Jōkōryū
| Jōkōryū Takayuki | |
|---|---|
| 常幸龍 貴之 | |
 |
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| Personal information | |
| Born | Takayuki Sakuma August 7, 1988 Tokyo, Japan |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Weight | 159 kg (351 lb; 25.0 st) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Kitanoumi→Kise |
| University | Nihon University |
| Current rank | see below |
| Debut | May, 2011 |
| Highest rank | Komusubi (Sep, 2014) |
| Championships | 1 (Jūryō) 1 (Makushita) 2 (Sandanme) 1 (Jonokuchi) |
| Gold Stars | 1 (Harumafuji) |
| * Up to date as of Mar 24, 2017. | |
Jōkōryū Takayuki (born August 7, 1988 as Takayuki Sakuma), formerly known as Sakumayama Takayuki, is a Japanese sumo wrestler. He made his professional debut in 2011 after a successful college career in sumo. He currently holds the record for the most consecutive wins since entering professional sumo, and for the fastest rise to the top makuuchi division from the lowest jonokuchi division. His highest rank has been komusubi, which he reached in September 2014. However, because of injuries he has fallen down the rankings, reaching a low of sandanme 23 in November 2016.
He participated in amateur sumo while in high school in Saitama prefecture, and in his third year there, won the junior sumo championship in the free weight category. He later entered Nihon University and in his second year, in 2008, he achieved the status of student yokozuna in the national student sumo tournament. This success would have allowed him to enter professional sumo at a higher rank (known as makushita tsukedashi) but he chose to give priority to graduating, and passed up this chance.
Upon graduating he joined Kitanoumi stable, adopting the shikona of Sakumayama to distinguish himself from an active wrestler who already had the name Sakuma. Before even entering the ring he was making a name for himself because of his diligence, skill, and strength in practice. He was allowed to practice regularly with higher ranked wrestlers almost from the beginning because of this. He won his first tournament championship or yūshō in the jonokuchi division with a perfect record and a playoff win against stablemate and fellow rising star Sasanoyama. In the following September tournament he won all his regular matches, but lost a playoff match for the jonidan championship. Playoffs are not calculated in professional sumo records, therefore his consecutive record was left intact. He continued his streak in the November tournament, with a perfect record and a playoff win. In the first tournament of 2012, he continued undefeated and on the 11th day of the tournament, reached 27 consecutive wins from his entry into sumo, surpassing the previous record set by former komusubi Itai in 1979. In his next match, on the 13th day, he finally lost to an overarm throw, by Senshō. Nevertheless, on the final day of the tournament he came through a four-way playoff to win the championship. This was his fourth consecutive playoff, a record. His calmness in the ring, and unaffected humbleness about his success at this stage was noted by commentators.
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