Itai Keisuke
| Itai Keisuke | |
|---|---|
| 板井圭介 | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | Keisuke Itai March 21, 1956 Oita, Japan |
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 135 kg (298 lb) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Onaruto |
| Record | 493-515-98 |
| Debut | September, 1978 |
| Highest rank | Komusubi (May, 1989) |
| Retired | September, 1991 |
| Championships | 2 (Jūryō) 1 (Makushita) 1 (Sandanme) 1 (Jonidan) 1 (Jonokuchi) |
| Special Prizes | Outstanding Performance (1) Technique (1) |
| Gold Stars | 3 (Ōnokuni) |
| * Up to date as of May, 2008. | |
Itai Keisuke (板井圭介 Itai Keisuke?, born 21 March 1956) is a former sumo wrestler from Usuki, Oita, Japan. His highest rank was komusubi. He held the record for most consecutive victories from entry into sumo for several years before it was broken by Jōkōryū in 2012. After his retirement, Itai caused controversy by claiming that the outcomes of many of his matches were set by match-fixing.
He won many national youth competitions as an amateur, but worked in the ceramics industry until he was 22. He did not turn professional until September 1978 when he joined the now defunct Onaruto stable. He rose up the rankings in record time, winning his first 26 matches, a record at that time for most consecutive victories from entry into sumo. He reached the second jūryō division just six tournaments after his professional debut. He was given the shikona of Kōtetsuyama, also the fighting name of his stablemaster, former sekiwake Kōtetsuyama Toyoya. He was promoted to the top makuuchi division after winning the jūryō championship in July 1980. However he dropped out of his debut makuuchi tournament on the fifth day without even winning one match. He won promotion to the top division once again after winning another jūryō title in March 1981 but once again dropped out of the following tournament, this time after only three days. Struggling with injuries, he fell all the way down to the unsalaried makushita division. In an effort to change his fortunes, he dropped the shikona and reverted to his real surname, which he was to use for the rest of his career.
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