Featured rikishi - Kokkai

[Rijicho 6]

Kokkai

[aderechelsea 124]

but let's get back to Kokkai .... (what do you say?)

He is the first European (don't start debating again whether or not Georgia is in Europe) to enter Makuuchi.

he has 56 wins in Makuuchi (by 13 different kimarite) of which 21 oshidashi and 15 yorikiri.

his losses are 53 (15 different kimarite) of which 10 came from oshidashi, 9 from hatakikomi, 6 from yorikiri and 5 from tsukiotoshi.

a bit of stats to lead the topic back in to track ...

[Jonosuke 28]

Here's an interview from Sumo magazine one year ago (right after Kokkai's Makuuchi debut basho, Hatsu 2004).

"Kokkai and Kakizoe"

Friendly Talk

[Manekineko 200]

Jonosuke... (Shaking head...)

[Kashunowaka 300]

A very enjoyable read. (Sign of approval) I am amazed to learn that these two are close friends! I will look forward to bouts between Kokkai and Kakizoe with great interest in the future. It looks like there could be a lot of them.

Kakizoe's personality shines through more in the interview than Kokkai's, I think. But then the interview was conducted in Japanese.

[Gusoyama 96]

Re-type of the above article from Nishinoshima:

1) How did you become involved with sumo?

I was inducted into the Oitekaze stable through the introduction senior wrestler

2) What was your first impression upon arriving in Japan?

What a pretty country

3) How did you learn Japanese?

I learned every day from the stable mother("okami-san")

4) What do you do on your day off?

I listen to music and relax in my room.

5) What is your favorite type of girl?

Fuji Television's Uchida Kyoko is really cute.

6) Did you ever want to quit sumo and go back home?

No.

7) What was the happiest thing for you?

Advancing to "Juryo" status

8) What was the worst thing for you?

The times I wanted to go home but knew I couldn't.

9) What about emotional support?

Believing that if I advance I can achieve anything.

10) Did anything surprise you about the world of sumo?

Not only the training but also that the rules are strictly enforced 24 hours a day. 

11) As a child, what did you want to grow up to be?

An athlete.

12) What is your dream for the future?

I want to be the first European to become "Sanyaku".

13) How do you feel about sumo?

It is a traditional Japanese sport, well preserved.

14) Do you have any favorite words?

"As hard as one can".

15) Who are your role models?

Musashimaru.

With a strong face and dense beard, when his eyes meet mine, he turns to the camera and winks.  This young man who came from the politically-unstable Republic of Georgia is very shy.  Outside of sumo, he does not make any unnecessary movements - rather, he hardly moves at all.  Durind the interview in his room, he sat in the corner and ordered "Open that door, take that from the drawer

[Susanoo 370]

In spite of having injured his elbow, he is doing all work present he may be able to do it by the power of strong will.

His Kihaku (combative spirit) on Dohyo is comfortable for me.

However, it of him is too strong and is not often calm.

For example, defeat to Chiyotaikai in last basho.

Two rikishis' intense enmity was greatly able to excite the spectator in Kokugikan.

Under such circumstances, combative spirit was received from Kokkai and Chiyo was excited most.

It is not suitable to him to obtain a victory by Henka immediately after exciting a opponent by enmity.

Moreover, everyone does not desire it.

However, I agree with hiding combative spirit inside for his victory.

Morote-zuki as a driving force of a victory of him is the first strong point for him, and is also demerit simultaneously.

If the first one shot of his Morote-zuki hits, a opponent cannot recover stability of the center of gravity after that.

However, if he aspires after Tsuki-oshi zumo again, and he desires a more positive victory and it will become after curing his injury, he needs to learn the right Tsuki-oshi zumo.

The right Tsuki-oshi zumo is pushing an arm on either side by turns, without pushing both arms in front at once.

In the time when he was not so fat as now in the past, his body did not collapse ahead.

However, it is worst for him to turn to the bottom, to bow low in the state of his present body, and to lengthen both arms ahead.

