Kinbōzan Haruki (Japanese: 金峰山 晴樹, born 24 June 1997 as Yersin Baltagul[1] (Kazakh: Ерсін Балтағұл) is a professional sumo wrestler from Almaty, Kazakhstan. He began his professional sumo career in November 2021 at the age of 24. After eight tournaments and two lower division championships he was promoted to the top makuuchi division, becoming the first Kazakhstani to do so. His highest rank to date has been maegashira 5 as of the May 2023 Tournament. He wrestles for Kise stable.
| Kinbōzan Haruki | |
|---|---|
| 金峰山 晴樹 | |
 Kinbōzan in April 2023 | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | Yersin Baltagul June 24, 1997 Almaty, Kazakhstan |
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 3+1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 180 kg (397 lb; 28 st 5 lb) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Kise stable |
| Current rank | see below |
| Debut | November 2021 |
| Highest rank | Maegashira 5 (May 2023) |
| Championships | 1 Sandanme 1 Makushita |
| * Up to date as of 24 September 2023. | |
Early life and education
editYersin originally practiced judo until the age of 18 when, at the suggestion of former yokozuna Asashōryū, he transferred to a high school in Japan to participate in amateur sumo wrestling.[2] He then entered Nihon University and joined their sumo club.[3] In 2019 he finished as the runner-up in the All-Japan Championships, and placed in the top 16 at that same tournament the following year.[2]
Career
editUpon graduating from university Yersin was urged to enter professional sumo, where he would be eligible to skip the lower two divisions and start at the rank of sandanme because of a dispensation given to amateur wrestlers who have finished in the top 8 in tournaments such as the All-Japan Championships. He joined Kise stable under the shikona of Kinbōzan, which is derived from Mount Kinbō in Kumamoto, the hometown of his stablemaster and former maegashira Higonoumi.
Kinbōzan's first tournament was the November 2021 basho in Kyushu, where he won all seven of his matches and took the sandanme championship, resulting in his promotion to makushita.[4] At the March 2022 tournament in Osaka he won the makushita championship with a 7–0 sweep at the rank of makushita 34.[5] He would work his way up the makushita rankings and eventually earn promotion to the second-highest jūryō division in September 2022. Following winning performances in three tournaments (including double digit wins in two of them) he was promoted to the top makuuchi division in March 2023, becoming the first wrestler from Kazakhstan to do so.[6] At a press conference following his top division promotion, Kinbōzan said that he wanted to wrestle his own style of sumo, adding he was motivated to become stronger following a recent visit to Kazakhstan to visit his mother, who was unwell.[6] In his top-division debut he secured 11 wins and was awarded with the Kantō-shō (Fighting Spirit prize), which is one of the special prizes awarded at the end of every tournament.[7]
During the sōken of May 2023, Kinbōzan admitted that he was prone to breathing problems when put under stress or too much effort after he appeared to be genuinely uncomfortable after a butsukari session with more senior wrestlers.[8] In the following tournament Kinbōzan notably won his match against Ōzeki Takakeishō, handing him his fourth defeat on Day 10.[9] This victory marked the first time in seven years that a maegashira ranked wrestler without a fully grown ōichōmage inflicted a defeat on an ōzeki. The most recent previous occurrence of such a victory had been in July 2016 when Mitakeumi earned a victory over then ōzeki Terunofuji.[10] Kinbōzan nevertheless finished the tournament with a score of 4–11. After two successive tournaments, in which he recorded a negative score (make-koshi), Kinbōzan also withdrew from the jungyō of August, reporting a sprained cervical vertebrae requiring 30 days of rest, an injury which he had already contracted at the May tournament and which really limited his capabilities.[11]
Kinbōzan remained in the makuuchi division throughout 2023, however, and started 2024 at the rank of maegashira 6 east. During the twelfth day of the tournament, he suffered a knee injury in his match against Tsurugishō and had to limp back up the hanamichi, telling the press afterwards that he felt severe pain even with painkillers.[12] On the fourth day of the March 2024 tournament, Kinbōzan fell hard outside the ring in his loss to Tamawashi. He withdrew the following day, with the medical certificate stating he would need seven days of rest due to a cervical vertebrae sprain.[13] After three days of rest he returned to competition.[14] For the rest of the year Kinbōzan performed poorly, losing his status in the makuuchi division for the November 2024 tournament where he was demoted to jūryō 1, having conceded 22 defeats in two tournaments.[15]
Fighting style
editKinbōzan primarily uses pushing and thrusting techniques, with most of his wins by way of oshidashi (frontal push out), yorikiri (frontal force out) and tsukidashi (frontal thrust out).
