. | |
Early life and sumo background
At school he attended local sumo clubs and took part in national competitions, but had no desire to take up sumo as a profession, instead wanting to go to sea and taking examinations to become a licensed mariner. However, he ended up dropping out of high school and was introduced by an acquaintance to Hakkaku-oyakata, the 61st yokozuna Hokutoumi, who persuaded him to join his Hakkaku stable.
Okinoumi is known for his good looks.[1] His stablemaster joked at a press conference after Okinoumi's promotion to jūryō that this made him envious.[2]
Career
He began his professional career in January 2005, fighting under his family name of Fukuoka. He was promoted to the second highest jūryō division after taking the yūshō or tournament championship in the makushita division in January 2009 with a perfect 7–0 record. He changed his shikona to Okinoumi, a reference to his birthplace of Okinoshima (a tiny and remote island in Western Japan) which had been suggested by his father.[2] He became the first sekitori from the Oki Islands since 1960. Troubled by a shoulder injury, he was demoted from jūryō after two losing records, but after reverting to the name Fukuoka he won immediate promotion back to jūryō in July 2009. Fighting as Okinoumi once again, in January 2010 he won promotion to the top makuuchi division, becoming the first wrestler from Shimane Prefecture to do so in 88 years. He came through with a kachi-koshi or winning record in his debut makuuchi tournament in March, winning his last three bouts to score 8–7. This saw him promoted to maegashira 10 for May.
He was suspended from the July 2010 tournament, along with several other wrestlers, after admitting involvement in illegal gambling on baseball. As a result, he dropped back to jūryō for September. Ranked at jūryō 8, a 10–5 record was enough to return him to the top division for the November tournament, where he secured his majority of wins on the final day. His best performance to date came in the January 2011 tournament where he finished runner-up to yokozuna Hakuhō and received his first sanshō award, for Fighting Spirit. This saw him promoted to a new highest rank of maegashira 4 for the May 2011 "technical examination tournament." There he fought all the top-ranked men for the first time and defeated three ōzeki: Kaiō, Harumafuji and Kotoōshū. He lost his last two bouts, to komusubi Kakuryū and Toyonoshima, to fall to a make-koshi 7–8 but remained at the same rank for the next tournament. Securing his majority of wins on the final day of the July tournament, he reached a new highest rank of maegashira 1 in September. He achieved his first gold star win against Harumafuji in November 2012, and his second Fighting Spirit award at maegashira 7 in March 2013.
He managed two non-consecutive komusubi appearances in 2013, but he slid down the rankings after four consecutive losing tournaments in the following year. Following the January tournament in 2015 he was promoted to sekiwake from the relatively low rank of maegashira 6, benefiting from the failure of most of those ranked directly above him to get winning records. He was injured in his sekiwake debut and had to withdraw from the tournament. Nine win in May and eleven in July saw him promoted to the san'yaku ranks for the fourth time (three at komusubi, and one at sekiwake). He was unable to hold the rank, scoring 6–9, and he also had a losing record in his fourth attempt at komusubi in May 2016. He picked up a kinboshi from maegashira 2 in July 2016, and had a very successful start to the September tournament, defeating ōzeki Kisenosato on opening day, Kakuryū on Day 2 and Harumafuji on Day 3. By the sixth day he had defeated two yokozuna and three ozeki and was the undefeated tournament co-leader.[3] However he began losing in the second week of the tournament and finished on 9–6. He was rewarded for this efforts with his first Outstanding Performance Prize,[4] and promotion back to sekiwake. The November 2016 tournament did not go well for Okinoumi who had a lingering injury that had caused him to miss the autumn tour. He ended the tournament with only a 5–10 record and fell back to the maegashira ranks. In the November 2017 tournament Okinoumi was a runner-up to Hakuhō with an 11–4 record, and was awarded his third Fighting Spirit prize, shared with Aminishiki.[5] In July 2020 Okinoumi returned to the komusubi rank for the first time since 2016, and secured his first winning record in sanyaku with a 9–6 score.
He is the owner of the Kimigahama toshiyori kabu or elder stock (currently being borrowed by former maegashira Hochiyama), indicating he intends to stay in sumo as a coach upon his retirement.
Fighting style
Okinoumi is a yotsu-sumo fighter, preferring grappling techniques to pushing or thrusting. His most common winning kimarite is yori-kiri or force out, and he favours a migi-yotsu grip on the mawashi, with his left hand outside and right hand inside his opponent's arms. He also regularly uses uwatenage, or overarm throw.
