Kitaharima Seiya

Kitaharima Seiya (Japanese: 北磻磨 聖也, born 28 July 1986 as Shimada Seiya (嶋田聖也, Seiya Shimada) in Tatsuno, Hyōgo) is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He made his professional debut in March 2002. His highest rank has been maegashira 15. He wrestles for Yamahibiki stable.

In this Japanese shikona name, the surname is Kitaharima.
Kitaharima Seiya
北磻磨 聖也
Personal information
BornSeiya Shimada
(1986-07-28) 28 July 1986
Tatsuno, Hyōgo, Japan
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight121 kg (267 lb)
Career
StableYamahibiki
Current rankSee below
DebutMarch, 2002
Highest rankMaegashira 15 (July, 2016)
* Up to date as of August 14, 2020.

Career

He was born in Tatsuno, Hyōgo, where there is a shrine to the legendary founder of sumo, Nomi no Sukune.[1] He is a member of the generation born between April 1986 and April 1987 known as the Hananoroku Ichigumi that also includes yokozuna Kisenosato, ōzeki Gōeidō and sekiwake Myōgiryū.[2] He did judo when he first joined school, but from the fourth year of elementary school he switched to sumo, and participated in national sumo competitions at elementary and junior high school. He had aspirations to go to high school, but was persuaded to join Kitanoumi stable, run by the former yokozuna Kitanoumi, upon graduation from junior high.

He made his professional debut in March 2002, alongside future top division wrestlers such as Kisenosato and Katayama, and also his own stablemate Nionoumi.[3] He reached the third highest makushita division in July 2005, but weighing barely more than 100 kilograms (220 lb) he found it hard to make further progess. He had began wrestling using his own surname of Shimada, but adopted his present shikona in March 2008, formed from combination of his original stable name (Kitanoumi) and an old name for west Hyōgo Prefecture (Harima Province). He finally reached the jūryō division for the first time in January 2012 nearly decade after his debut.[4] He was the first sekitori from Tatsuno since Banryūyama who had been a stablemate of Kitanoumi and was then a coach at the affiliated Mihogaseki stable. He spent all of 2012 in jūryō but had only two winning records in that time and was demoted back to the makushita division in January 2013.[4] After moving between jūryō and makushita a number of times he re-established himself in jūryō from the September 2014 tournament. In November 2015 after the death of his stablemaster Kitanoumi, who was also the chairman of the Japan Sumo Association, the former maegashira Ganyū took over the running of the stable, which was re-named Yamahibiki stable.

Following a record of nine wins against six losses at the rank of Jūryō 4 in May 2016, Kitaharima made his top makuuchi division debut in the July 2016 tournament, the only wrestler in that tournament who was new to the top division.[5] It had taken him 85 tournaments from his professional debut to reach the top division, which is the ninth slowest in sumo history.[6] At 126 kilograms (278 lb) he was lightest man in the top division and some 30 kilograms (66 lb) lighter than the average for the division.[6] Kitaharima's stablemaster paid tribute to his predecessor Kitanoumi, who had died the previous November, saying that Kitanoumi always called Kitaharima by his given name "Seiya", because "my disciples are the same as my own children."[1]

Kitaharima won his first bout in the top division, defeating Nishikigi.[7] However he finished the tournament with a losing record of six wins against nine losses and was demoted back to jūryō after just one tournament. Restricted by neck pain, he had two poor performances of 5–10 and 4–11 in the following two tournaments and fell back to makushita in January 2017.[4] After his neck problem cleared up he returned to jūryō after a 5–2 record, but lasted only one tournament. After two consecutive winning records in makushita in May and July 2017 he returned to jūryō again in September 2017.[8] Both he and Kizenryū were being promoted to jūryō for the seventh time in this tournament, the second highest ever at the time.[8] However he lost seven of his first eight bouts, and with a 5–10 record at the end of the tournament was once again demoted.[9] He remained in makushita for the next three years before finally getting his eighth promotion to jūryō after the July 2020 tournament at the age of 34.[4] He secured this result by defeating Takagenji on the final day for a 5–2 record at Makushita 3.[10]

Fighting style

Kitagarima is a tsuki/oshi specialist, who prefers pushing and thrusting at his opponents rather than fighting on the mawashi or belt. His most common winning kimarite or technique is oshi dashi or a straightforward push out.[11]

Family

His younger brother Tetsuya Shimada is also a wrestler at the same stable, who has reached a highest rank of sandanme 90 and is known as Tatsunoumi.

