Ura Kazuki

Ura Kazuki
宇良 和輝
Personal information
Born Kazuki Ura
(1992-06-22) June 22, 1992
Neyagawa, Osaka, Japan
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Weight 137 kg (302 lb)
Career
Stable Kise
University Kwansei Gakuin University
Current rank see below
Debut March 2015
Highest rank Maegashira 4 (July 2017)
Championships 1 (Jonokuchi)
Gold Stars 1 (Harumafuji)
* Up to date as of Sept 21, 2018.

Ura Kazuki, (born 22 June 1992 as Kazuki Ura) is a sumo wrestler born in Neyagawa, Osaka, Japan. After winning a gold medal in sumo at the 2013 World Combat Games, he made his professional debut in 2015, wrestling with the Kise stable and he won the jonokuchi division championship in his first tournament. He reached the top makuuchi division in March 2017. In July 2017 he reached his highest rank, of maegashira 4. He has a kinboshi, or gold star, for defeating a yokozuna. His unpredictable style has made him a favourite with tournament crowds.[1]

Amateur career

While attending the School of Education, Kwansei Gakuin University, Ura was a member of the sumo club.[2] He competed in sumo at the 2013 World Combat Games at Saint Petersburg, Russia, winning a gold medal in the lightweight division.[2]

Professional career

In February 2015, he announced his intention to enter the Kise stable as a professional sumo wrestler,[2] and after his first bouts in March, made his tournament debut in the May basho, winning the jonokuchi division.[3] He again performed well in the July tournament, posting a 7-0 record and losing a playoff for the jonidan division championship. After going 5-2 in the sandamne division in September, he finished the year with a 7-0 record as a makushita debutante, again losing a division championship playoff in November.

Ura began 2016 with a 6-1 record and another makushita playoff loss in January. Also going 6-1 in March, he was promoted to jūryō for the next tournament. In recognition of becoming the first among their alumni to achieve sekitori (the two highest divisions in sumo) rank, he was given a keshō-mawashi by Kwansei Gakuin University.[4] In the May tournament, he was noted for having used a rare winning technique (kimarite), koshinage, a hip throw.[5] He finishing 10-5 and with a 11-4 finish in the July tournament, he entered the September event as the top-ranked jūryō, but he went 6-9, his first losing record, having fractured a bone in his left wrist that required surgery after the tournament.[6] On his return, he posted a 8-7 record in the November tournament.

At the January 2017 tournament, he employed another rare winning technique, using tasukizori (reverse backward body drop) to win his bout against fellow jūryō wrestler, Amakaze. Since 1955 when winning techniques were first announced, this was the first recorded instance of this kimarite in sumo's upper divisions.[7] His overall 11-4 record in this tournament led to his promotion to the top makuuchi division and a rank of maegashira 12. In March 2017, before a home crowd in Osaka, he achieved a winning record (kachi-koshi) of 8-7, and entered the May 2017 tournament at maegashira 10. There he scored eleven wins against four losses in this tournament, but did not receive a special prize for his efforts, despite speculation that he would win the Technique Award. Former yokozuna Kitanofuji, commentating for NHK, expressed his surprise at the omission.[8] Still, his performance earned him a career-high ranking of maegashira 4 for the July 2017 tournament. There he got off to a 5-1 start, but then injuries among those ranked above him shifted him to a more challenging schedule, facing the san'yaku, the foremost wrestlers, for the first time. Though he defeated Harumafuji on Day 9 to earn his first kinboshi or gold star for a win over a yokozuna,[9] he injured his knee in a defeat to ozeki Takayasu on the following day, and he lost four of his remaining five matches to finish with a make-koshi 7–8 record.

Injury and layoff

Ura withdrew from the summer regional tour that followed the July tournament, citing damaged right knee ligaments, and indicated he would need a month's rest to recover.[10] He returned for the September tournament, but exacerbated his injury on the second day and was forced to withdraw,[11] with reports indicating a right knee anterior cruciate ligament injury and a left knee meniscus injury that would require surgery.[12] With the subsequent extended rehabilitation,[13] he only returned to the competition a year later at the September 2018 contest, having dropped three divisions in the rankings to near the bottom of sandanme. In this tournament he went 6-1 to stop his slide.

Style

He is predominantly a pusher, but the unpredictability of his improvisational style that responds to opponents' moves has made him popular.[14] Ura has been called "agile as a gymnast"[14] and his bouts acrobatic.[1] His choice of a deep pink mawashi over the traditional brown or black angered some sumo elders.[14][15] His favourite techniques as listed in his Japan Sumo Association profile are both very rare: ashitori (leg grab) and izori (backwards body drop).

