Ryūichi Yamamoto (山本 龍一, Yamamoto Ryūichi, born May 8, 1984), known by his shikonaYamamotoyama Ryūta (山本山 龍太), or simply Yama,[1] is a Japanese retired sumo wrestler from the city of Saitama in Saitama Prefecture. He made his professional debut in January 2007, and reached the top makuuchi division in January 2009. His highest rank was maegashira 9. At 265 kg (584 lb), Yamamotoyama is the heaviest Japanese-born sumo wrestler in history,[2] and is also thought to be the heaviest Japanese person ever.[1] In April 2011, he was told to retire by the Japan Sumo Association after he and several other wrestlers were found to be involved in match-fixing. He currently resides in Los Angeles and participates in sumo exhibitions and amateur tournaments, and has made a number of appearances in television shows, commercials and music videos.
Yamamotoyama Ryūta
山本山 龍太
Personal information
Born
Yamamoto Ryūichi (1984-05-08) May 8, 1984 (age 38) Saitama, Japan
Yamamotoyama won several local, national and world sumo championships before entering Nihon University in 2003. He won a total of five championships at Nihon University. He then entered professional sumo as a member of the Onoe stable. He broke the record for the largest new recruit, weighing in at 233 kg in 2007. The previous record holder, Hokutomori, weighed in at 205 kg when he joined professional sumo in 1994. His shikona or fighting name was created simply by adding the suffix yama (meaning "mountain") to his own surname. This is common for lower ranked wrestlers but it was rather unusual him to keep it even after reaching sekitori status. Yamamotoyama however, shares his name with a well-known producer of Japanese seaweed and tea, with whom he was reportedly keen to secure a sponsorship deal.[3]
Yamamotoyama in May 2009
Yamamotoyama rose quickly through the ranks, recording only one make-koshi before reaching the second division of jūryō at the 2008 September tournament. Upon his promotion he posed for photographers with two bags of rice and told reporters that he was aiming for 241 kg in weight, to break the record for a Japanese rikishi then held by Susanoumi. Only two wrestlers have weighed more than him: Hawaiian born Konishiki at 285 kg (628 lb), and Russian sandanme rikishi Orora at 288 kg (635 lb). Yamamotoyama once reportedly ate 146 pieces of sushi in a single meal.[4]
After posting nine wins in consecutive jūryō tournaments, he was promoted to the top makuuchi division for the 2009 January tournament. The twelve tournaments it took him to enter the top division ties him with Tochiazuma, among others, in a group of the second fastest wrestlers to reach this level. He came through with a kachi-koshi winning record of 8-7 in his debut makuuchi tournament, and followed up with another 8-7 in March 2009. He failed to get his kachi-koshi on the final day of the May 2009 tournament, for only the second time in his career.
He suffered a muscle pull in his ribcage during the July 2009 tournament after falling to the floor of the dohyo twice in two bouts against Wakakoyu on Day 9 and had to withdraw for the first time in his career. He fell to the jūryō division for the September tournament as a result. He scored 9-6 there, enough for an immediate makuuchi return. However he entered the Kyushu basho in November 2009 in poor condition, having injured his right elbow whilst on tour in October, and he eventually withdrew from the tournament with only two wins, after being diagnosed with influenza. Remaining in the jūryō division, he suffered knee ligament damage on the 11th day of the July 2010 tournament and was forced to withdraw. Still troubled by the injury, he pulled out on the first day of the September tournament, and as a result was demoted to the makushita division. Following his loss of sekitori status, he resumed menial duties at Onoe stable, becoming the head chanko chef. Due to his injury he was unable to do any keiko (training) except walking. After fighting only one bout from the rank of Makushita 13, he withdrew from the November tournament as well. His continuing absence saw him drop to the fourth sandanme division for the (cancelled) March 2011 basho.
Retirement
In April 2011, along with 18 other wrestlers, he was ordered to retire by the Japan Sumo Association (JSA) after an investigation into allegations of bout-rigging prompted by the discovery of text messages on the mobile phone of fellow juryo wrestler Kasuganishiki, which alleged Yamamotoyama's involvement in throwing matches. He responded angrily to the decision, saying "The JSA made up its mind from the start that I cheated without listening to me."[5] However, on April 5 he visited the Ryōgoku Kokugikan to hand in his retirement papers, alongside stablemates Sakaizawa and Shirononami who were also found guilty.[6] He had a retirement ceremony at the Tokyo Prince Hotel in September 2011, alongside Sakaizawa. Yamamoto told Sports Illustrated in 2022, "I was doing it although I knew it was wrong...To tell the truth, you were not fighting as hard as you could."[7] However, he felt that he was scapegoated and the practice was more widespread than the JSA was admitting.[7]
Post-retirement activities
Yamamotoyama lifting Indian-Canadian actress Sunny Leone on the set of Bigg Boss.
