Kitanonada Noboru

Kitanonada Noboru (February 1, 1923 – January 8, 2002), born Noboru Ogata, was a sumo wrestler from Abashiri, Hokkaido, Japan. His highest rank was sekiwake. He was ranked in the top makuuchi division from 1950 until 1962 and earned ten gold stars for defeating yokozuna. After his retirement from active competition he was an elder of the Japan Sumo Association and worked as a coach at Tatsunami stable until his mandatory retirement in 1988 upon reaching 65 years of age. He then became a sumo TV commentator.

Kitanonada Noboru
北の洋昇
Personal information
BornNoboru Ogata
(1923-02-01)February 1, 1923
Abashiri, Hokkaido
DiedJanuary 8, 2002(2002-01-08) (aged 78)
Height180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight120 kg (265 lb; 18 st 13 lb)
Career
StableTatsunami
Record494-473-29
DebutJanuary 1940
Highest rankSekiwake
RetiredMarch 1962
Elder nameTakekuma
Special Prizes5 (Technique)
4 (Outstanding Performance)
1 (Fighting Spirit)
Gold Stars10
* Up to date as of June 2020.

Career

He was born in 1923 as Noboru Ogata in Abashiri, Hokkaido, the second son of owners of a popular local restaurant. His older brother died in an accident at elementary school, and he became a much shyer personality after that tragedy. An acquaintance had connections to sekiwake Asahigawa, and Ogata was also an admirer of Futabayama. Both were members of the Tatsunami stable, and so in January 1939 Ogata applied to join. He was turned down due to a lack of weight, with the coach who conducted the examination suggesting he might be better off as a tokoyama (sumo hairdresser). However, Ogata was determined to become a sumo wrestler, and successfully passed the physical examination a year later. Making his professional debut in January 1940, and managing to avoid being called up for war service, he rose slowly up the ranks. He reached the second highest juryo division in October 1948 and the top makuuchi division in September 1950. He made his debut in the sanyaku ranks at komusubi in September 1954. He was runner-up in the March 1957 tournament with a 12–3 record. His highest rank was sekiwake, which he reached in November 1957 at the age of 35. He earned ten special prizes for achievements in tournaments and ten kinboshi, or gold stars, for defeating yokozuna. His kinboshi were earned against six different yokozuna: Azumafuji, Yoshibayama (twice), Tochinishiki (twice), Chiyonoyama, Wakanohana and Asashio (three times). He defeated Tochinishiki on the opening day of the September 1958 tournament, a match which became notorious after the referee initially awarded the bout to Tochinishiki and then argued with the judges for ten minutes after they reversed his decision, leading to the referee's suspension for the rest of the tournament. His final win over a yokozuna was in May 1961 at the age of 38 years, three months, making him the oldest post-war wrestler ever to earn a kinboshi.

Fighting style

He was known as "white lightning" because of his powerful tachi-ai and the speed and ferocity of his bouts.[1] His most common winning kimarite, or techniques, were yori-kiri (force out), yori-taoshi (force out and down), and uwate-nage (overarm throw).

Retirement from sumo

He retired in March 1962, after facing demotion to the juryo division. At 39 years and one month he was one of the oldest ever postwar sekitori. He had fought in 77 career tournaments, 52 in the top division, where his winning percentage was .487 (368 wins against 388 losses). He became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association under the name Takekuma. He worked as a coach at his old stable and was also on the board of Directors of the Sumo Association from 1978 to 1982. When yokozuna Futahaguro had a heated row with his stablemaster, ex-sekiwake Annenyama, in December 1987, storming out of the stable and pushing his stablemaster's wife out of the way, it was Takekuma who tried unsuccessfully to persuade Futahaguro to return and apologize. Futahaguro was forced to retire in disgrace. Takekuma retired from the Sumo Association himself shortly afterwards at the end of January 1988, having reached the mandatory retirement age of 65. He passed on the Takekuma elder name to former sekiwake Kurohimeyama, who had become his son-in-law.

Upon leaving the Sumo Association he became a TV commentator for NHK's sumo coverage.[1] His last appearance was in 2000, and he suffered a stroke in March 2001.[1] He died in 2002 at the age of 78 in a hospital in Tochigi, from cerebral thrombosis.[1]


Career record

                                                     

Kitanonada Noboru[2]
- Spring
Haru basho, Tokyo
Summer
Natsu basho, Tokyo
Autumn
Aki basho, Tokyo
1940 (Maezumo) West Shinjo
12
 
Not held
1941 West Jonokuchi #12
62
 
East Jonidan #33
44
 
Not held
1942 East Jonidan #30
71
 
East Sandanme #21
44
 
Not held
1943 East Sandanme #14
62
 
East Makushita #40
53
 
Not held
1944 West Makushita #26
53
 
East Makushita #9
005
 
West Makushita #25
32
 
1945 Not held East Makushita #11
23
 
East Makushita #13
32
 
1946 Not held Not held West Makushita #8
43
 
1947 Not held East Makushita #4
14
 
West Makushita #12
42
 
1948 Not held East Makushita #4
42
 
East Jūryō #14
38
 
1949 East Makushita #4
93
 
East Jūryō #10
87
 
East Jūryō #8
78
 
1950 West Jūryō #9
114
 
East Jūryō #1
96
 
West Maegashira #18
78
 
1951 East Maegashira #19
69
 
East Jūryō #1
105
 
East Maegashira #17
564
 
1952 East Maegashira #19
78
 
East Maegashira #20
69
 
West Maegashira #21
78
 

               

- New Year
Hatsu basho, Tokyo
Spring
Haru basho, Osaka
Summer
Natsu basho, Tokyo
Autumn
Aki basho, Tokyo
1953 East Jūryō #1
105
 
West Maegashira #14
105
 
West Maegashira #9
123
T
East Maegashira #1
267
 
1954 West Maegashira #10
123
 
West Maegashira #3
159
East Maegashira #10
114
FT
West Komusubi
69
 
1955 West Maegashira #1
411
 
West Maegashira #6
69
 
East Maegashira #9
69
 
West Maegashira #12
105
 
1956 East Maegashira #5
510
 
East Maegashira #9
87
 
East Maegashira #8
78
 
West Maegashira #9
96
 
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

Modern sumo record

  • Since the addition of the Kyushu tournament in 1957 and the Nagoya tournament in 1958, the yearly schedule has remained unchanged.

                                     

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
1957 West Maegashira #3
312
 
East Maegashira #11
123
T
East Maegashira #3
96
Not held East Komusubi
114
O
West Sekiwake
591
 
1958 West Maegashira #1
96
T
West Komusubi
69
 
West Maegashira #1
69
 
East Maegashira #4
69
 
East Maegashira #7
105
East Maegashira #1
87
O
1959 West Komusubi
78
 
West Maegashira #1
87
O
East Maegashira #1
510
 
East Maegashira #5
78
 
East Maegashira #6
78
 
West Maegashira #7
96
 
1960 East Maegashira #3
96
O
East Maegashira #1
96
T
West Komusubi
105
 
West Sekiwake
78
 
East Komusubi
411
 
East Maegashira #5
510
 
1961 East Maegashira #8
96
 
East Maegashira #2
510
 
West Maegashira #4
78
East Maegashira #5
1113
 
East Maegashira #12
78
 
West Maegashira #13
105
 
1962 East Maegashira #7
510
 
West Maegashira #13
Retired
510
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

See also

References

  1. Adams, Andy (March 2002). "Ex-Sekiwake Kitanonada dies at 78". Sumo World: 20.
  2. "Kitanonada Noboru Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
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