{{hatnote|In this Japanese shikona name, the surname is Gagamaru.}} {{short description|Georgian sumo wrestler}} {{Infobox sumo wrestler | native_name = 臥牙丸 勝 | name = Gagamaru Masaru | image = Gagamaru in Harubasho 2013 IMG 1896-2 20130324.JPG | caption = Gagamaru in 2013 | birth_name = Teimuraz Jugheli | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1987|2|23}} | birth_place = Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union | height = {{convert|186|cm|ftin|abbr=on}} | weight = {{convert|199|kg|lb st|abbr=on}} | heya = Kise→Kitanoumi→Kise | rank = | record = 516-538-32 | debut = November 2005 | highestrank = Komusubi (March 2012) |retireddate = November 2020 | yushos = 1 (Jūryō)<br/>1 (Makushita)<br />1 (Jonokuchi) | prizes = Fighting Spirit (2) | goldstars = 1 (Harumafuji) |update = November 17, 2020 }} {{nihongo|'''Gagamaru Masaru'''|臥牙丸 勝||born 23 February 1987 as '''Teimuraz Jugheli''' ({{lang-ka|თეიმურაზ ჯუღელი}})|lead=yes}} is a Georgian former professional sumo wrestler from Tbilisi. The third Georgian national after Kokkai and Tochinoshin to make the top ''makuuchi'' division, he made his professional debut in November 2005, reaching the ''jūryō'' division in November 2009 and ''makuuchi'' in July 2010. Originally from Kise stable, he briefly competed for the Kitanoumi stable before moving back to the Kise stable after it was re-established. His highest rank was ''komusubi''. He won two special prizes for Fighting Spirit and was runner-up in one top division tournament. After missing nearly all of 2020 through injury and falling greatly in rank, he announced his retirement during the November 2020 tournament.
==Early life and sumo background== Jugheli was born in Tbilisi, he originally trained in judo and sambo, winning national junior championships in both sports by the age of 16.<ref name="forum">{{cite web|last="madorosumaru"|title=Once He Learns More About Sumo, He Will Be Unstoppable|url=http://www.sumoforum.net/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=11058&view=findpost&p=161260|publisher=Sumo Forum |accessdate=22 September 2010|date=14 January 2009}}</ref> Invited to train by the Georgian junior sumo team, he accompanied them to the 2005 World Junior Sumo Championships in Osaka. (Also on the team was the future Tochinoshin). He came third in the individual and second in the team competition.<ref name="forum"/> Staying in Japan after the tournament, he joined Kise stable and made his first professional appearance in November 2005.
==Career== He moved quickly through the lower divisions, reaching ''makushita'' one year later in November 2006. He had made plans to return home to visit his family, but his father was killed in a car accident.<ref name="forum"/> He was determined to honour his father's memory (and emulate his fellow Georgian wrestlers) by reaching ''sekitori'' status. This he achieved in September 2009 after winning the ''makushita'' division ''yūshō'' with a perfect 7–0 record.<ref name="embassy">{{cite web|title=Georgian sumo wrestler Teimuraz Djugheli (Gagamaru) was promoted to the ''sekitori'' status|url=http://japan.mfa.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=595&info_id=1692|publisher=Embassy of Georgia to Japan|accessdate=22 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313014510/http://japan.mfa.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=595&info_id=1692|archive-date=13 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> He paid tribute to his father at a press conference.<ref name="embassy"/>
Gagamaru came through with a ''kachi-koshi'' 8–7 score in his debut ''jūryō'' tournament and won the yusho in the following tournament in January 2010 with a 12–3 record. In May he scored 10–5 from the ''jūryō'' 1 rank, ensuring promotion to ''makuuchi''. However he made his debut in the top division in July out of a newly enlarged Kitanoumi stable after his old stable was closed due to his stablemaster's Kise Oyakata involvement in a scandal involving selling tournament tickets to alleged yakuza members. Ranked at ''maegashira'' 12 he could only manage a 5–10 record, losing his last four bouts, but he remained in the division for the following tournament in September 2010 and produced a winning score of 10–5. In the November tournament in Kyushu he recovered from a 1–5 start to score 9–6, which earned him promotion to a new high of ''maegashira'' 6.
