Chiyonoyama Masanobu
Encyclopedia
Chiyonoyama Masanobu was a sumo
wrestler from Fukushima
, Hokkaidō
, Japan
. He was the sport's 41st Yokozuna. He was also the founder of Kokonoe stable
.
in January 1942. He injured his knee in his first tournament, an injury that was to trouble him for the rest of his career. He reached the second highest juryo division in November 1944 and made his debut in the top makuuchi
division in November 1945. In his first tournament he won all ten of his bouts but was denied the championship as in the absence of any playoff system in the event of a tie, it was simply awarded to the wrestler higher in rank (in this case, Yokozuna Haguroyama
). In May 1949 he defeated three yokozuna, finishing with a 12-3 record, and was promoted to ozeki. He won two consecutive championships in October 1949 and January 1950 but was denied promotion to yokozuna as the Sumo Association felt he was rather young at twenty three and with his second championship being "only" a 12-3 they wanted to wait until they were sure he was ready. He was eventually promoted in May 1951 after winning his third championship with a 14-1 record. He is the first yokozuna to be promoted without being awarded a licence by the house of Yoshida Tsukasa. During his yokozuna career he missed many bouts through injury and in 1953 even asked to be demoted back to ozeki so he could start over again. The Sumo Association refused this unprecedented request. Chiyonoyama finally took his first championship as a yokozuna in January 1955 and won two more thereafter, in March 1955 and January 1957. He announced his retirement in January 1959.
in 1960, but he lost a succession battle to former maegashira Dewanohana. After yokozuna Sadanoyama
married Dewanohana's daughter, Chiyonoyama realised he had no chance to take over and so asked to leave and set up his own stable. This was allowed on the condition that he also leave the Dewanoumi ichimon (group of stables). In March 1967 he set up Kokonoe stable
, taking ozeki (later yokozuna) Kitanofuji and nine other recruits with him. In 1970 future yokozuna Chiyonofuji, also from Fukushima, Hokkaidō
, joined the stable. Chiyonoyama died of liver cancer aged fifty one in 1977.
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 120%"
|-
!
!New Year
!Summer
!Autumn
|-
|1945
| no tournament held
| x
| East Maegashira #10 (10-0)
|-
|1946
| no tournament held
| no tournament held
| East Maegashira #1 (10-3)
|-
|1947
| no tournament held
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out due to injury
|West Maegashira #1 (8-3)☆
|-
|1948
| no tournament held
|West Sekiwake (4-6-1draw)
|West Maegashira #1 (8-3)F☆☆
|-
|1949
|West Sekiwake (8-5)
|East Sekiwake (12-3)O
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (13-2)
|-
|1950
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Ōzeki (12-3)
|East Ōzeki (9-6)
|East Ōzeki (11-4)
|-
|1951
|East Ōzeki (8-7)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Ōzeki (14-1)
|West Yokozuna (9-6)
|-
|1952
|West Yokozuna (13-2)
|West Yokozuna (10-5)
|West Yokozuna (11-4)
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 120%"
|-
!
!New Year
!March
!May
!September
|-
|1953
|East Yokozuna (4-4-7)
|East Yokozuna (1-5-9)
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out due to injury
|West Yokozuna (11-4)
|-
|1954
|West Yokozuna (10-5)
|East Yokozuna (10-5)
|West Yokozuna (12-3)
|East Yokozuna (12-3)
|-
|1955
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Yokozuna (12-3-P)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Yokozuna (13-2)
|East Yokozuna (8-7)
|East Yokozuna (10-4-1draw)
|-
|1956
|West Yokozuna (4-1-10)
|West Yokozuna (8-7)
|West Yokozuna (11-4)
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out due to injury
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 120%"
|-
!
