Arase Nagahide
Encyclopedia
, real name was a sumo
wrestler from Ino
, Agawa District
, Kōchi Prefecture
, Japan
. An amateur sumo champion at Nihon University
, he made his professional debut in 1972.
Arase once wore a cream-coloured mawashi
, or belt, in a tournament, the only wrestler so far to do so. He reached the top makuuchi
division the following year. His highest rank was sekiwake. He was a member of Hanakago stable
and a stablemate of yokozuna Wajima
, a fellow Nihon University graduate. After his retirement in 1981 he was briefly an elder
of the Japan Sumo Association
under the name of Magaki but left in 1983, turning the name over to Wakanohana II
, and became a television personality
. He stood for election to the House of Councillors
in 2001, but was unsuccessful. He suffered a stroke
in 2006. He died of heart failure in 2008 at the age of 59.
Sumo
is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...
wrestler from Ino
Ino, Kochi
is a town located in Agawa District, Kōchi, Japan. The town is famous for the production of .On October 1, 2004 the village of Gohoku, also from Agawa District, and the village of Hongawa, from Tosa District, were merged into Ino, increasing its size by almost a factor of five.As of the merger with...
, Agawa District
Agawa District, Kochi
is a district located in Kōchi, Japan.As of January 1, 2008, the district has an estimated population of 35,108 and a density of 43.7 persons per km²...
, Kōchi Prefecture
Kochi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the south coast of Shikoku. The capital is the city of Kōchi.- History :Prior to the Meiji Restoration, Kōchi was known as Tosa Province and was controlled by the Chosokabe clan in the Sengoku period and the Yamauchi family during the Edo period.- Geography...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. An amateur sumo champion at Nihon University
Nihon University
Nihon University is the largest university in Japan. Akiyoshi Yamada, the minister of justice, founded Nihon Law School in October 1889....
, he made his professional debut in 1972.
Arase once wore a cream-coloured mawashi
Mawashi
In sumo, a mawashi is the belt that the rikishi wears during training or in competition. Upper ranked professional wrestlers wear a keshō-mawashi as part of the ring entry ceremony or dohyo-iri.-Mawashi:...
, or belt, in a tournament, the only wrestler so far to do so. He reached the top makuuchi
Makuuchi
or is the top division of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers , ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments....
division the following year. His highest rank was sekiwake. He was a member of Hanakago stable
Hanakago stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Nishonoseki group of stables. In its current form it dates from 1992 when it was revived by Daijuyama of the Futagoyama stable. The previous version of the stable had been wound up in 1985 when former yokozuna Wajima was forced to leave the Japan Sumo...
and a stablemate of yokozuna Wajima
Wajima Hiroshi
is a former sumo wrestler and professional wrestler from Nanao, Ishikawa, Japan. He was sumo's 54th Yokozuna. He won a total of 14 tournament championships or yusho during his career and retired in March 1981....
, a fellow Nihon University graduate. After his retirement in 1981 he was briefly an elder
Toshiyori
A toshiyori is a sumo elder of the Japan Sumo Association. Also known as oyakata, former wrestlers who reached a sufficiently high rank are the only people eligible...
of the Japan Sumo Association
Japan Sumo Association
The is the body that operates and controls professional sumo wrestling in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Rikishi , gyōji , tokoyama , and yobidashi , are all on the Association's payroll, but the organisation is run...
under the name of Magaki but left in 1983, turning the name over to Wakanohana II
Wakanohana Kanji II
Wakanohana Kanji II is a former sumo wrestler from Ōwani, Aomori, Japan. He was the sport's 56th Yokozuna. He is now the head coach of Magaki stable.-Early career:...
, and became a television personality
Tarento
is a Japanese rendering of the English word "talent" and is used as a catch-all term for mass media personalities who regularly appear on television. Detractors of the phenomenon have referred to it in an English sense as "famous just for being famous" because many that fall into this career line...
. He stood for election to the House of Councillors
House of Councillors
The is the upper house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers. If the two houses disagree on matters of the budget, treaties, or designation of the prime minister, the House of Representatives...
in 2001, but was unsuccessful. He suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in 2006. He died of heart failure in 2008 at the age of 59.