Ryūden Gōshi
Ryūden Gōshi (Japanese: 竜電 剛至, born November 10, 1990 as Yūki Watanabe (渡邊 裕樹)) is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Kōfu, Yamanashi Prefecture. He made his professional debut in March 2006 and reached the top makuuchi division in January 2018. He won a special prize for Fighting Spirit in his top division debut. His highest rank has been komusubi. He is a member of Takadagawa stable.
Ryūden Gōshi | |
---|---|
竜電剛至 | |
Ryūden in 2017 | |
Personal information | |
Born | Yūki Watanabe November 10, 1990 Kōfu, Yamanashi |
Height | 191 cm (6 ft 3 in) |
Weight | 153 kg (337 lb) |
Career | |
Stable | Takadagawa |
Current rank | see below |
Debut | March, 2006 |
Highest rank | Komusubi (July, 2019) |
Championships | 1 (Makushita) 1 (Sandanme) 1 (Jonidan) 1 (Jonokuchi) |
Special Prizes | 1 (Fighting Spirit) 1 (Technique) |
* Up to date as of August 2, 2020. |
Career
He was the youngest of three brothers and had a background in judo. However, he was persuaded by the former sekiwake Akinoshima, a coach at Takadagawa stable who was visiting his junior high school to scout a judo classmate, to give sumo a try. He made his debut in March 2006, the same tournament as Tochinoshin, Sakaizawa and Masakaze. He was immediately given the shikona of Ryūden, with the "Ryū" part taken from his hometown school and the "den" part from the legendary wrestler Raiden. He was talked of, alongside Masunoyama, as a candidate for the first wrestler born in the Heisei era to reach the sekitori ranks when he produced a 5–2 score at the rank of makushita 15 in November 2009. However his progress then stalled with two consecutive make-koshi, and he suffered a concussion after falling from the dohyo in a match against Takanoiwa in March 2010, and was embarrassed when he had to be carried off in a wheelchair. He was overtaken by Takayasu who did become the first Heisei born sekitori in November 2010, with Masunoyama. However after scoring a perfect 7–0 record and taking the makushita championship, Ryūden eventually reached the jūryō division himself after the September 2012 tournament. He was the first sekitori produced by the new Takadagawa head Akinoshima, who had taken over the running of the stable from former ōzeki Maenoyama in 2009. He was also the first sekitori from Yamanashi Prefecture since Hidenohana 24 years earlier.
However Ryūden suffered a fracture of his right hip joint in his juryo debut in November and had to withdraw from the tournament. During his long injury recuperation he made two abortive attempts to return, breaking the hip twice more. This resulted in him falling all the way down to jonokuchi 17 in the rankings. For four consecutive tournaments from January until July 2014, although still injured, he fought (and won) one match at the end of the tournament, solely to prevent falling off the banzuke completely. He was finally fit to return in September 2014 and won three consecutive yusho to quickly return to the third highest makushita division. He was finally promoted back to jūryō in November 2016. Only Hokutokuni (off the banzuke) and Kotobeppu (jonokuchi 39) had returned to jūryō from lower ranks than Ryūden had.
Ryūden was promoted to the top makuuchi division in January 2018, becoming the second top division wrestler from Takadagawa stable after Kagayaki to achieve this since the new head coach took over. He was the first Yamanashi Prefecture native to be ranked in makuuchi since Onohana in March 1988. He scored ten wins in his top division debut and shared the Fighting Spirit prize with fellow newcomer Abi. Since then, he has stayed in makuuchi and has mainly shown solid performances. In May 2019 he won ten bouts and received his first Technique prize.[1] He was promoted to komusubi for the July 2019 tournament, the first from Yamanashi Prefecture since Fujizakura 47 years earlier.
Fighting style
Ryūden is a yotsu sumo specialist who prefers grappling techniques. His favourite winning kimarite is yori-kiri, with a moro-zashi hold, or both arms inside his opponent's.
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2006 | x | (Maezumo) | West Jonokuchi #28 4–3 |
West Jonidan #120 6–1 |
West Jonidan #39 3–4 |
West Jonidan #59 5–2 |
2007 | East Jonidan #20 4–3 |
West Sandanme #100 4–3 |
West Sandanme #81 3–4 |
West Sandanme #91 5–2 |
West Sandanme #60 5–2 |
West Sandanme #34 3–4 |
2008 | West Sandanme #49 6–1 |
West Makushita #59 2–5 |
West Sandanme #21 3–4 |
West Sandanme #36 4–3 |
East Sandanme #20 6–1 |
West Makushita #42 3–4 |
2009 | East Makushita #52 6–1 |
West Makushita #25 2–5 |
East Makushita #38 3–4 |
West Makushita #46 6–1 |
West Makushita #19 4–3 |
East Makushita #15 5–2 |
2010 | West Makushita #9 3–4 |
East Makushita #15 2–5 |
East Makushita #29 4–3 |
West Makushita #24 2–5 |
East Makushita #39 3–4 |
East Makushita #46 5–2 |
2011 | East Makushita #33 4–3 |
Tournament Cancelled 0–0–0 |
East Makushita #27 4–3 |
West Makushita #14 3–4 |
West Makushita #17 5–2 |
West Makushita #8 4–3 |
2012 | West Makushita #6 2–5 |
West Makushita #14 6–1 |
East Makushita #5 3–4 |
West Makushita #8 3–4 |
West Makushita #12 7–0 Champion |
West Jūryō #12 4–5–6 |
2013 | East Makushita #4 2–5 |
East Makushita #10 Sat out due to injury 0–0–7 |
West Makushita #50 Sat out due to injury 0–0–7 |
West Sandanme #30 1–2–4 |
East Sandanme #69 Sat out due to injury 0–0–7 |
East Jonidan #30 Sat out due to injury 0–0–7 |
2014 | West Jonokuchi #10 1–0–6 |
West Jonokuchi #7 1–0–6 |
East Jonokuchi #1 1–0–6 |
East Jonokuchi #14 1–0–6 |
West Jonokuchi #17 7–0 Champion |
West Jonidan #11 7–0 Champion |
2015 | East Sandanme #20 7–0 Champion |
East Makushita #14 2–5 |
East Makushita #28 6–1 |
East Makushita #10 2–5 |
East Makushita #25 5–2 |
West Makushita #11 4–3 |
2016 | East Makushita #9 3–4 |
West Makushita #13 6–1 |
East Makushita #3 3–4 |
East Makushita #7 5–2 |
West Makushita #2 4–3 |
East Jūryō #13 9–6 |
2017 | West Jūryō #10 9–6 |
West Jūryō #8 6–9 |
East Jūryō #12 9–6 |
West Jūryō #8 9–6 |
East Jūryō #5 8–7 |
West Jūryō #2 8–7 |
2018 | East Maegashira #16 10–5 F |
West Maegashira #9 8–7 |
East Maegashira #7 3–12 |
West Maegashira #15 8–7 |
East Maegashira #13 10–5 |
West Maegashira #3 6–9 |
2019 | East Maegashira #7 6–9 |
East Maegashira #11 10–5 |
West Maegashira #5 10–5 T |
West Komusubi #1 4–11 |
West Maegashira #5 7–8 |
West Maegashira #5 6–9 |
2020 | West Maegashira #8 10–5 |
East Maegashira #5 6–9 |
West Maegashira #6 Tournament Cancelled 0–0–0 |
West Maegashira #6 7–8 |
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) |
References
- "Asanoyama falls on basho's last day". Japan Times. 26 May 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
- "Ryuden Goshi Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
External links
- Ryūden Gōshi's official biography (English) at the Grand Sumo Homepage