He cannot follow a motion of a opponent, but it is controlled from width or he is simply rolled ahead by Hataki in many cases.

Since he crashes into the ground from an arm or an elbow when he is rolled ahead, he worsens an injury further.

Although I have taken up only his demerit, I think that Tsukioshi-zumo is most suitable for him.

I think that he has a possibility of growing into strongest Tsukioshi rikishi in history by medical treatment and technical guidance if I says more clearly.

For that purpose, I want to repeat and say that the right Tsukioshi is indispensable for him.

An arm is pushed ahead by turns, and in order to give effective pressure to a opponent, the body always needs to be in the state of Hanmi by turns.

If he learns it, his fault thing which moves both legs simultaneously like a rabbit and moves forward hopping will also be canceled.

On the other hand, I do not fully agree that he learns the technique of Yotsu-zumo.

I am not anxious about his aptitude to Yotsu.

Imagining the length of the period which it takes to him, I become pessimistic.

Compared with Kotooshu or Roho, learn of new technique and his improvement of Torikuchi are far slow.

However, I do not expect that all of this originate in him.

I am surmising that it originates in the teaching method of Oitekaze-beya rather.

Yotsu-zumo is not only the thing which should merely hold Mawashi.

In the state of Gappuri which grappled both of Mawashis with each other, Kotonowaka cannot get a victory easily, either.

Kotonowaka is made to shift to the posture which is not panicked and does not make a opponent demonstrate power gradually.

And it becomes the form of Hanmi good at him, begins, and he uses throwing techniques.

The rikishi who changes into the state where a opponent is not made to demonstrate power but he fully demonstrates power is a rikishi good at Yotsu.

How to move after that by setting Kokkai when an elbow is painful to Yotsu easily is the thing for which it only depended on physical strength.

He seems to have not received instruction about that in me.

I think that instruction of the technique after become to Yotsu is indispensable if he cannot do exploring Yotsu advantageous to oneself in a quick motion like other foreigners' rikishi.

The imperfectness of technical guidance is not all in it.

Kotooshu was performing Tachiai of a low posture to anyone before.

And he became a posture still lower than the opponnt of the body quite smaller than himself, and suffered a wasteful defeat frequently.

Then, the useless Tachiai was rectified and has resulted in the present activity.

To the sad thing, Kokkai has still repeated the big mistake.

I have heard before the talk of the nuance which Oitekaze-Oyakata says "He leaves it to his independency and it makes it learn by experience of defeat."

It is not right to apply instruction uniform to be sure to every rikishi.

Even if that is right, for the fan who aids him, impatience will greatly be felt for his present condition.

Then, finally I add and tell about Oitekaze-beya.

I heard that Oyakata and Okamisan had touched with the same love as their child to him.

He was still depressed for language, the difference in a custom, and lonesomeness at the time soon after an introduction.

Oyakata had permitted without any restriction that he made an international call to a hometown at such time.

In order for Okamisan not to make him solitary and to assist communication with him and Heya, pains [ talk for her through English which is by no means its favorite ] were taken.

It seems that he is in the blessed environment which had been filled enough mentally.

Although surrounding tenderness may delay his success in life slightly, he will certainly reward the obligation and will do his best.

By all means [ of instruction over which priority is given to love ], it is judged by his future activity.

Although I was doing the negative view to this at first, while writing this, I have noticed that that is not necessarily right.

May I call it a part of love to which it is too long and my troublesome talks also surround him? :'-(

[Ryukaze 0]

You have to give this guy credit, he always comes out intense and ready to give 100% on the "Dohyo". Its too bad his technique isnt a little more refined however as he definately has the "heart" and the "physique" to be great. As for the time being however his speed power and throwing himself wildly at opponents will only allow him to climb so far, gonna need to get it done on the mawashii somehow if he wants to become even better.

[Kaikitsune Makoto 205]

http://www.banzuke.com/01-2/msg00187.html

Jonosuke translated Nikkan Sport article about 4 years ago.

