Wakamisugi Akiteru
Encyclopedia
Wakamisugi Akiteru was a sumo
wrestler from Kagawa
, Japan
. The highest rank he achieved was sekiwake.
. He entered professional sumo in March 1955, recruited by Hanakago stable
. He used a variety of different shikona
, including his own surname of Sugiyama, Kunikaze and Misugiiso, before adopting the name Wakamisugi when he reached sekitori
status upon promotion to the juryo division in May 1958. He was promoted to the top makuuchi
division in November 1958. He won the top division championship in May 1960 from the rank of maegashira 4. After losing to ozeki Wakahaguro on the opening day of the tournament he won his next 14 bouts. One of his wins was by default, over yokozuna Tochinishiki who had announced his retirement the previous day. He had a genuine victory over yokozuna Asashio
on Day 4. He finished with a 14-1 record, one win ahead of yokozuna Wakanohana
, who he did not have to fight as they were members of the same stable
. It was his first and only tournament win.
In September 1962 Wakamisugi changed his shikona once again, to Daigō Hisateru. He was a tournament runner-up in November 1962 and November 1965, both times to Taiho
. He held the sekiwake rank ten times in total, including seven tournaments in a row from May 1963 to May 1964. He earned eight kinboshi
for defeating yokozuna (most of them coming after he dropped from the sekiwake rank in 1964) and five came from the same yokozuna, Tochinoumi.
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 Kagawa
Kagawa
Kagawa can refer to:* Kagawa Prefecture * Kagawa District, Kagawa * Kagawa, Kagawa , town located in Kagawa District* Kagawa Station , train station in Chigasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture* 6665 Kagawa, main-belt asteroid-People:...
, 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...
. The highest rank he achieved was sekiwake.
Career
He was born as Noburu Sugiyama in MarugameMarugame, Kagawa
is a city located in Kagawa, Japan.-Geography:As of 2008, the city had an estimated population of 110,550 and the density of 989 persons per km². Marugame occupies the centre of an alluvial plain. The total area is 111.79 km².-Points of interest:...
. He entered professional sumo in March 1955, recruited by 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...
. He used a variety of different shikona
Shikona
A shikona is a sumo wrestler's ring name.As with standard Japanese names, a shikona consists of a 'surname' and a 'given' name, and the full name is written surname first. However, the given name is rarely used outside formal or ceremonial occasions. Thus, the former yokozuna Asashōryū Akinori is...
, including his own surname of Sugiyama, Kunikaze and Misugiiso, before adopting the name Wakamisugi when he reached sekitori
Sekitori
A sekitori is a sumo wrestler who is ranked in one of the top two professional divisions: makuuchi and juryo.Currently there are 70 rikishi in these divisions...
status upon promotion to the juryo division in May 1958. He was promoted to 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 1958. He won the top division championship in May 1960 from the rank of maegashira 4. After losing to ozeki Wakahaguro on the opening day of the tournament he won his next 14 bouts. One of his wins was by default, over yokozuna Tochinishiki who had announced his retirement the previous day. He had a genuine victory over yokozuna Asashio
Asashio Taro III
Asashio Tarō III was a sumo wrestler from Kobe, Hyogo, Japan. He was the sport's 46th Yokozuna. He was also a sumo coach and head of Takasago stable.-Career:...
on Day 4. He finished with a 14-1 record, one win ahead of yokozuna Wakanohana
Wakanohana Kanji I
was a sumo wrestler, the sport's 45th Yokozuna .Wakanohana's younger brother was the late former ozeki Takanohana Kenshi and he was the uncle of Takanohana Koji and Wakanohana Masaru...
, who he did not have to fight as they were members of the same stable
Heya
In sumo wrestling, a heya , usually translated into English as stable, is an organization of sumo wrestlers where they train and live. All wrestlers in professional sumo must belong to one. There are currently 49 heya , all but four of which belong to one of five ichimon...
. It was his first and only tournament win.
In September 1962 Wakamisugi changed his shikona once again, to Daigō Hisateru. He was a tournament runner-up in November 1962 and November 1965, both times to Taiho
Taiho Koki
Taihō Kōki is the 48th Yokozuna in the Japanese sport of sumo wrestling. He is generally regarded as the greatest sumo wrestler of the post-war period. He became a yokozuna in 1961 at the age of 21, the youngest ever at the time, and he won a record 32 tournaments between 1960 and 1971...
. He held the sekiwake rank ten times in total, including seven tournaments in a row from May 1963 to May 1964. He earned eight kinboshi
Kinboshi
Kinboshi is a notation used in professional sumo wrestling to record a lower-ranked wrestler's victory over a yokozuna....
for defeating yokozuna (most of them coming after he dropped from the sekiwake rank in 1964) and five came from the same yokozuna, Tochinoumi.
Retirement from sumo
He retired in May 1967 and became an elder of the Sumo Association under the name Araiso, working as a coach at Hanakago stable until his death.Top division record
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 sumo tournament winners
- List of past sumo wrestlers