Career record
Kitaharima Seiya[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
2002 x (Maezumo) East Jonokuchi #29
4–3
 		 East Jonidan #111
4–3
 		 East Jonidan #86
4–3
 		 East Jonidan #60
4–3
 
2003 West Jonidan #37
1–6
 		 West Jonidan #72
5–2
 		 East Jonidan #28
3–4
 		 West Jonidan #48
4–3
 		 East Jonidan #28
5–2
 		 West Sandanme #90
2–5
 
2004 West Jonidan #14
4–3
 		 East Sandanme #95
4–3
 		 West Sandanme #76
4–3
 		 East Sandanme #58
3–4
 		 West Sandanme #77
5–2
 		 West Sandanme #43
4–3
 
2005 West Sandanme #26
4–3
 		 East Sandanme #14
4–3
 		 West Sandanme #3
4–3
 		 West Makushita #54
2–5
 		 West Sandanme #15
2–5
 		 East Sandanme #37
5–2
 
2006 East Sandanme #10
4–3
 		 East Makushita #59
4–3
 		 East Makushita #49
3–4
 		 East Sandanme #1
5–2
 		 West Makushita #43
4–3
 		 East Makushita #35
5–2
 
2007 West Makushita #21
2–5
 		 West Makushita #39
3–4
 		 East Makushita #51
1–6
 		 East Sandanme #22
5–2
 		 East Makushita #58
3–4
 		 West Sandanme #14
3–4
 
2008 East Sandanme #24
6–1
 		 East Makushita #46
4–3
 		 East Makushita #38
3–4
 		 West Makushita #49
5–2
 		 West Makushita #34
3–4
 		 West Makushita #43
5–2
 
2009 East Makushita #28
4–3
 		 West Makushita #20
1–6
 		 East Makushita #40
2–5
 		 West Makushita #60
4–3
 		 East Makushita #49
4–3
 		 East Makushita #42
6–1
 
2010 East Makushita #18
3–4
 		 West Makushita #24
4–3
 		 West Makushita #19
5–2
 		 East Makushita #13
3–4
 		 West Makushita #16
5–2
 		 West Makushita #7
5–2
 
2011 East Makushita #2
3–4
 
Tournament Cancelled
0–0–0		 West Makushita #6
2–5
 		 East Makushita #9
4–3
 		 East Makushita #4
4–3
 		 East Makushita #2
4–3
 
2012 West Jūryō #13
8–7
 		 West Jūryō #10
5–10
 		 West Jūryō #14
9–6
 		 East Jūryō #8
7–8
 		 West Jūryō #8
7–8
 		 East Jūryō #10
4–11
 
2013 West Makushita #2
4–3
 		 East Makushita #1
5–2
 		 East Jūryō #12
6–9
 		 West Makushita #3
4–3
 		 West Jūryō #14
7–8
 		 East Makushita #1
3–4
 
2014 West Makushita #4
5–2
 		 West Jūryō #14
7–8
 		 East Makushita #1
3–4
 		 East Makushita #4
5–2
 		 West Jūryō #12
8–7
 		 East Jūryō #9
9–6
 
2015 West Jūryō #5
6–9
 		 West Jūryō #8
7–8
 		 West Jūryō #9
9–6
 		 East Jūryō #6
9–6
 		 East Jūryō #2
7–8
 		 East Jūryō #4
8–7
 
2016 West Jūryō #3
5–10
 		 East Jūryō #8
9–6
 		 East Jūryō #4
9–6
 		 East Maegashira #15
6–9
 		 West Jūryō #2
5–10
 		 East Jūryō #9
4–11
 
2017 East Makushita #1
5–2
 		 West Jūryō #11
4–11
 		 East Makushita #3
4–3
 		 East Makushita #2
6–1
 		 East Jūryō #12
5–10
 		 East Makushita #2
3–4
 
2018 East Makushita #4
3–4
 		 West Makushita #7
4–3
 		 West Makushita #4
3–4
 		 West Makushita #8
2–5
 		 West Makushita #20
3–4
 		 West Makushita #30
4–3
 
2019 East Makushita #25
3–4
 		 West Makushita #30
5–2
 		 West Makushita #17
3–4
 		 West Makushita #23
3–4
 		 East Makushita #28
5–2
 		 East Makushita #16
4–3
 
2020 West Makushita #12
3–4
 		 East Makushita #19
6–1
 
Tournament Cancelled
0–0–0		 West Makushita #3
5–2
 		 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

See also

References
  1. "30歳目前の新入幕！ 東前頭十五枚目・北はり磨（29歳） スポーツ人間模様 (New entry at 29! Maegashira 15 Kitaharima)". Nippon Broadcasting News Online. 28 June 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  2. "大相撲春場所　北はり磨５勝目、来場所の幕下上位確実 (Spring sumo: Kitaharima 5th win, higher Makushita rank coming)". Kobe Shimbun (in Japanese). 19 March 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  3. "Find Rikishi". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  4. "Kitaharima Seiya Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  5. "Hakuho seeking milestone 1,000th win at upcoming basho". Japan Times. 27 June 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  6. "大相撲名古屋場所 軽量の苦労人が新入幕 北〓（はり）磨８５場所で夢実現 ("Sumo Nagoya: A new entry for a light-weight hard worker. A dream come true after 85 tournaments for Kitaharima.")". The Mainichi (in Japanese). 7 July 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  7. "Kisenosato triumphs on opening day at Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament". Japan Times. 10 July 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  8. "(Yago, Daiseido are newly promoted to juryo)". Sankei (in Japanese). 26 July 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  9. "Kitaharima results by basho - September 2017". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  10. "Kitaharima results by basho - July 2020". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  11. "Kitaharima bouts by kimarite". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
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