Sumo wrestler
Shōtenrō Taishi (born 31 January 1982 as Nyamsuren Dagdandorj) is a former sumo wrestler from Khovd Province, Mongolia. He joined professional sumo in 2001 and was known as Musashiryū Taishi until 2007. He made the top "makuuchi" division for the first time in 2009 and his highest rank was "maegashira" 2. He wrestled for Fujishima stable (formerly Musashigawa stable). He acquired Japanese citizenship in 2017 and retired shortly before the January 2018 tournament to become an elder of the Japan Sumo Association. As of June 2022 he is known as Nishikijima Oyakata.
Early life and sumo background.
It has been reported that in his childhood in Ulan Bator he lived in the same apartment complex as future sumo contemporary Mōkonami, though they never met in person. As an amateur, Dagdandorj took third place in the open weight division in the Junior World Sumo Championships in 2000. He began his professional career in March 2001, at the same time as Hakuhō. He was given the "shikona" of Musashiryū, the prefix being a common one at Musashigawa stable.
Career.
His rise through the ranks was relatively smooth until he reached the third highest "makushita" division in January 2003, where an early injury put him out of action and dropped him back to the "sandanme" division. He continued to struggle with his own sumo and injuries in these two divisions for the next five years, changing his shikona to Shōtenrō in 2007 in a bid to improve his fortunes. When he finally found his stride again, his steady rise to the top division was a stark contrast to his previous struggles; he reached "makuuchi" after winning two consecutive "jūryō" division championships, only the third post-war wrestler after Kushimaumi and Miyabiyama to achieve this feat. All in all, it had taken him 48 tournaments from his professional debut to reach the top "makuuchi" division, the third slowest at the time amongst foreign born wrestlers. In July 2009 he was awarded the Fighting Spirit Prize for his record of eleven wins and four losses. In the September tournament he won his first "kinboshi", becoming the first "maegashira" in a year to defeat Hakuhō, but could win only one other match. A 9–6 score in the following tournament in November seemed to steady him, but he suffered a surprising slump in January 2010 and a poor 3–12 record saw him demoted to "jūryō". He returned to the top division for the July 2010 tournament, and after slipping back to "jūryō" in September won promotion again for November 2010.
In 2011 he was one of several wrestlers investigated by the Sumo Association after his name was mentioned in a text message about match-fixing. The text, dating from May 2010, was sent by low ranker Enatsukasa, an alleged go-between, to "jūryō" wrestler Chiyohakuho and said, "the match with Shotenro is for real", implying that bouts with other wrestlers were being fixed. Shōtenrō vehemently denied any involvement in bout-rigging, and in April 2011 was found not guilty by the investigative panel.
He missed the November 2011 tournament after undergoing surgery for appendicitis, dropping to the "jūryō" division in January. Despite only making a bare majority of eight wins at "jūryō" 5, this was enough for an immediate return to "makuuchi". He had a superb start to the March tournament, winning nine of his first ten matches, but he faded in the home stretch, losing his last five bouts as he was matched against higher ranking opponents. He remained a middle ranking "maegashira" for several tournaments before finally being demoted to the second division for the March 2014 tournament. He was unable to return to "makuuchi", and in September 2015 he lost his "sekitori" status and was demoted to the "makushita" division. A 4–3 record at the rank of "Makushita" #1 in January 2016 was enough to earn promotion back to "jūryō" for the March tournament in Osaka, but he pulled out of that tournament with only three wins and was demoted back to "makushita". This was to be his last appearance in "jūryō."
Retirement from sumo.
He acquired Japanese citizenship on August 18, 2017, and took the naturalized Japanese name of Matsudaira Shō. Japanese citizenship is a requirement for staying in the Japan Sumo Association as an elder, and with 25 tournaments fought in the top division he was eligible to coach after his retirement from active competition.
Shōtenrō sat out the July 2017 tournament, and was relegated to "sandanme". It was disclosed on October 31 that he had been diagnosed with cancer during a health check-up prior to that tournament. At the meeting of the 70 sekitori held that day, all agreed to give Shōtenrō a cash donation as a mark of support. On December 28, 2017, Shōtenrō announced his retirement. He had spent 100 tournaments on the "banzuke" with a final career record of 494 wins against 484 losses, with a top division record of 164–196.
Shōtenrō has remained in sumo as a coach, originally under the elder name of Kasugayama Oyakata owned by Ikioi. In July 2019 he switched to the Kitajin elder name owned by Endō. In June 2022 he changed his elder name to Nishikijima; the name became vacant in June of the previous year following the resignation of former "ōzeki" Asashio.
Fighting style.
He was an "oshi-sumo" specialist, preferring pushing and thrusting techniques. He was however also capable of fighting on the "mawashi" or belt, where he preferred a "migi-yotsu" (left hand outside, right hand inside) grip. His most common winning move was "oshi-dashi" (push out), followed by "yori-kiri" (force out).
Personal life.
Shōtenrō married the sister of fellow Mongolian "sekitori" Kyokutenhō in 2011, and the reception was held in June 2012. As brothers-in-law, the two wrestlers could no longer meet in competition.
References.
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