Hokutoumi Nobuyoshi
| Hokutoumi Nobuyoshi | |
|---|---|
| 北勝海 信芳 | |
Hokutoumi's handprint displayed on a monument in Ryōgoku, Tokyo≠
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| Personal information | |
| Born | Nobuyoshi Hoshi June 22, 1963 Hokkaidō, Japan |
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Weight | 151 kg (333 lb) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Kokonoe |
| Record | 591-286-124 |
| Debut | March 1979 |
| Highest rank | Yokozuna (May, 1987) |
| Retired | May 1992 |
| Championships | 8 (Makuuchi) 1 (Jūryō) 1 (Makushita) 1 (Jonidan) |
| Special Prizes | Outstanding Performance (3) Fighting Spirit (3) Technique (5) |
| Gold Stars | 1 (Kitanoumi) |
| * Up to date as of July 2012. | |
Hokutoumi Nobuyoshi (北勝海 信芳, born June 22, 1963, as Nobuyoshi Hoshi (保志 信芳)) is a former sumo wrestler from Hokkaidō, Japan. He is the sport's 61st yokozuna and won eight top division championships. He wrestled for Kokonoe stable, as did yokozuna Chiyonofuji, and the two were the first yokozuna stablemates to take part in a play-off for the championship, in 1989. After a number of injury problems he retired in 1992, and is now the head coach of Hakkaku stable. In November 2015 he was appointed the chairman of the Japan Sumo Association, following the death of Kitanoumi, initially to serve until the end of March 2016. He was then elected as head for a two-year term by his fellow board members in a vote held on March 28, 2016.
Hoshi was born in Hiroo town, Hiroo District, Tokachi, Hokkaidō, Japan. An uncle was an acquaintance of former yokozuna Kitanofuji, who by then had retired from wrestling and was running Kokonoe stable, and at his invitation Hoshi moved to Tokyo. Upon leaving school, his first appearance in the ring was March 1979, aged just 15, using his own name as his shikona, or fighting name. Also starting at the same time was future yokozuna Futahaguro.
It took him four years to reach the second highest jūryō division in March 1983, aged 19, the same time as fellow Tokachi district rival Ōnokuni entered the top division. By this time his stablemate Chiyonofuji had been promoted to yokozuna. Hokutoumi made his debut in the top makuuchi division in September 1983. In March 1986 at sekiwake rank he won his first yūshō or tournament title with a record of thirteen wins and two losses. Despite this impressive result he was not immediately promoted to the second highest ōzeki rank as he had not done particularly well in the previous two tournaments, only managing 30 wins in the most recent three tournaments when 33 is generally required. It also did not help his cause that there were already five ōzeki, leaving the Sumo Association with no incentive to loosen the promotion criteria. However, he carried on producing excellent results with an 11-4 in May, and then went 12-3 in July, securing his promotion for the September tournament. Futahaguro was promoted to yokozuna at the same time.
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