!New Year
!March
!May
!July
!September
!November
|-
|1957
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Yokozuna (15-0)
|East Yokozuna (10-5)
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out due to injury
| no tournament held
|West Yokozuna (5-8-2)
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out due to injury
|-
|1958
|West Yokozuna (12-3)
|East Yokozuna (12-3)
|East Yokozuna (12-3)
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out due to injury
|East Yokozuna (1-4-10)
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out due to injury
|-
|1959
|East Yokozuna (3-3-9) (Retired)
|x
|x
|x
|x
|x
{|
| Green Box=Tournament Championship
| F= Fighting Spirit Prize
| O= Outstanding Performance Prize
| T= Technique Prize
| ☆= Number of Kinboshi
.
|}
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 Fukushima
Fukushima, Hokkaido
is a town located in Matsumae District, Oshima, Hokkaidō, Japan.As of 2008, the town has an estimated population of 5,549 and a density of 30.28 persons per km². The total area is 187.23 km².Industries in the town include squid fishing and tourism...
, Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
, 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...
. He was the sport's 41st Yokozuna. He was also the founder of Kokonoe stable
Kokonoe stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Takasago group of stables. It was formed in 1967 and is located in Ishiwara, Sumida, Tokyo. As of April 2008 it had 16 sumo wrestlers.-History:...
.
Career
The son of a fisherman, he joined Dewanoumi stableDewanoumi stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers. It has a long, prestigious history. Its current head coach is former sekiwake Washuyama. As of November 2007 it had 21 wrestlers....
in January 1942. He injured his knee in his first tournament, an injury that was to trouble him for the rest of his career. He reached the second highest juryo division in November 1944 and made his debut in 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 in November 1945. In his first tournament he won all ten of his bouts but was denied the championship as in the absence of any playoff system in the event of a tie, it was simply awarded to the wrestler higher in rank (in this case, Yokozuna Haguroyama
Haguroyama Masaji
Haguroyama Masaji was a sumo wrestler from Nakanokuchi, Niigata, Japan. He was the sport's 36th yokozuna. He was a yokozuna for a period of twelve years and three months dating from his promotion to that rank in May 1941 until his retirement in September 1953, which is an all-time record...
). In May 1949 he defeated three yokozuna, finishing with a 12-3 record, and was promoted to ozeki. He won two consecutive championships in October 1949 and January 1950 but was denied promotion to yokozuna as the Sumo Association felt he was rather young at twenty three and with his second championship being "only" a 12-3 they wanted to wait until they were sure he was ready. He was eventually promoted in May 1951 after winning his third championship with a 14-1 record. He is the first yokozuna to be promoted without being awarded a licence by the house of Yoshida Tsukasa. During his yokozuna career he missed many bouts through injury and in 1953 even asked to be demoted back to ozeki so he could start over again. The Sumo Association refused this unprecedented request. Chiyonoyama finally took his first championship as a yokozuna in January 1955 and won two more thereafter, in March 1955 and January 1957. He announced his retirement in January 1959.
Retirement from sumo
Chiyonoyama had expected to take over as head coach of Dewanoumi stable after the death of the former boss Tsunenohana Kan'ichiTsunenohana Kan'ichi
Tsunenohana Kan'ichi was a sumo wrestler from Okayama, Japan. He was the sport's 31st Yokozuna.-Career:...
in 1960, but he lost a succession battle to former maegashira Dewanohana. After yokozuna Sadanoyama
Sadanoyama Shinmatsu
Sadanoyama Shinmatsu is a former sumo wrestler from Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 50th Yokozuna...
married Dewanohana's daughter, Chiyonoyama realised he had no chance to take over and so asked to leave and set up his own stable. This was allowed on the condition that he also leave the Dewanoumi ichimon (group of stables). In March 1967 he set up Kokonoe stable
Kokonoe stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Takasago group of stables. It was formed in 1967 and is located in Ishiwara, Sumida, Tokyo. As of April 2008 it had 16 sumo wrestlers.-History:...
, taking ozeki (later yokozuna) Kitanofuji and nine other recruits with him. In 1970 future yokozuna Chiyonofuji, also from Fukushima, Hokkaidō
Fukushima, Hokkaido
is a town located in Matsumae District, Oshima, Hokkaidō, Japan.As of 2008, the town has an estimated population of 5,549 and a density of 30.28 persons per km². The total area is 187.23 km².Industries in the town include squid fishing and tourism...
