Kotoshogiku Ends 10-Year Sumo Title Drought for Japanese

Tokyo, Jan. 24 (Jiji Press)--Ozeki Kotoshogiku won the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday, becoming the first Japanese-born wrester to capture the Emperor's Cup in a decade after the national sport's domination by wrestlers from Mongolia and Europe. On the final day of the 15-day tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Kotoshogiku floored ozeki Goeido to improve his record to 14-1 and receive the Emperor's Cup for the first time. Kotoshogiku, 31, is the first Japanese-born wrestler to grab the tournament championship since ozeki Tochiazuma, now stablemaster Tamanoi, won in January 2006. Kotoshogiku, whose real name is Kazuhiro Kikutsugi, hails from Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan. He was promoted to ozeki, the second-highest rank of sumo, in 2011. During the latest competition, Kotoshogiku defeated all three yokozuna grand champions--Hakuho, the holder of a record 35 titles, as well as Harumafuji and Kakuryu. They are all from Mongolia. In Japan's national sport of sumo, wrestlers from overseas overpowered homegrown wrestlers in the past decade. In addition to the three current yokozuna, foreign-born wrestlers who won the Emperor's Cup included former yokozuna Asashoryu from Mongolia, former ozeki Kotooshu from Bulgaria and former ozeki Baruto from Estonia. After ending the 10-year title drought for Japan, Kotoshogiku is expected to make an attempt at promotion to sumo's highest rank of yokozuna in the next tournament, to be held in the western Japan city of Osaka in March. END