thumbnail|left|150px|Gagamaru at the January 2011 tournamentThe January 2011 tournament was not a good one for Gagamaru. Having struggled to a 2–4 record after six days he went out drinking with fellow Georgian wrestler Kokkai and the pair allegedly got into a fight at an Indian restaurant in Tokyo's Sumida ward, causing damage to the property.<ref name="clash">{{cite web|title=Sumo wrestlers in restaurant clash|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110125b1.html|publisher=Japan Times|accessdate=24 June 2011|date=25 January 2011}}</ref> Both were reprimanded by the Sumo Association for staying out late during a tournament.<ref name="clash"/> Gagamaru finished with a poor 5–10 record, resulting in demotion to ''maegashira'' 14. In the May Technical Examination Tournament he recovered from 4–7 down to win four in a row and get a winning record. In September 2011 after an opening day loss he then won ten in a row, including an emphatic victory over Baruto in his first ever meeting with an ''ōzeki''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Yokozuna Hakuho survives close call|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ss20110922b1.html|publisher=Japan Times|accessdate=25 September 2011|date=22 September 2011}}</ref> He finished on 11–4 and was awarded his first special prize, for Fighting Spirit. He was promoted to ''maegashira'' 3 for the November 2011 tournament, but facing all the top wrestlers for the first time could only win two matches. However he turned things around in the January 2012 tournament, producing his best score to date of 12–3, sharing runner-up honours with ''yokozuna'' Hakuhō and two wins behind tournament winner Baruto.<ref name="gunning0309">{{cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2020/03/09/sumo/undervalued-gagamaru-solid-career-raised-ring/#.XmZrwuSWyUk|last=Gunning|first=John|title=Undervalued Gagamaru has had solid career in raised ring|date=9 March 2020|accessdate=9 March 2020}}</ref> He received his second Fighting Spirit prize for this performance.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sumo: Hakuho denies Baruto perfect record on final day of New Year sumo |url=http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/sports/news/20120123p2g00m0sp084000c.html |publisher=Mainichi Daily News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126060703/http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/sports/news/20120123p2g00m0sp084000c.html |archive-date=26 January 2012 |date=23 January 2012 |url-status=dead |df= }}</ref> For the March tournament Gagamaru was promoted to ''komusubi'', becoming the first member of Kitanoumi stable to reach the ''san'yaku'' ranks since it was established in 1985.<ref>{{cite web|title=2012 March Grand Sumo Tournament Banzuke Topics |url=http://sumo.goo.ne.jp/eng/hon_basho/topics/banzuke_topics.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303210025/http://sumo.goo.ne.jp/eng/hon_basho/topics/banzuke_topics.html |archive-date=3 March 2012 |date=February 2012 |url-status=dead |df= }}</ref> He lost his first six matches, but performed better in the second week of the tournament, finishing with a respectable 6–9. As of the May 2012 tournament he once again represented Kise stable after it was permitted to re–open. Ranked at ''maegashira'' 2 in May he did defeat ''ōzeki'' Harumafuji but otherwise had an unremarkable tournament, finishing on 5–10.
The ''shikona'' Gagamaru was derived by the Kise stablemaster, the former Higonoumi, from Jugheli's nickname "Gaga". Since then he has, inevitably, been dubbed "Lady Gaga Maru." Speaking to reporters after the 9th day of the September 2011 tournament, he quipped, "Let me tell you I was called Gaga since the time I was born. The real Gaga is me."<ref>{{cite web|last="Jonosuke"|title=Rikishi Talk Day 9 Aki Basho 2011|url=http://www.sumoforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=28508|publisher=Sumo Forum|accessdate=7 November 2011|date=20 September 2011}}</ref> Since this time, he has only had one breakout performance, an 11–4 record at maegashira 11 in May 2013. Though he was a fixture in the mid to lower top division ranks for a while, he was relegated to the second division after three losing records in 2014.
Gagamaru returned to the top division at the March 2015 tournament with excellent results. At the following tournament in May he won the first gold star of his career by beating ''yokozuna'' Harumafuji on the 10th day. He slipped back into the second division after a run of poor performances in early 2016 but was immediately promoted back to the top ranks after a winning record in July. He lost his top division status once again after the January 2017 tournament, and despite a brief re-appearance in ''makuuchi'' July 2017, he remained in the ''jūryō'' division. A 6–9 record in September 2018 left him in danger of demotion to ''makushita'' for the first time since he became a ''sekitori'' in November 2009, and Gagamaru told reporters he would consult his stablemaster before deciding whether to continue wrestling.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/20180923/sum18092321160019-n1.html|title=来場所４０歳で迎える安美錦、揺れる胸中吐露「いろいろ考えたい」／秋場所|date=23 September 2018|publisher=Sanspo|language=Japanese|accessdate=24 September 2018|archive-date=25 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925025810/https://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/20180923/sum18092321160019-n1.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the ''banzuke'' for November 2018 Gagamaru's rank was confirmed as makushita 1. He earned immediate promotion back to ''jūryō'' for January 2019 with a 5–2 record. He spent the rest of 2019 in ''jūryō'' but pulled out of the November tournament on Day 13 with only one win, ensuring demotion to ''makushita'' again. This absence ended his streak of 1050 matches from his professional debut.