When he first entered the professional ranks Ura's weight was listed as 113 kg (249 lb),[16] but by May 2017 he had bulked up to 137 kg (302 lb), heavier than some other sekitori such as Ishiura and Terutsuyoshi.

Career record

Ura Kazuki[17]
Year in sumo January
Hatsu basho, Tokyo		 March
Haru basho, Osaka		 May
Natsu basho, Tokyo		 July
Nagoya basho, Nagoya		 September
Aki basho, Tokyo		 November
Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
2015 x (Maezumo) West Jonokuchi #9
7–0
Champion
 		 East Jonidan #10
7–0–P
 		 West Sandanme #18
5–2
 		 West Makushita #54
7–0–P
 
2016 West Makushita #6
6–1–P
 		 West Makushita #2
6–1
 		 West Jūryō #13
10–5
 		 West Jūryō #8
11–4
 		 East Jūryō #1
6–9
 		 East Jūryō #5
8–7
 
2017 East Jūryō #3
11–4
 		 West Maegashira #12
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #10
11–4
 		 East Maegashira #4
7–8
★		 West Maegashira #4
1–2–12
 		 West Maegashira #16
Sat out due to injury
0–0–15
2018 East Jūryō #11
Sat out due to injury
0–0–15		 West Makushita #10
Sat out due to injury
0–0–7		 West Makushita #50
Sat out due to injury
0–0–7		 West Sandanme #30
Sat out due to injury
0–0–7		 East Sandanme #91
6–1
 		 x
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Top Division Runner-up Retired Lower Divisions

Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique     Also shown: ★=Kinboshi(s); P=Playoff(s)
Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna — Ōzeki — Sekiwake — Komusubi — Maegashira

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Miki, Shuji (2017-05-05). "SUMO ABC (50) / Do rikishi from the college ranks ever shine in the top ranks?". The Japan News. Yomiuri Shimbun. Tokyo.
  2. 1 2 3 "First sumo wrestler from KGU to turn professional!" (Press release). Kwansei Gakuin University Public Relations Office. 12 February 2015. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  3. ↑ "Kangakudai Shūshin Hatsu no Rikishi, Ura ga Jonokuchi Yūshō ｢Shinjirarenai. Sunao ni Yorokobitai｣" 関学大出身初の力士, 宇良が序ノ口優勝 ｢信じられない。素直に喜びたい｣ [Ura, the first professional sumo wrestler to come out of Kwansei Gakuin University, wins the Jonokuchi championship. Says "It's unbelievable" and that "I just want to enjoy the moment".]. Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). 2015-05-22. Archived from the original on 2015-07-03. Retrieved 2017-05-16.
  4. ↑ "KGU's first sumo wrestler Ura presented with a kesho-mawashi (ceremonial apron)" (Press release). Kwansei Gakuin University Public Relations Office. 28 April 2016. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  5. ↑ "Grand Sumo Summer Tournament - Day 10". GettyImages. 2016-05-17. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
  6. ↑ "宇良11勝も三賞逃す…取り口技能でなく異能扱い" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 29 May 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  7. ↑ "Sumo: Juryo wrestler Ura employs another rare technique". GettyImages. 2017-01-20. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  8. ↑ "宇良が骨折手術、秋場所で左手甲痛め秋巡業全休へ" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 3 October 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  9. ↑ "Hakuho equals legendary yokozuna Chiyonofuji with 1,045th career victory". Japan Times. 17 July 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  10. ↑ "宇良が夏巡業から離脱…右膝の外側靱帯を痛める" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 31 July 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  11. ↑ "Sumo: Ozeki Takayasu, maegashira Ura withdraw from Autumn tourney". The Mainichi. 12 September 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
  12. ↑ "九州場所、鶴竜、貴ノ岩ら４人が休場" (in Japanese). Hochi. 10 November 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  13. ↑ "宇良６場所連続休場　木瀬親方は万全の状態での再起強調「２度と同じケガはさせたくない」" (in Japanese). daily.co.jp. 8 July 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  14. 1 2 3 Shoji, Kaori (2016-11-07). "Strength and tradition draw women back to sumo world". Tokyo: The Japan News.
  15. ↑ Shearing, Hazel (2016-11-13). "Sumo throws a wobbly as young stars ditch tradition". London: The Times. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  16. ↑ Gould, Chris (4 May 2017). "A New Champion Appears: A Japanese sumo wrestler reclaims the grand title". Tokyo: MetropolisJapan.com. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  17. ↑ "Sumo reference".
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