Takanoyama Shuntarō's Best Finishes - Technique Breakdown

Thanks for watching! If you like rooting for the underdogs then check out Enho or Mainoumi fighting Giant Sumo Wrestlers.

Enho - https://youtu.be/9Q2rxIUqMC4
Mainoumi - https://youtu.be/GdBYmYfHBGs

In conclusion, if you're little guy but loves sumo, get into judo first.

Being a Czech myself, I’m sad to report, that literally no one knows this remarkable man back home.

I love that this man could've chosen any combat sport with weight classes that would've put him on equal footing strength and size-wise with his opponents, but he chose to battle actual giants in an open weight sport instead

I've been into sumo pretty hard lately. I can say without a doubt these are the best techniques I've seen. This dude is the real deal.

The most amazing thing is how he is able to stay planted at the first contact. Those guys are literally double his weight and size. Insane strength and skill. Holy fucking shit.

In this video, I saw several techniques I've never seen or even heard of before, but the most remarkable thing I saw for the first time was a top division sumo wrestler's ribs.

If you can step on a foot like that in the blink of an eye, you have honed your skill over many hours of practice. This man techniques are a sight to behold.

The crowd love him. It's a real spectacle to see him control significantly bigger guys.

Honestly, the best part about this video, is the reaction of the spectators, they know just how amazing this guy is.

A Czech judo athlete that has to be remembered against double sized opponents

i am sad to report that almost nobody in czech republic knows about this man.. this is the first time i am hearing about him.. great video.. hes very impressive..

As an argentinian and japanese culture lover, this man is a hidden gem. And he deserves all the love and respect in the world, he was battling with men twice his size and winning.

Takanoyama was stuck at the top of Makushita (the 3rd-highest division, just below the salaried ranks) for years, never quite seeming able to break into Juryo (the 2nd-highest division and the lowest salaried tier.) His technique was always superb, but his weight was a distinct disadvantage. If he had managed to pack on another 20 kg somehow, he'd probably still be in sumo today.

As it was, he only broke into Juryo because of a massive bout-fixing scandal. It was long suspected this kind of thing was going on, but it wasn't where anyone was looking: not in Makuuchi (the top division), but in Juryo. It makes sense if you understand sumo culture. In Juryo and above you have privileges, at least one tsukebito (servant), an income, the right to marry and to live away from the heya (stable). But not in Makushita and below. So it should have been expected that some wrestlers were desperate to avoid relegation from Juryo to Makushita and would work to make sure it happened as little as possible.

When the Sumo Association found out what was going on, they demanded the resignations of every wrestler suspected of being involved. This basically hollowed out Juryo, and rocketed Takanoyama right up to the middle of the division. That doesn't mean it was somehow unfair or a walk. It was likely the bout fixing that had been keeping him out of Juryo for so long. And he was successful enough in Juryo that in his very first tournament he earned promotion to Makuuchi. (You'll see his rank given as Maegashira. This is basically the rank-and-file of Makuuchi, below the Sanyaku ranks of Komusubi, Sekiwake, and Ozeki, with the Yokozuna at the very top.)

Unfortunately, it was here that he hit his wall. Like I said, his weight was a significant handicap. Its bad enough in the lower divisions, but in the salaried ranks anyone weighing under 100kg is going to have a very serious problem. He peaked at around 101kg but couldn't maintain it. He ended up as an "elevator rikishi", bouncing back and forth between Makuuchi and Juryo for a couple of years before falling back down to Makushita and retiring only about 3 years after reaching Juryo for the first time.

This man made it to top division. That's a huge success for a rikishi of his weight! Sumo needs guys like him to bring more fans to the sport!

Judo is a great counter, because it uses their size against them and redirects that momentum. Genius strategy really.

looks like an incredibly strong guy with great judo technique. Props to him.

His sense of balance and weight is mindboggling

This is so good. The editing - the step by step breakdowns. Dude I don’t even like sumo this is amazing. Definitely subbing

Great technique breakdown man. It was great seeing the crowd reactions when he'd pull off the close calls with flawless leverage managment and weight distribution. You could tell they had a profound respect for not only the sport but for a foreign competitor demonstrating his passion and talent for the national pastime.