Kushimaumi Keita, Japanese sumo wrestler and coach (Tagonoura), died from a ischaemic heart disease he was 46

Kushimaumi Keita ,^[1] born as Keita Kushima was a sumo wrestler from Shingū, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan died from a ischaemic heart disease he was , 46. A successful amateur, his highest rank in professional sumo was maegashira 1. After his retirement he became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association and established Tagonoura stable.

( 6 August 1965 – 13 February 2012)

Career

He began doing sumo from the age of four, due to his father's love of the sport. He was the first person to earn the Amateur Yokozuna title whilst still in high school (at which time he already weighed 160 kg), and he continued amateur sumo at Nihon University. In total he captured 28 collegiate sumo titles, a record at the time.^[2] He joined the prestigious Dewanoumi stable and made his professional debut in January 1988, beginning in the third highest makushita division. He fought under his own name until he reached the second highest jūryō division, whereupon his shikona was modified slightly from Kushima to Kushimaumi. Although it took him seven tournaments to progress from makushita to jūryō, he won two consecutive yūshō or tournament championships from his jūryō debut to reach the top makuuchi division in July 1989, the first wrestler to do so since 15 day tournaments were established in 1949. He won his first Fighting Spirit prize in March 1990, and earned two kinboshi for defeating yokozuna Asahifuji in September 1991 and Hokutoumi in March 1992 (this was Hokutoumi's final match before retirement). In March 1993 he was famously knocked out by a harite (slap to the face) from Kyokudōzan and had to withdraw from the tournament with his score at seven wins and six losses. His best result in a top division tournament was his runner-up performance in September 1993, where he finished behind Akebono on twelve wins. This however, was achieved from the low position of maegashira 13, and despite his great potential he never managed to reach the san'yaku ranks. In his later career he suffered increasingly from shoulder and hip injuries, and was demoted to the jūryō division on several occasions. He announced his retirement in November 1998 at the age of 33, after falling into the makushita division.

Fighting style

Kushimaumi was one of the heaviest wrestlers ever, weighing over 200 kg at his peak, and his great physical strength was demonstrated by his frequent use of the kimedashi (arm barring force out) technique.^[2] He also regularly employed yorikiri (the force out) and kotenage (the arm lock throw).

Retirement from sumo

Kushimaumi remained with Dewanoumi stable as an elder of the Japan Sumo Association, under the name Tagonoura. In February 2000 he branched out and opened up his own Tagonoura stable. In 2011 he produced his first sekitori ranked wrestler, the Bulgarian Aoiyama. Another former rikishi was the Tongan born Aotsurugi (who took Japanese citizenship to allow Aoiyama to join the stable).
In 2003 he suffered an acute myocardial infarction, but it proved not to be life-threatening and he made an immediate recovery.
He died on 13 February 2012 at the age of 46,^[3] of ischaemic heart disease.

Career record

Kushimaumi Keita^[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
1988	Makushita tsukedashi #60 5–2	East Makushita #38 5–2	East Makushita #24 6–1	East Makushita #9 5–2	East Makushita #4 4–3	West Makushita #2 4–3
1989	East Makushita #1 4–3	West Jūryō #12 11–4–P Champion	East Jūryō #3 10–5–PPP Champion	West Maegashira #13 8–7	West Maegashira #11 9–6	East Maegashira #5 6–9
1990	East Maegashira #9 6–9	East Maegashira #14 10–5 F	East Maegashira #4 6–9	West Maegashira #8 5–8–2	East Jūryō #1 10–5	East Maegashira #12 9–6
1991	East Maegashira #6 8–7	East Maegashira #1 5–10	East Maegashira #6 6–9	East Maegashira #10 10–5	East Maegashira #3 8–7 ★	East Maegashira #3 6–9
1992	West Maegashira #6 8–7	West Maegashira #3 7–8 ★	West Maegashira #4 8–7	East Maegashira #3 6–9	West Maegashira #6 8–7	West Maegashira #2 8–7
1993	West Maegashira #1 7–8	West Maegashira #2 7–7–1	East Maegashira #4 6–9	West Maegashira #7 5–10	East Maegashira #13 12–3 F	West Maegashira #1 5–10
1994	West Maegashira #7 1–2–12	East Jūryō #4 9–6	East Jūryō #2 8–7	West Maegashira #15 8–7	East Maegashira #15 8–7	East Maegashira #9 8–7
1995	West Maegashira #4 3–12	East Maegashira #12 4–11	East Jūryō #5 7–8	West Jūryō #6 9–6	West Jūryō #2 9–6	East Jūryō #1 8–7
1996	East Jūryō #1 7–8	East Jūryō #2 10–5	East Jūryō #1 8–7	West Maegashira #15 6–9	West Jūryō #2 6–9	East Jūryō #7 6–9
1997	West Jūryō #9 11–4	East Jūryō #4 8–7	West Jūryō #2 9–6	West Jūryō #1 9–6	West Maegashira #13 7–8	West Maegashira #15 3–12
1998	West Jūryō #6 7–8	East Jūryō #9 12–3–P Champion	West Jūryō #2 7–8	East Jūryō #4 7–8	West Jūryō #5 4–11	East Makushita #1 Retired 0–0–7
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion 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

To see more of who died in 2012 click here