, joined the stable. Chiyonoyama died of liver cancer aged fifty one in 1977.
Top division record
*The different tables represent a change in the tournament system over the years{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 120%"
|-
!
!New Year
!Summer
!Autumn
|-
|1945
| no tournament held
| x
| East Maegashira #10 (10-0)
|-
|1946
| no tournament held
| no tournament held
| East Maegashira #1 (10-3)
|-
|1947
| no tournament held
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out due to injury
|West Maegashira #1 (8-3)☆
|-
|1948
| no tournament held
|West Sekiwake (4-6-1draw)
|West Maegashira #1 (8-3)F☆☆
|-
|1949
|West Sekiwake (8-5)
|East Sekiwake (12-3)O
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (13-2)
|-
|1950
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Ōzeki (12-3)
|East Ōzeki (9-6)
|East Ōzeki (11-4)
|-
|1951
|East Ōzeki (8-7)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Ōzeki (14-1)
|West Yokozuna (9-6)
|-
|1952
|West Yokozuna (13-2)
|West Yokozuna (10-5)
|West Yokozuna (11-4)
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 120%"
|-
!
!New Year
!March
!May
!September
|-
|1953
|East Yokozuna (4-4-7)
|East Yokozuna (1-5-9)
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out due to injury
|West Yokozuna (11-4)
|-
|1954
|West Yokozuna (10-5)
|East Yokozuna (10-5)
|West Yokozuna (12-3)
|East Yokozuna (12-3)
|-
|1955
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Yokozuna (12-3-P)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Yokozuna (13-2)
|East Yokozuna (8-7)
|East Yokozuna (10-4-1draw)
|-
|1956
|West Yokozuna (4-1-10)
|West Yokozuna (8-7)
|West Yokozuna (11-4)
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out due to injury
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 120%"
|-
!
!New Year
!March
!May
!July
!September
!November
|-
|1957
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Yokozuna (15-0)
|East Yokozuna (10-5)
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out due to injury
| no tournament held
|West Yokozuna (5-8-2)
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out due to injury
|-
|1958
|West Yokozuna (12-3)
|East Yokozuna (12-3)
|East Yokozuna (12-3)
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out due to injury
|East Yokozuna (1-4-10)
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out due to injury
|-
|1959
|East Yokozuna (3-3-9) (Retired)
|x
|x
|x
|x
|x
- The wrestler's East/West designation, rank, and win/loss record are listed for each tournament.
- A third figure in win-loss records represents matches sat-out during the tournament (usually due to injury)
- an X signifies the wrestler had yet to reach the top division at that point in his career
- "P" designates a win or loss of additional playoff bout(s) for the championship because two or more wrestlers finished with identical records
{|
| Green Box=Tournament Championship
| F= Fighting Spirit Prize
Sansho (Sumo)
Sanshō are the three special prizes awarded to top division sumo wrestlers for exceptional performance during a sumo honbasho or tournament. The prizes were first awarded in November 1947.-Criteria:...
| O= Outstanding Performance Prize
Sansho (Sumo)
Sanshō are the three special prizes awarded to top division sumo wrestlers for exceptional performance during a sumo honbasho or tournament. The prizes were first awarded in November 1947.-Criteria:...
| T= Technique Prize
Sansho (Sumo)
Sanshō are the three special prizes awarded to top division sumo wrestlers for exceptional performance during a sumo honbasho or tournament. The prizes were first awarded in November 1947.-Criteria:...
| ☆= Number of Kinboshi
Kinboshi
Kinboshi is a notation used in professional sumo wrestling to record a lower-ranked wrestler's victory over a yokozuna....
.
|}
See also
- Glossary of sumo termsGlossary of sumo termsThe following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. azukari : Hold. A kind of draw. After a mono-ii, the gyōji or the shimpan "holds" the result if it was too close to call...
- List of past sumo wrestlers
- List of sumo tournament winners
- List of yokozuna