In 2012 he appeared in Season 5 of India's biggest reality show Bigg Boss. Before entering he told reporters that he had already seen the 4th season and that he loved both the show and Indian culture, despite not knowing Hindi or English.[8] He was given special placards with pictorial representations that helped him to communicate his needs to the housemates. To ensure that Yamamotoyama remained entertained, special activities had been planned during his stay in the house that helped audiences to get some special insights into the life of a professional Japanese sumo wrestler.[9] He entered the house on day 91, as a guest, and bid a farewell after a day of stay there. In their last week Yamamotoyama would teach origami to Bigg Boss 5 inmates.[10]
In 2013 Yamamotoyama participated in a multi-city "Sumo + Sushi" show tour in the United States, co-sponsored by Living Social and USA Sumo.[11] Attendees were shown sumo training exercises and then actual (albeit somewhat restrained) bouts between Yamamotoyama and other sumo stars such Ulambayaryn Byambajav and Kelly Gneiting. In February 2015, Yamamotoyama was the celebrity guest for Koyasan Buddhist Temple’s annual Hoshimatsuri service, where he is a volunteer and regular attendee. In 2014 he appeared in the music video for One Direction's "Steal My Girl."[12] In May 2015, he appeared on the American television program The Bachelorette along with Ulambayaryn,[13] and in 2017 starred in the music video for the song "Shape of You" by English artist Ed Sheeran.[14] Also in 2017 he was featured in the Hollywood motion picture John Wick 2 with Keanu Reeves.[15] In June of 2021, Yamamotoyama was featured in the OFFCANNY YouTube video, we became sumo wrestlers, in which he confirmed he plays first-person shooter game Apex Legends and claimed his favourite legend is Crypto.[16]
As of 2021 he is USA Sumo's head coach and sumo ambassador.[17] He regularly appears in commercials on US television which require a sumo wrestler.[12] He runs the Yamamoto Sumo Dojo in Los Angeles.[7]
Fighting style
Yamamotoyama's most common winning kimarite or technique was yori-kiri, the force out, and he preferred a migi-yotsu, or left hand outside, right hand inside grip on his opponent's mawashi. He also regularly won by oshi-dashi, the push out, and uwatenage, the overarm throw.
^"U.S. Sumo Open to Showcase New Terasaki Budokan in Return to Little Tokyo". Rafu Shimpo. September 28, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
^"Yamamotoyama Ryūta Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yamamotoyama Ryūta.
Yamamotoyama Ryūta's official biography (English) at the Grand Sumo Homepage
Official website
Yamamotoyama photos and discussion
January 06, 2023
yamamotoyama, ryūta, ryūichi, yamamoto, 山本, 龍一, yamamoto, ryūichi, born, 1984, known, shikona, 山本山, 龍太, simply, yama, japanese, retired, sumo, wrestler, from, city, saitama, saitama, prefecture, made, professional, debut, january, 2007, reached, makuuchi, divi. Ryuichi Yamamoto 山本 龍一 Yamamoto Ryuichi born May 8 1984 known by his shikona Yamamotoyama Ryuta 山本山 龍太 or simply Yama 1 is a Japanese retired sumo wrestler from the city of Saitama in Saitama Prefecture He made his professional debut in January 2007 and reached the top makuuchi division in January 2009 His highest rank was maegashira 9 At 265 kg 584 lb Yamamotoyama is the heaviest Japanese born sumo wrestler in history 2 and is also thought to be the heaviest Japanese person ever 1 In April 2011 he was told to retire by the Japan Sumo Association after he and several other wrestlers were found to be involved in match fixing He currently resides in Los Angeles and participates in sumo exhibitions and amateur tournaments and has made a number of appearances in television shows commercials and music videos Yamamotoyama Ryuta山本山 龍太Personal informationBornYamamoto Ryuichi 1984 05 08 May 8 1984 age 38 Saitama JapanHeight1 93 m 6 ft 4 in Weight272 kg 600 lb 42 8 st CareerStableOnoeUniversityNihon UniversityRecord131 107 34DebutJanuary 2007Highest rankMaegashira 9 May 2009 RetiredApril 2011Championships1 Makushita 1 Jonidan Up to date as of May 2022 In this Japanese name the surname is Yamamotoyama Contents 1 Career 2 Retirement 3 Post retirement activities 4 Fighting style 5 Career record 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksCareer EditYamamotoyama won several local national and world sumo championships before entering Nihon University in 2003 He won a total of five championships at Nihon University He then entered professional sumo as a member of the Onoe stable He broke the record for the largest new recruit weighing in at 233 kg in 2007 