Career record
edit| Year | January Hatsu basho, Tokyo |
March Haru basho, Osaka |
May Natsu basho, Tokyo |
July Nagoya basho, Nagoya |
September Aki basho, Tokyo |
November Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | x | x | x | x | x | Sandanme tsukedashi #100 7–0 Champion |
| 2022 | West Makushita #59 5–2 |
West Makushita #34 7–0 Champion |
West Makushita #4 5–2 |
West Makushita #1 6–1 |
West Jūryō #12 10–5 |
West Jūryō #7 8–7 |
| 2023 | East Jūryō #5 11–4 |
East Maegashira #14 11–4 F |
East Maegashira #5 4–11 |
East Maegashira #10 7–8 |
East Maegashira #10 9–6 |
West Maegashira #7 8–7 |
| 2024 | East Maegashira #6 7–8 |
East Maegashira #7 6–7–2 |
West Maegashira #10 8–7 |
West Maegashira #8 4–11 |
West Maegashira #12 4–11 |
West Jūryō #1 – |
| Record given as wins–losses–absences Top division champion Top division runner-up Retired Lower divisions Non-participation Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique Also shown: ★=Kinboshi; P=Playoff(s) |
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See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Ерсін Балтағұл сумодан Жапония чемпионы атанды". zhasalash.kz (in Kazakh). 18 November 2019.
- ^ a b "欧勝馬、金峰山が11月場所でデビュー". 相撲 (雑誌) (in Japanese) (2021年10月号). ベースボール・マガジン社: 98.
- ^ "令和3年秋場所 全新弟子名鑑". 相撲 (雑誌) (in Japanese) (2021年10月号). ベースボール・マガジン社: 97.
- ^ "今場所デビュー金峰山、三段目優勝「ここからという感じ」全勝対決を制す". 日刊スポーツ (in Japanese). 2021-11-26. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- ^ "【幕下】カザフスタン出身の金峰山が７戦全勝でＶ 千代の海を押し出し、来場所は幕下上位へ". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 25 March 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Kinbozan to fly flag for Kazakhstan in sumo's elite division". Kyodo News. 27 February 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- ^ "Sumo: Kiribayama beats Daieisho in playoff to claim Spring tourney". Kyodo News. 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
- ^ Gunning, John (10 May 2023). "Return of yokozuna deliberation council offers good and bad". The Japan Times. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- ^ "Sumo: Terunofuji, Asanoyama tie for lead as newcomers cause upsets". Kyodo News. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
- ^ "金峰山が貴景勝に初対戦で勝利！「うれしいですね」ちょんまげ力士の大関撃破は御嶽海以来7年ぶり". Sports Nippon. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
- ^ "朝乃山 左上腕二頭筋部分断裂で夏巡業を休場 地元・富山開催の25日までには復帰か" (in Japanese). Sports Nippon. 2 August 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
- ^ "金峰山が右膝を負傷「痛み止めを飲んでいても痛い。あと3日間だが、どうなるか分からない」" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "金峰山が休場、頸椎捻挫の診断書を提出 ５日目対戦相手の大の里は不戦勝に" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 13 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "幕内・金峰山が再出場へ 首負傷で５日目から休場／春場所" (in Japanese). Sankei Sports. 16 March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ "十両から再出発の金峰山、力強い突き押しで６番取って５勝 「落ちついて相撲が取れた」と復調へ確かな手応え" (in Japanese). Sports Hochi. 31 October 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ "Kinbozan Haruki Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
External links
editKinbōzan Haruki's official biography (English) at the Grand Sumo Homepage