Ōhinode Takaaki

1.1. Childhood and Education

Ōhinode Takaaki was born on January 19, 1970, in 千種町_Chikusa-chō^Japanese (now part of Shisō City), Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. His father was a tax accountant. Influenced by a relative who played as a second baseman for the Hanshin Tigers, Ōhinode began playing Little League Baseball in the third grade at Chikusa Minami Elementary School. He excelled as both a pitcher and a cleanup hitter. He continued his baseball career at Chikusa Junior High School, where he joined the hardball team.

Despite his focus on baseball, Ōhinode had no prior experience in sumo. However, in his third year of junior high school, the school entered him into a local sumo tournament in Shisō District out of curiosity. To his surprise, he advanced steadily, competing in the Hyōgo Prefectural Tournament and then distinguishing himself at the Kinki Tournament. His performance attracted an invitation from Ichikawa High School, known for its sumo program. Recognizing that he was not being fully acknowledged for his abilities in baseball, Ōhinode decided to pursue sumo professionally, finding satisfaction in the recognition he received for his sumo talent. Upon entering Ichikawa High School, he quit baseball to commit fully to sumo. During his high school years, he contributed to team championships at the National Sports Festival and the National High School Sumo Championship. In his third year of high school, he was scouted by the Nihon University sumo club during the National Sports Festival and subsequently enrolled there. At Nihon University, he achieved success in tournaments, including the All-Japan Sumo Championship. His university classmates included future professional sumo wrestlers Higonoumi Naoya and Hamanoshima Hiroshi.

1.2. Entry into Sumo and Amateur Career

After graduating from Nihon University, Ōhinode initially had an offer for employment at the Wakayama Prefectural Government. However, feeling he had not fully achieved his potential in sumo during his fourth year of university, he decided to pursue a professional sumo career. Through the introduction of his two-year senior at Nihon University, Ōshōfū Masami, he joined the Tatsunami stable. He made his professional debut in the January 1992 Grand Sumo Tournament, starting at the rank of Makushita 60 as a makushita tsukedashi entrant, a special designation for top amateur wrestlers. His initial shikona (ring name) was 西田山_Nishidayama^Japanese, derived from his birth name. In March 1994, he changed his shikona to 大日ノ出_Ōhinode^Japanese, meaning "great sunrise."

2.1. Professional Debut and Early Struggles

Ōhinode's early professional career was slower than typically expected for a makushita tsukedashi entrant, primarily due to a persistent right knee injury. Despite his strong amateur background, he often found himself competing in the middle ranks of the Makushita division. A notable instance of his early struggles occurred in the July 1996 Grand Sumo Tournament. He maintained a strong record of six consecutive wins, but another wrestler from the same stable, Hiroseyama (later Sōtsukuba), also achieved six wins. This led to a situation where Ōhinode's seventh bout was scheduled against Gotō (later Tochinohana), a wrestler with a differing win-loss record, to avoid a direct matchup between stablemates. Ōhinode lost this crucial bout, and Hiroseyama also lost, resulting in no undefeated wrestlers. The tournament was decided by a playoff among nine wrestlers with one loss. Ōhinode was defeated in the playoff, missing out on the Makushita championship. This highlighted a tendency for him to falter in critical matches.

2.2. Juryo and Makuuchi Promotion

After his right knee injury improved, Ōhinode's performance in the Makushita division significantly improved, and he steadily climbed the ranks. He earned promotion to the jūryō division in the January 1997 Grand Sumo Tournament. This promotion came after 30 tournaments from his professional debut, which was considered a relatively long time for a makushita tsukedashi entrant. While in Juryo, he demonstrated consistency, often achieving winning records, but narrowly losing crucial bouts, which kept him oscillating between the lower and upper ranks of the division for about two years. In the January 1998 Grand Sumo Tournament, ranked at the top of the Makushita division, he faced five out of his seven opponents from the Juryo division, a rare occurrence. After this tournament, he was promoted back to Juryo. Finally, in the January 1999 Grand Sumo Tournament, he reached his highest rank in Juryo, East Juryo 1. By securing an 8-7 winning record, he achieved promotion to the top makuuchi division.

2.3. Makuuchi Career and Retirement

Ōhinode made his debut in the Makuuchi division in the March 1999 Grand Sumo Tournament, a significant milestone that occurred 43 tournaments after his professional debut. At the time, this was the slowest Makuuchi promotion among all makushita tsukedashi entrants. His highest rank in Makuuchi was Maegashira 9, which he achieved in the May 1999 Grand Sumo Tournament.

Although he was able to maintain his position in the Makuuchi division for a period, his career was ultimately cut short by health issues. After the January 2000 Grand Sumo Tournament, he began suffering from an internal organ disease, leading to his demotion back to Juryo. The worsening of his condition forced him to withdraw from the July 2000 Grand Sumo Tournament. In the September 2000 Grand Sumo Tournament, he was demoted to the Makushita division. Although his condition improved to the point where it did not affect his daily life, he determined that continuing sumo was no longer feasible, as he was unable to compete in that tournament. He retired from active competition at the end of the September 2000 tournament. His hair-cutting ceremony (断髪式_{dampatsushiki}^Japanese) was held on December 15, 2000, at a hotel in Tokyo, with his former Nihon University mentor, Hidehisa Tanaka, performing the final cut.

4.1. Overall Career Statistics

• Total Career Record: 262 wins, 243 losses, 27 absences (Winning percentage: 0.519)
• Makuuchi Division Record: 42 wins, 48 losses (Winning percentage: 0.467)
• Total Active Period: 53 tournaments
• Makuuchi Division Active Period: 6 tournaments

4.2. Tournament Records

4.3. Makuuchi Division Matchup Record

Ōhinode's head-to-head record against various opponents in the Makuuchi division is as follows:

Note: Numbers in parentheses indicate wins/losses by default (e.g., 不戦勝_fusensho^Japanese for win by default).