Career record
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | (Maezumo) | West Jonokuchi #33 4–3 |
East Jonidan #112 6–1 |
East Jonidan #30 5–2 |
East Sandanme #95 4–3 |
West Sandanme #77 6–1 |
| 2006 | West Sandanme #21 5–2 |
East Makushita #58 4–3 |
West Makushita #48 5–2 |
East Makushita #29 2–5 |
West Makushita #48 5–2 |
West Makushita #33 5–2 |
| 2007 | East Makushita #21 4–3 |
East Makushita #16 3–4 |
East Makushita #24 3–4 |
West Makushita #32 2–5 |
West Makushita #47 5–2 |
West Makushita #31 5–2 |
| 2008 | East Makushita #19 2–5 |
West Makushita #33 5–2 |
East Makushita #18 5–2 |
West Makushita #9 4–3 |
West Makushita #7 5–2 |
West Makushita #1 5–2 |
| 2009 | East Makushita #1 7–0 Champion |
East Jūryō #7 4–11 |
East Jūryō #13 5–10 |
East Makushita #4 4–3 |
West Jūryō #14 10–5 |
West Jūryō #5 8–7 |
| 2010 | East Jūryō #2 10–5 |
East Maegashira #12 8–7 |
West Maegashira #10 5–10 |
West Maegashira #14 Suspended 0–0–15 |
East Jūryō #8 10–5 |
West Maegashira #16 8–7 |
| 2011 | East Maegashira #13 11–4 F |
East Maegashira #4 Tournament Cancelled 0–0–0 |
East Maegashira #4 7–8 |
East Maegashira #4 8–7 |
West Maegashira #1 8–7 |
East Maegashira #1 7–8 |
| 2012 | East Maegashira #2 4–11 |
East Maegashira #9 8–7 |
East Maegashira #5 10–5 |
West Maegashira #2 4–11 |
West Maegashira #8 11–4 |
East Maegashira #1 2–8–5 ★ |
| 2013 | West Maegashira #10 8–7 |
East Maegashira #7 11–4 F |
West Komusubi #1 4–11 |
West Maegashira #6 9–6 |
East Maegashira #2 8–7 |
West Komusubi #1 7–8 |
| 2014 | West Maegashira #1 7–8 |
East Maegashira #2 4–11 |
West Maegashira #9 6–9 |
East Maegashira #13 6–8–1 |
West Maegashira #15 10–5 |
East Maegashira #7 8–7 |
| 2015 | East Maegashira #6 9–6 |
West Sekiwake #1 0–4–11 |
West Maegashira #10 9–6 |
East Maegashira #5 11–4 |
West Komusubi #1 6–9 |
West Maegashira #2 5–10 |
| 2016 | West Maegashira #6 10–5 |
East Maegashira #2 8–7 |
West Komusubi #1 6–9 |
East Maegashira #2 8–7 ★ |
East Maegashira #1 9–6 O★★ |
West Sekiwake #1 5–10 |
| 2017 | East Maegashira #3 4–11 |
West Maegashira #8 10–5 |
East Maegashira #2 3–12 |
West Maegashira #9 5–10 |
West Maegashira #14 8–7 |
East Maegashira #12 11–4 F |
| 2018 | East Maegashira #5 5–10 |
East Maegashira #9 7–8 |
East Maegashira #10 5–10 |
West Maegashira #14 8–7 |
East Maegashira #12 8–7 |
West Maegashira #11 11–4 |
| 2019 | West Maegashira #4 7–8 |
East Maegashira #6 8–7 |
East Maegashira #4 5–10 |
West Maegashira #8 8–7 |
East Maegashira #8 11–4 F |
West Maegashira #1 6–9 |
| 2020 | East Maegashira #4 8–7 |
East Maegashira #2 8–7 |
West Komusubi #1 Tournament Cancelled 0–0–0 |
West Komusubi #1 9–6 |
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) | ||||||
See also
References
- "Female fans bring sumo back from the brink". Nikkeo Asian Review. 17 May 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
- Willacy, Mark (14 February 2009). "Japan's new sumo hope looks good". ABC. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
- "Sumo: Okinoumi pulls off another upset to stay tied for Autumn lead". The Mainichi. 16 September 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- "Sumo: Newly crowned champion Goeido ends autumn meet at 15–0". Kyodo News. 25 September 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- "Sumo: Aminishiki brings the house down on final day in Fukuoka". The Mainichi. 26 November 2017. Archived from the original on 27 November 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
- "Okinoumi Ayumi Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
External links
- Okinoumi Ayumi's official biography (English) at the Grand Sumo Homepage