Ryūko Seihō

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ryūko Seihō (龍虎勢朋, Ryūko Seihō^?) (born January 9, 1941) is a former sumo wrestler with the Hanakago beya and an actor and celebrity in Japan. He was born in Ōta, Tokyo. His highest rank in sumo was komusubi.

[edit] Sumo

Ryūko made his tournament debut in the January 1957 basho. He reached the juryō division in 1967, and makuuchi in 1968. The following year, he defeated yokozuna Taihō, scoring the first of his two kinboshi. His 1970 rise to sanyaku was followed by a 1971 torn achilles tendon, as a result of which he missed three successive tournaments and was demoted from makuuchi. He returned to sumo, and regained his position in makuuchi, scoring his second kinboshi (against Kitanoumi) in 1975. Unfortunately, on the first match of the May tournament in that year, he tore the other achilles tendon, and retired from sumo.

During his career, he earned several awards, taking the Shukunshō twice and the Kantōshō four times.

[edit] Acting

Ryūko played the station chief in the 1977 live-actor film version of Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo. He joined the cast of the jidaigeki Abarenbo Shogun during the first series (about 175 episodes), and continued through the second series (about 190 episodes). His character was a retired sumo wrestler named Ryūko. He also appeared as a guest star in an episode of the fifth series.