Takanoshō Nobuaki
隆の勝 伸明
Personal information
Born	Nobuaki Ishii (1994-11-14)November 14, 1994 (age 30) Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
Height	1.84 m (6 ft1⁄2 in)
Weight	171 kg (377 lb; 26 st 13 lb)
Career
Stable	Tokiwayama
Current rank	seebelow
Debut	March, 2010
Highest rank	Sekiwake (November, 2020)
Special Prizes	Fighting Spirit (3) Outstanding Performance (1)
Gold Stars	3 (Terunofuji)
* Up to date as of March, 2024.

Takanoshō Nobuaki (Japanese:隆の勝 伸明, born 14 November 1994 asNobuaki Ishii (石井 伸明,Ishii Nobuaki)) is a Japanese professionalsumo wrestler fromKashiwa, Chiba. He made his professional debut in March 2010, reaching the topmakuuchi division in September 2018. His highest rank has beensekiwake. He has won threeprizes for Fighting Spirit and one for Outstanding Performance. He has threegold stars for defeating ayokozuna while ranked as amaegashira and has been a runner-up in three top division tournaments. He wrestles forTokiwayama stable.

Takanoshō was the fourth of six children, and it was noted early on that he had the physique for sumo, being much bigger than all his siblings. He took part in a local sumo tournament in his first year of elementary school, and in junior high he representedChiba Prefecture in the team competition at the National Junior High School Sumo Championships. Futuremakuuchi wrestlerDaishōhō was on the same team. Upon graduating from junior high he enteredChiganoura stable (since renamed), run by ex-sekiwakeMasudayama. He took theshikona ofMasunoshō (舛ノ勝) and made his debut in March 2010. He was a member of the same entry class asKagayaki andChiyono-ō [ja]. He reached thesandanme division in July 2011, and themakushita division in May 2012. In 2014 he twice fell back tosandanme but returned immediately both times, and had established himself as amakushita regular by January 2015. In April 2016 his stablemaster retired and the stable moved to the Takanohanaichimon, with formerkomusubiTakamisugi taking over as head coach. In January 2017, he changed the spelling of his shikona name to舛の勝. Benefiting from increased training opportunities at theTakanohana andŌnomatsu stables, he earned promotion to thesekitori ranks with a 6–1 record atmakushita 3 in September 2017. To mark the occasion he changed hisshikona to Takanoshō, reflecting his change of stablemaster.^[1] He was the first wrestler fromKashiwa to win promotion to thejūryō division sinceKirinji 44 years earlier.

Takanoshō came through with a winning record in hisjūryō debut in November 2017, and in July 2018 scored 13 wins against two losses fromjūryō 4, although he lost a playoff for the championship toTakanoiwa. He was the first wrestler to win 13 bouts injūryō and not take the championship sinceIchinojō in July 2014. Nevertheless, he was promoted to the topmakuuchi division for the following September 2018 tournament. He told a press conference that previouslymakuuchi was just a world seen on TV, and he was glad to see his name in the top part of thebanzuke.^[2] His stablemaster said he hoped that Takanoshō would eventually reachsan'yaku.^[2] In hismakuuchi debut he was aiming for double-digit wins and the Fighting Spiritspecial prize, but this became impossible after his sixth loss on Day 13, and he ended the tournament with an 8–7 record. (This became the first tournament since special prizes were introduced in 1947 that none were awarded at all.) He produced a disappointing 4–11 record in November 2018 and was demoted back tojūryō. In January 2019 he suffered a rightanterior cruciate ligament injury and he pulled out on Day 3, only to attempt a comeback on Day 9. However, he ended up withdrawing again on Day 11. He fell tojūryō 13 in March but returned from injury with an 11–4 record. He won promotion back to the top division after the September 2019 tournament, and produced his bestmakuuchi score to date of 10–5 in November. This saw him promoted to a career-high rank ofmaegashira 9 for the January 2020 tournament. In March he produced his best score in the top division to date, finishing joint runner-up withKakuryū on 12–3. He was awarded his firstspecial prize, for Fighting Spirit.^[3] In the November 2020 tournament he made hissan'yaku debut atsekiwake, and came through with a winning record of 8–7.^[4] In December he revealed that he was again having problems with the anterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee, for which surgery was recommended, but he planned to resume training instead.^[5] He maintained hissekiwake rank with winning records in January and March 2021, but a 5–10 record in May saw him fall back to the maegashira ranks. In November 2021 he earned a share of the Fighting Spirit prize by defeatingAbi on Day 15 to finish with an 11–4 record.^[6] This saw atsekiwake rank for the fifth time for the January 2022 tournament, although a 7–8 record meant he fell tokomusubi in March, his first time at that rank.^[7]

Takanoshō earned his firstkinboshi, or gold star, in the May 2022 tournament by defeatingyokozunaTerunofuji.^[8] He led the field outright until losing toWakatakakage on Day 13, and was still in contention for the championship on the final day, although he was defeated bySadanoumi and had to settle for a share of second place, one win behind Terunofuji.^[9] He was awarded his first Outstanding Performance Prize.^[9]

Takanoshō pulled out of the November 2023 tournament after appearing to suffer an injury to his right knee in his Day 10 match againstMyōgiryū.^[10] His medical certificate submitted to the Sumo Association reported a damaged rightmeniscus andACL. StablemasterTokiwayama said Takanoshō would likely not re-enter the tournament, stating that he had trouble walking and was in no condition to wrestle.^[11]

During the March 2024 tournament, Takanoshō stood out by recording his secondkinboshi on Terunofuji by beating theyokozuna on Day 6.^[12]

Takanoshō is anoshi-sumo wrestler, who prefers to push and thrust at his opponents rather than grapple with themawashi or belt. His most common winningkimarite or technique isoshi-dashi, a straightforward push out.^[13]

He is a fan of the bandOne Ok Rock and got to meet them after they performed inFukuoka Prefecture on 27 November 2019, where Takanoshō was on a regional sumo tour.

In July 2024 Takanoshō announced that he had married a woman three years his junior fromMisawa, Aomori that he met through an acquaintance while competing in themakushita division.^[14]

• List of sekiwake
• List of active sumo wrestlers
• List of sumo tournament top division runners-up
• Active special prize winners
• List of active gold star earners

• Takanoshō Nobuaki's official biography (English) at the Grand Sumo Homepage

• 1994 births
• Living people
• Japanese sumo wrestlers
• Sportspeople from Kashiwa
• Sumo people from Chiba Prefecture
• Sekiwake

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