The previous record holder Hokutomori weighed in at 205 kg when he joined professional sumo in 1994 His shikona or fighting name was created simply by adding the suffix yama meaning mountain to his own surname This is common for lower ranked wrestlers but it was rather unusual him to keep it even after reaching sekitori status Yamamotoyama however shares his name with a well known producer of Japanese seaweed and tea with whom he was reportedly keen to secure a sponsorship deal 3 Yamamotoyama in May 2009 Yamamotoyama rose quickly through the ranks recording only one make koshi before reaching the second division of juryō at the 2008 September tournament Upon his promotion he posed for photographers with two bags of rice and told reporters that he was aiming for 241 kg in weight to break the record for a Japanese rikishi then held by Susanoumi Only two wrestlers have weighed more than him Hawaiian born Konishiki at 285 kg 628 lb and Russian sandanme rikishi Orora at 288 kg 635 lb Yamamotoyama once reportedly ate 146 pieces of sushi in a single meal 4 After posting nine wins in consecutive juryō tournaments he was promoted to the top makuuchi division for the 2009 January tournament The twelve tournaments it took him to enter the top division ties him with Tochiazuma among others in a group of the second fastest wrestlers to reach this level He came through with a kachi koshi winning record of 8 7 in his debut makuuchi tournament and followed up with another 8 7 in March 2009 He failed to get his kachi koshi on the final day of the May 2009 tournament for only the second time in his career He suffered a muscle pull in his ribcage during the July 2009 tournament after falling to the floor of the dohyo twice in two bouts against Wakakoyu on Day 9 and had to withdraw for the first time in his career He fell to the juryō division for the September tournament as a result He scored 9 6 there enough for an immediate makuuchi return However he entered the Kyushu basho in November 2009 in poor condition having injured his right elbow whilst on tour in October and he eventually withdrew from the tournament with only two wins after being diagnosed with influenza Remaining in the juryō division he suffered knee ligament damage on the 11th day of the July 2010 tournament and was forced to withdraw Still troubled by the injury he pulled out on the first day of the September tournament and as a result was demoted to the makushita division Following his loss of sekitori status he resumed menial duties at Onoe stable becoming the head chanko chef Due to his injury he was unable to do any keiko training except walking After fighting only one bout from the rank of Makushita 13 he withdrew from the November tournament as well His continuing absence saw him drop to the fourth sandanme division for the cancelled March 2011 basho Retirement EditIn April 2011 along with 18 other wrestlers he was ordered to retire by the Japan Sumo Association JSA after an investigation into allegations of bout rigging prompted by the discovery of text messages on the mobile phone of fellow juryo wrestler Kasuganishiki which alleged Yamamotoyama s involvement in throwing matches He responded angrily to the decision saying The JSA made up its mind from the start that I cheated without listening to me 5 However on April 5 he visited the Ryōgoku Kokugikan to hand in his retirement papers alongside stablemates Sakaizawa and Shirononami who were also found guilty 6 He had a retirement ceremony at the Tokyo Prince Hotel in September 2011 alongside Sakaizawa Yamamoto told Sports Illustrated in 2022 I was doing it although I knew it was wrong To tell the truth you were not fighting as hard as you could 7 However he felt that he was scapegoated and the practice was more widespread than the JSA was admitting 7 Post retirement activities Edit Yamamotoyama lifting Indian Canadian actress Sunny Leone on the set of Bigg Boss In 2012 he appeared in Season 5 of India s biggest reality show Bigg Boss Before entering he told reporters that he had already seen the 4th season and that he loved both the show and Indian culture despite not knowing Hindi or English 8 He was given special placards with pictorial representations that helped him to communicate his needs to the housemates To ensure that Yamamotoyama remained entertained special activities had been planned during his stay in the house that helped audiences to get some special insights into the life of a professional Japanese sumo wrestler 9 He entered the house on day 91 as a guest and bid a farewell after a day of stay there In their last week Yamamotoyama would teach origami to Bigg Boss 5 inmates 