Kyokutenhō Masaru

Sumo wrestler infobox

wrestlername = 旭天鵬 勝 Kyokutenhō Masaru


realname = Nyamjavyn Tsevegnyam
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1974|9|13
placeofbirth = Nalaikh, Mongolia
height = height|meters=1.91
weight = convert|154|kg|lb st|abbr=on|lk=on
heya = Ōshima
rank = Maegashira 3
record = 652-619-22
debut = March, 1992
highestrank = Sekiwake (July, 2003)
yushos =
prizes = Fighting Spirit (5)
goldstars = 2 (Asashōryū, Takanohana)
update = Sept 2008

Kyokutenhō Masaru (born September 13, 1974 as Nyamjavyn Tsevegnyam, _mn. Нямжавын Цэвэгням in Nalaikh, Mongolia) is a professional sumo wrestler. His highest rank has been "sekiwake".

Career

In 1991, Tsevegnyam came to Japan with five other Mongolian wrestlers, including Kyokushūzan, joining Ōshima stable. They were the first Mongolians to join professional sumo. In Mongolia he had had little experience of wrestling or judo, concentrating on basketball in junior high school. Six months after they came to Japan, due to cultural difference, language problems, and the extremely harsh training methods used in sumo, Kyokutenhō, Kyokushuzan and three others ran away and sought refuge in the Mongolian embassy. But he was persuaded by Kyokutenzan to return to his stable.

In March 1996, he was promoted to the second highest "jūryō" division, achieving "sekitori" status for the first time. After temporarily dropping down to "makushita," he slowly climbed the "jūryō" division and first won promotion to the top "makuuchi" division in January 1998. However, he did not establish himself in the division until May 1999. He won his first "sanshō" or special prize in January 2000. He first achieved a "sanyaku" rank in January 2002 when he was promoted to "komusubi". He has earned two "kinboshi" or gold stars for "yokozuna" upsets at "maegashira" rank, defeating Takanohana in the latter's comeback tournament in September 2002 and fellow Mongolian Asashōryū in his first tournament as a "yokozuna" in March 2003. He has also beaten Asashōryū and Musashimaru whilst ranked in "sanyaku". He made his "sekiwake" debut in July 2003 but he has not achieved a "kachi-koshi" or winning score in his three attempts at the rank.

On 28 April 2007 he caused a car accident in Tokyo. [cite web|title=Kyokutenho suspended by JSA|publisher=Japan Times|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sb20070508a3.html|date=2007-05-08|accessdate=2008-07-03] He was punished for defying the Japan Sumo Association's ban on wrestlers driving cars by being forced to sit out the May tournament, resulting in demotion to the "jūryō" division. However, he won immediate promotion back to the top division with a 12-3 record in July. On his return to the top division in September he was runner-up to "Yokozuna" Hakuho, his first ever runner-up score in "makuuchi". He was awarded his fifth Fighting Spirit prize.

Kyokutenhō's brother Robsandorj, nine years his junior, also became a sumo wrestler in 2000 under the name Fudoyama, but he never climbed higher than the third "makushita" division and retired in January 2008.

In 2005, Kyuokutenhō obtained Japanese citizenship with the support of his stable master. This will enable him to take over the running of Ōshima stable when the current stable master, ex "Ōzeki" Asahikuni, reaches the mandatory retirement age of 65 in 2012. His real name is now Masaru Ota. [cite web|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070502f2.html|title=Sumo offers stable life to man from Mongolia|publisher=The Japan Times|date=2007-05-02|accessdate=2008-06-16] He is married to a Japanese woman and his first child, a girl, was born in September 2008.

Top division record

References

ee also

*Glossary of sumo terms
*List of active sumo wrestlers

External links

* [http://sumo.goo.ne.jp/eng/ozumo_meikan/rikishi_joho/rikishi_65.html Japan Sumo Association profile]