Hokutenyu
| Hokuten'yū Katsuhiko | |
|---|---|
| 北天佑勝彦 | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | Katsuhiko Chiba August 8, 1960 Hokkaido, Japan |
| Died | June 23, 2006 (aged 45) |
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Weight | 149 kg (328 lb) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Mihogaseki |
| Record | 645-413-47 |
| Debut | March, 1976 |
| Highest rank | Ōzeki (July, 1983) |
| Retired | September, 1990 |
| Championships | 2 (Makuuchi) 1 (Makushita) |
| Special Prizes | Outstanding Performance (2) Fighting Spirit (4) Technique (1) |
| Gold Stars | 3 Wakanohana II (2) Chiyonofuji |
| * Up to date as of March 2007. | |
Hokuten'yū Katsuhiko (北天佑勝彦) (August 8, 1960 – June 23, 2006) was a sumo wrestler, from Muroran, Hokkaido, Japan. The highest rank he achieved was ōzeki which he held for seven years from 1983 until 1990. He won two top division yūshō or tournament championships. After his retirement as an active wrestler he worked as a sumo coach until his death in 2006 from cancer.
Hokuten'yū was scouted at the age of nine by former ōzeki Masuiyama Daishiro I of Mihogaseki stable, and given 3,000 yen to ensure his commitment. He made his professional debut in March 1976. He served as a tsukebito or personal attendant to the great yokozuna Kitanoumi, another Hokkaidō native who belonged to the same stable. In his early career he fought under his own surname of Chiba, but in 1978 he was given the shikona of Hokuten'yū, or "heavenly gift from the north", a reference to his birthplace. He was the first wrestler to have a fighting name including the "tenyu" character, which has since been used in a number of other shikona.
After four years in the lower ranks, Hokuten'yū reached the second highest jūryō division in May 1980 and was promoted to the top makuuchi division in November of that year. He made his san'yaku debut in July 1981 at komusubi rank.
At the beginning of 1983 Hokuten'yū was promoted to sekiwake for the first time, and produced a strong 11-4 record. In March 1983 he shared second place with a 12-3 score, and in May he swept the rest of the field aside, losing only to Takanosato and winning his first tournament championship with a superb 14-1 record. After that tournament he was promoted to sumo's second highest rank of ōzeki.
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