10 In 2013 Yamamotoyama participated in a multi city Sumo Sushi show tour in the United States co sponsored by Living Social and USA Sumo 11 Attendees were shown sumo training exercises and then actual albeit somewhat restrained bouts between Yamamotoyama and other sumo stars such Ulambayaryn Byambajav and Kelly Gneiting In February 2015 Yamamotoyama was the celebrity guest for Koyasan Buddhist Temple s annual Hoshimatsuri service where he is a volunteer and regular attendee In 2014 he appeared in the music video for One Direction s Steal My Girl 12 In May 2015 he appeared on the American television program The Bachelorette along with Ulambayaryn 13 and in 2017 starred in the music video for the song Shape of You by English artist Ed Sheeran 14 Also in 2017 he was featured in the Hollywood motion picture John Wick 2 with Keanu Reeves 15 In June of 2021 Yamamotoyama was featured in the OFFCANNY YouTube video we became sumo wrestlers in which he confirmed he plays first person shooter game Apex Legends and claimed his favourite legend is Crypto 16 As of 2021 he is USA Sumo s head coach and sumo ambassador 17 He regularly appears in commercials on US television which require a sumo wrestler 12 He runs the Yamamoto Sumo Dojo in Los Angeles 7 Fighting style EditYamamotoyama s most common winning kimarite or technique was yori kiri the force out and he preferred a migi yotsu or left hand outside right hand inside grip on his opponent s mawashi He also regularly won by oshi dashi the push out and uwatenage the overarm throw Career record EditYamamotoyama Ryuta 18 Year in sumo JanuaryHatsu basho Tokyo MarchHaru basho Osaka MayNatsu basho Tokyo JulyNagoya basho Nagoya SeptemberAki basho Tokyo NovemberKyushu basho Fukuoka2007 Maezumo East Jonokuchi 32 6 1 East Jonidan 61 7 0 PChampion West Sandanme 59 6 1 West Sandanme 6 6 1 East Makushita 32 1 6 2008 East Makushita 58 7 0Champion East Makushita 6 5 2 East Makushita 2 4 3 West Makushita 1 6 1 PPP East Juryō 12 9 6 West Juryō 3 9 6 2009 West Maegashira 15 8 7 West Maegashira 13 8 7 West Maegashira 9 7 8 East Maegashira 11 4 7 4 West Juryō 2 9 6 East Maegashira 15 2 12 1 2010 West Juryō 9 7 8 West Juryō 10 7 8 West Juryō 11 8 7 East Juryō 10 5 7 3 West Juryō 13 0 1 14 West Makushita 13 0 2 5 2011 West Makushita 48 Sat out due to injury0 0 7 East Sandanme 31 Tournament Cancelled0 0 0 East Sandanme 31 Retired 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 P Playoff s Divisions Makuuchi Juryō Makushita Sandanme Jonidan Jonokuchi Makuuchi ranks Yokozuna Ōzeki Sekiwake Komusubi MaegashiraSee also EditGlossary of sumo terms List of heaviest sumo wrestlers List of past sumo wrestlersReferences Edit a b Japan s Biggest Sumo Star Gets A Super Sized Pair Of Levis CBS SF April 20 2015 Retrieved October 18 2016 Buckton Mark January 27 2009 Amazing comeback for Asashoryu at Hatsu Basho 2009 Japan Times Retrieved February 1 2009 しかし山本山は 山本山 にいなされた Sports Nippon December 24 2008 Archived from the original on February 9 2009 Retrieved March 2 2009 How fat is fat Sumo heavy pledges more poundage Reuters July 31 2008 Retrieved February 10 2009 Some rikishi angry over punishment Yomiuri Shimbun April 3 2011 Retrieved April 3 2011 Sumo Stable elder Tanigawa won t quit denies match fixing charge Mainichi Daily News April 6 2011 Archived from the original on April 6 2011 a b c Prewitt Alex July 5 2022 The Reinvention of Yama the World s Heaviest Sumo Wrestler Sports Illustrated Retrieved July 19 2022 Yamamotoyama to enter Indian Big Brother in 2012 Special arrangements for Yama Yamamotoyama I ll teach Origami to Bigg Boss 5 inmates Bollywood Life Retrieved January 2 2012 ABOUT THE SHOW Sumo Sushi Show Retrieved March 10 2017 a b Gunning John January 18 2020 Yama succeeds after sumo Japan Times Retrieved February 15 2022 Samantha Highfill June 2 2015 Bachelorette recap Bromantic comedy Entertainment Weekly Retrieved March 10 2017 Samantha Schnurr January 31 2017 Ed Sheeran Transforms Into a Boxer in Love for Shape of You Music Video eonline Retrieved March 10 2017 Interview Retrieved March 31 2017 Yama talking about Apex Legends U S Sumo Open to Showcase New Terasaki Budokan in Return to Little Tokyo Rafu Shimpo September 28 2021 Retrieved January 8 2022 Yamamotoyama Ryuta Rikishi Information Sumo Reference Retrieved May 24 2013 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yamamotoyama Ryuta Yamamotoyama Ryuta s official biography English at the Grand Sumo Homepage Official website Yamamotoyama photos and discussion Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Yamamotoyama Ryuta amp oldid 1124469774, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
