Ochiai Tetsuya

Ochiai Tetsuya (Japanese: 落合 哲也, born August 22, 2003) is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Kurayoshi, Tottori. After a successful amateur career, he turned professional in January 2023, via makushita tsukedashi, winning the division's championship. His highest rank has been Juryo 8 which was achieved in May 2023. He wrestles for Miyagino stable whose oyakata is former yokozuna Hakuhō Shō.

In this Japanese name, the surname is Ochiai.
Ochiai Tetsuya
落合 哲也
Ochiai in April 2023
Personal information
BornTetsuya Ochiai
(2003-08-22) August 22, 2003
Kurayoshi, Tottori, Japan
Height1.79 m (5 ft 10+1⁄2 in)
Weight156 kg (344 lb; 24.6 st)
Career
StableMiyagino
Current ranksee below
Record17-5
DebutJanuary, 2023
Highest rankJuryo 8 (May, 2023)
Championships1 Makushita
* Up to date as of 30 April 2023.

Early life and sumo background

Ochiai began to wrestle regularly when he was in his fourth year of primary school.[1] He entered Tottori Jōhoku High School and won the title of high school yokozuna in his second and third year of high school competition;[1] in his third year, he was in the top eight at the All-Japan Championships and thus was eligible for sandanme tsukedashi.[2] After graduating from high school, he focused on healing his shoulder injury and worked at his father's metalwork machinery company Noda Gumi in Tottori. By virtue of winning the All Japan Corporate Sumo Championship in September 2022 (and thus being named Corporate Yokozuna) he was eligible to enter professional sumo as makushita tsukedashi.[3]

Career

At the invitation of Miyagino oyakata (the 69th yokozuna Hakuhō), Ochiai joined the Miyagino stable.[4] He made his professional debut in January 2023 at the rank of makushita 15 to reflect his amateur success (makushita tsukedashi). He won the makushita title with an undefeated record of seven wins and was subsequently promoted to the jūryō division for March, becoming the first wrestler to earn a jūryō promotion after just one tournament in 90 years.[5] Given Ochiai's quick rise to the second-highest division, Miyagino confessed he hadn't had the time to think of a shikona for his apprentice.[6] Thanks to his record-breaking promotion, Ochiai began to be nicknamed Reiwa no kaibutsu (令和の怪物), meaning 'Reiwa monster', in reference to ōzeki Musōyama who was nicknamed 'Heisei monster' after he too was promoted to jūryō after being undefeated as a makushita.[7][8] Ochiai experienced his first defeat in professional sumo on day 2 of the Osaka tournament (in March 2023) against the other newly promoted jūryō, Tamashohō.[9] On the 6th day of the same tournament, he announced that he had made the unusual decision to become the tsukebito of makuuchi wrestler Hokuseihō because he wanted to experience this role himself and considered it a learning experience.[10]

Career record
Ochiai Tetsuya[11]
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
2023 Makushita tsukedashi #15
7–0
Champion
 		 West Jūryō #14
10–5
 		 West Jūryō #8
–
 		 x x 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; P=Playoff(s)
Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi

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

See also

References
  1. "Towards the dream of "yokozuna": Tetsuya Ochiai, on his debut as a sumo wrestler" 「横綱」の夢に向かって～落合哲也 大相撲デビューへ～. nhk.jp (in Japanese). NHK. 2023-01-06. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
  2. "High school yokozuna Ochiai makes the top 8 of the All Japan Championships "I want to go pro soon" Qualifies for sandanme tsukedashi" 高校横綱の落合が全日本選手権８強「すぐプロいきたい」三段目付け出し資格. nikkansports.com (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 2021-12-05. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  3. "Last year's high school yokozuna, Tetsuya Ochiai, qualified for makushita 15 ranking, the second high school graduate in history since Ichinojō" 昨年の高校横綱・落合哲也が幕下15枚目格付け出し資格獲得 高卒では逸ノ城以来、史上2人目. Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). 2022-09-18. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
  4. 2年連続 高校横綱 鳥取城北 落合哲也選手 宮城野部屋に入門へ. NHK News (in Japanese). 2022-12-01. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  5. "Ochiai becomes fastest sumo wrestler to reach juryo division in decades". nhk.or.jp. NHK. January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  6. "宮城野親方、新十両・落合のしこ名は「みなさんが『おっ』と思うような名前を付けようかと思う」". Sports Hochi (in Japanese). 26 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  7. 落合が新十両昇進決定！史上最速1場所で関取に 29歳・玉正鳳も昇進決定. Sponichi (in Japanese). 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  8. 相撲界の令和の怪物・落合、白まわし姿お披露目「関取になれた実感湧いてくる」顔ほころばせ. Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 2023-02-28. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  9. 落合に土つけた玉正鳳「狙っていた相撲。バランス崩れると思った」してやったりの白星. Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 2023-03-13. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  10. 十両の怪物・落合、関取では異例の付け人に「自分の勉強」…新入幕の兄弟子・北青鵬の支度仕事. Hochi News (in Japanese). 2023-03-17. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  11. "Ochiai Tetsuya Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
  • Ochiai Tetsuya's official biography (English) at the Grand Sumo Homepage
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