==Retirement from sumo== He withdrew from the January 2020 tournament after losing his first two matches, and did not take part in any further tournaments in 2020, his rank falling to ''jonidan'' 46. He announced his retirement on Day 10 of the November 2020 tournament.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20201117/p2g/00m/0sp/131000c|title=Sumo: Georgian wrestler Gagamaru to retire|date=17 November 2020|work=The Mainichi|accessdate=17 November 2020|archive-date=17 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117135052/https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20201117/p2g/00m/0sp/131000c|url-status=dead}}</ref> At a press conference he gave chronic knee problems as the reason for his retirement, and said his most memorable matches were his ''kinboshi'' win over Harumafuji, and his 2011 win over ''ōzeki'' Baruto.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20201118/k10012718651000.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118064638/http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20201118/k10012718651000.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 18, 2020|title=大相撲 引退の元小結 臥牙丸「最高の15年間だった」|date=18 November 2020|work=NHK|language=Japanese|accessdate=19 November 2020}}</ref> Having been in Japan for 15 years, he plans to continue to live in the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hochi.news/articles/20201118-OHT1T50156.html|title=引退の臥牙丸 ジョージアから来日１５年、日本愛を語る「ラーメンが大好き。１４杯食べると体は作れます」|date=18 November 2020|work=Hochi|language=Japanese|accessdate=19 November 2020}}</ref>
Gagamaru's ''danpatsu-shiki'' (retirement ceremony) was held in Tokyo on 30 July 2022.<ref name=hochi300722>{{cite web|url=https://hochi.news/articles/20220730-OHT1T51167.html|title=元小結・臥牙丸が断髪式 一般日本人女性との結婚も明かす 第２の人生は「人を助けるような仕事を」|date=30 July 2022|work=Hochi News|language=Japanese|accessdate=30 July 2022}}</ref>
==Fighting style== Gagamaru was an ''oshi-sumo'' specialist who mainly employed pushing and thrusting techniques. His most common winning ''kimarite'' were ''oshi-dashi'' or push out. Peaking at 212 kg in November 2013, he was one of the heaviest men in sumo. He disliked attention being paid to his weight however, and missed several official weigh-ins over the course of his career.<ref name="gunning0309"/>
==Personal life== On the day of his retirement ceremony in July 2022, Gagamaru announced that he had married a Japanese woman in her thirties whom he had been dating since 2015. He also announced that he had been losing weight, dropping from {{convert|220|kg|lb|abbr=on}} in March 2021 to {{convert|130|kg|lb|abbr=on}} in July 2022. He said he had lost 70 kg during a three-month span in 2021.<ref name=hochi300722/> In October 2025, he announced that he was the father of a daughter born on September 10.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/articles/-/363647|title=【大相撲】元小結・臥牙丸氏が第１子の長女誕生を報告「いいパパになれるように」|date=18 October 2025|publisher=Tokyo Sports|access-date=19 October 2025|lang=ja}}</ref>
==Career record== {{Sumo record box start|Gagamaru Masaru<ref>{{cite web|title=Gagamaru Masaru Rikishi Information|publisher=Sumo Reference|url=http://sumodb.sumogames.de/Rikishi.aspx?shikona=Gagamaru&heya=-1&shusshin=-1&b=-1&high=-1&hd=-1&entry=-1&intai=-1&sort=1|accessdate=2010-09-22}}</ref>}} {{Sumo record year start link|2005}} {{Basho}} {{Basho}} {{Basho}} {{Basho}} {{Basho}} {{Basho|MAEZUMOU}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start link|2006}} {{Basho|jk|34|w|7|0<br>Champion}} {{Basho|jo|28|e|6|1}} {{Basho|sa|64|w|4|3}} {{Basho|sa|45|w|5|2}} {{Basho|sa|16|w|5|2}} {{Basho|ma|55|w|6|1}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start