Nikkan Sports Daily - February 24, 2001

---------------------------------

The first rikishi-to-be from a former Soviet Republic,

Georgia, has joined Oitekaze Beya. He is a 19 year

old former European freestyle wrestling champion (I

don't know how he spells his name so I won't guess

his name from Japanese) and is trying to start

competing on the dohyo this Natsu Basho in May at

Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.

If he makes the dohyo debut, Republic of Georgia will

become the 16th nation represented in Ozumo. He is

already pretty big with 1.9 meter tall and weighing

150 kg.

He started amateur wrestling when he was six years

old, taught by his father who was a Soviet Union

wrestling champion. After he graduated from an elite

sports academy, he entered the World Amateur Sumo

Championship held in Riesa, Germany a little over a

year ago and became convinced that "sumo wrestlers are

the strongest' and decided to join the sumo world.

"I want to go home as a hero and shake hands with

Eduard Shevardnadze, the president of Georgia," he

said, pledging he would not go home until he becomes a

sekitori. Currently he is busy studying Japanese

language three hours every day and participating in

the morning practices.

"I think he is already at Sandanme level. If he keeps

up his training regimen I think he will do extremely

well," commented Oitekaze oyakata, former Makuuchi

Daishoyama.

(I have checked IFS web site and there are only two

amateur rikishis from Georia ranked by them - one is

Levan Ebanoidze and the other is Jondo

Dabrundashvili. At the 9th World Sumo Championship

held in Sao Paulo, Brazil last December, Levan was the

third in the Open Category which was won by Toru

Kakizoe who recently joined Ozumo).

[Hakuyobaku 33]

Hm.. it looks like Giorgi Tsaguria, Kokkai's brother will be starting from mae-zumo this Haru basho. There was no official information on this but Kokkai confirmed in his interview with a Georgian journalist that he has an agreement with a heya he's joining in. He's 19 and is about 100kg.

[Sasanishiki 57]

(I have checked IFS web site and there are only two

amateur rikishis from Georia ranked by them - one is

Levan Ebanoidze and the other is Jondo

Dabrundashvili. At the 9th World Sumo Championship

held in Sao Paulo, Brazil last December, Levan was the

third in the Open Category which was won by Toru

Kakizoe who recently joined Ozumo).

It is so out of date that it is only useful for historical data up to 2001 some time.

[hoshidango 0]

He is one of my faves and I wish he adopts some mawashi and nage sumo like he showed against Shimotori from time to time. This would increase his chance of making it to Wakanosato level or even ozeki some day.... Can't wait for his brother to enter and get some results!

[Kaikitsune Makoto 205]

Update 28.4.2006

Georgian Kokkai is already 25 years old and has been in sumo for 5 years. He had one strong juryo yusho on his way to makuuchi. That was in Kyushu 2003 when he managed 14-1 with preponderance. Since Hatsu 2004 he has been in makuuchi but only once had a double digit winning record (10-5 at M7 in Natsu 2004). In his 14 basho in makuuchi he has gotten either 7 or 8 wins on 7 occasions. Only in Haru 2005 he managed to get 9 wins at high makuuchi (M4). Lately his condition has fluctuated due to injury burden. In Natsu 2005 he had 5-10 at M2 and then again the same in Aki 2005 at the same rank. He started the year 2006 with a nice kachi koshi at M2 beating Asashoryu on the way but in Haru basho he suffered a bad 5-10 make-koshi again and injured his knee in a uchigake loss against Kasugao on day 15.

Kokkai has a rough style and has plenty of injuries which forces him to take quite a while in the mornings to get his body moving. Last year he got company from his country when his younger brother Tsukasaumi entered ozumo. A thread about his brother can be found here:

http://www.sumoforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=6825

An old but thorough interview with Kokkai (summer 2004) was translated by Amanogawa and posted in parts by Kintamayama. Worthwhile reading definitely:

Long Kokkai interview/article from summer 2004 translated by Amanogawa.

http://www.sumoforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=3224

http://www.sumoforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=3267

http://www.sumoforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=3282

http://www.sumoforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=3337