link|2007}} {{Basho|ma|24|w|3|4}} {{Basho|ma|35|e|3|4}} {{Basho|ma|46|w|4|3}} {{Basho|ma|39|e|3|4}} {{Basho|ma|48|e|2|5}} {{Basho|sa|12|w|6|1}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start link|2008}} {{Basho|ma|35|w|4|3}} {{Basho|ma|27|w|3|4}} {{Basho|ma|35|e|2|5}} {{Basho|ma|54|w|4|3}} {{Basho|ma|43|w|4|3}} {{Basho|ma|32|w|6|1}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start link|2009}} {{Basho|ma|13|e|6|1}} {{Basho|ma|3|e|3|4}} {{Basho|ma|6|w|4|3}} {{Basho|ma|5|w|3|4}} {{Basho|ma|10|e|7|0|P<br>Champion}} {{Basho|j|14|e|8|7}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start link|2010}} {{Basho|j|13|e|12|3<br>Champion}} {{Basho|j|3|e|8|7}} {{Basho|j|1|w|10|5}} {{Basho|m|12|e|5|10}} {{Basho|m|15|e|10|5}} {{Basho|m|10|e|9|6}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start link|2011}} {{Basho|m|6|w|5|10}} {{Basho|CANCELLED|absent=0|<BR> <small>Match fixing investigation</small>|rank=m|r-no=14|tozai=e}} {{Basho|m|14|e|8|7}} {{Basho|m|7|w|5|10}} {{Basho|m|11|w|11|4|||f}} {{Basho|m|3|w|2|13}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start link|2012}} {{Basho|m|10|w|12|3||j|f}} {{Basho|k|1|e|6|9}} {{Basho|m|2|w|5|10}} {{Basho|m|7|e|10|5}} {{Basho|m|2|w|4|11}} {{Basho|m|7|e|8|7}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start link|2013}} {{Basho|m|4|e|6|9}} {{Basho|m|6|e|5|10}} {{Basho|m|11|w|11|4}} {{Basho|m|2|w|3|12}} {{Basho|m|9|e|6|9}} {{Basho|m|13|w|8|7}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start link|2014}} {{Basho|m|12|e|8|7}} {{Basho|m|9|w|6|9}} {{Basho|m|14|e|7|8}} {{Basho|m|15|e|5|10}} {{Basho|j|3|w|5|10}} {{Basho|j|5|w|8|7}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start link|2015}} {{Basho|j|2|w|11|4}} {{Basho|m|15|w|11|4}} {{Basho|m|6|e|7|8|||*}} {{Basho|m|6|w|6|9}} {{Basho|m|9|e|6|9}} {{Basho|m|11|e|8|7}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start link|2016}} {{Basho|m|9|w|7|8}} {{Basho|m|10|e|5|10}} {{Basho|m|15|e|6|9}} {{Basho|j|1|e|8|7}} {{Basho|m|12|e|5|10}} {{Basho|m|16|e|8|7}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start link|2017}} {{Basho|m|13|e|5|10}} {{Basho|j|2|e|7|8}} {{Basho|j|3|e|9|6}} {{Basho|m|16|e|3|12}} {{Basho|j|7|w|5|10}} {{Basho|j|12|e|10|5}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start link|2018}} {{Basho|j|5|w|8|7}} {{Basho|j|5|e|8|7}} {{Basho|j|2|w|4|11}} {{Basho|j|9|w|7|8}} {{Basho|j|12|e|6|9}} {{Basho|ma|1|e|5|2}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start link|2019}} {{Basho|j|14|e|8|7}} {{Basho|j|8|e|8|7}} {{Basho|j|7|e|9|6}} {{Basho|j|2|w|3|12}} {{Basho|j|10|e|6|9}} {{Basho|j|12|w|1|12|2}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start link|2020}} {{Basho|ma|9|e|0|3|4}} {{Basho|KYUJO|rank=ma|r-no=44|tozai=w}} {{Basho|CANCELLED|rank=sa|r-no=28|tozai=e|absent=0|<BR> <SMALL>State of Emergency </SMALL>}} {{Basho|KYUJO|rank=sa|r-no=28|tozai=e}} {{Basho|KYUJO|rank=sa|r-no=85|tozai=w}} {{Basho|INTAI|rank=jo|r-no=46|tozai=e|absent=5}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record box end}}
==See also== *List of sumo tournament top division runners-up *List of sumo tournament second division champions *Glossary of sumo terms *List of past sumo wrestlers *List of non-Japanese sumo wrestlers *List of komusubi
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{Goo Sumo|A=|2868}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gagamaru Masaru}} Category:1987 births Category:Living people Category:Expatriate sportspeople from Georgia (country) in Japan Category:Sumo wrestlers from Georgia (country) Category:Komusubi Category:Sportspeople from Tbilisi