Tochiazuma Daisuke

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栃東大裕
Tochiazuma Daisuke
Personal information

Birth name	Daisuke Shiga
Date of birth	November 9, 1976 (1976-11-09) (age 31)
Place of birth	Tokyo, Japan
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10+¹⁄₂ in)
Weight	155 kg (340 lb/24.4 st)
Web presence	website
Career*
Heya	Tamanoi
Record	560-317-169
Debut	November, 1994
Highest rank	Ōzeki (January, 2002)
Retired	May, 2007
Yusho	3 (Makuuchi) 1 (Jūryō) 1 (Makushita) 1 (Sandanme) 1 (Jonidan) 1 (Jonokuchi)
Special Prizes	Outstanding Performance (3) Fighting Spirit (2) Technique (7)
Gold stars	4
* Career information is correct as of May 2007.

Tochiazuma Daisuke (born November 9, 1976 as Daisuke Shiga in Tokyo, Japan) is a retired professional sumo wrestler. His highest rank was ozeki and he won three top division tournament championships. He retired due to health reasons in May 2007 and is now a sumo coach.

1 Early career
2 Ozeki
3 Retirement from sumo
4 Top division record
5 References
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Early career

Born in Adachi, Tochiazuma is the youngest son of former sekiwake and January 1972 tournament winner Tochiazuma Tomoyori, who was the first bearer of the Tochiazuma shikona (fighting name). After his career, Daisuke's father became an elder in the Japan Sumo Association with the name Tamanoi Tomoyori and began his own sumo stable, of which his son was a member.

The younger Tochiazuma entered professional sumo in November 1994, using his birth name as a shikona. He eventually adopted his father's old shikona when he reached the jūryō division in May 1996. He broke into the top makuuchi division at the end of that year. In July 1997, Tochiazuma was promoted to the prestigious sanyaku ranks and was a sekiwake for much of the time during the following years, although he bounced back and forth a few times due to injuries. He earned 12 sanshō prizes, including seven for Technique.

[edit] Ozeki

After three double figure scores and two consecutive runner-up performances Tochiazuma was promoted to ōzeki for the first time in January 2002, and instantly won the tournament – exactly 30 years after his father's own championship. He was the first ōzeki since Kiyokuni in 1969 to win the championship on his ōzeki debut.^[1] He also became the first wrestler since Haguroyama in 1941 to win the tournament championship in all six professional sumo divisions.^[1] Tochiazuma's other top division championship victories occurred in November 2003 and January 2006. However, he never won two consecutive tournaments, nor could he achieve an "equivalent performance" over three tournaments, which is needed for promotion to the top yokozuna rank. His January 2006 success brought Asashōryū's record run of seven consecutive tournament victories to an end, but Tochiazuma could manage only third place in the following tournament.

Tochiazuma holds the record for the number of times a wrestler has achieved promotion to the ōzeki rank after being demoted. He lost his ōzeki rank twice following injuries, but both times he came back by scoring at least ten wins. He is the only wrestler who has succeeded in doing so since the introduction of the current rules on ōzeki promotion and demotion in 1969. His most recent promotion to ōzeki in 2005 was especially spectacular, as even his own stable had suggested that the scapula injury he suffered in November 2004 could mean the end of his career.

[edit] Retirement from sumo

At the end of 2006, Tochiazuma underwent knee surgery, leaving him with little time to prepare for the 2007 New Year tournament. He managed only five wins there, but preserved his ōzeki status with eight wins in March. However, he pulled out of that tournament on the 12th day and was admitted to hospital, complaining of headaches and dizziness. He was diagnosed with high blood pressure and a brain scan revealed he had also suffered a mild stroke. On May 7, 2007, Tochiazuma announced his retirement from sumo.^[2] He plans to keep his ring name as he makes the transition into his role as oyakata, and hopes to take over his father's stable upon his retirement in September 2009.

Tochiazuma's danpatsu-shiki, or official retirement ceremony, took place on 2 February 2008 at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan, with around 10,000 people in attendance.

As of May 2008, his last tournament victory in January 2006 is also the last top division championship won by a Japanese born wrestler.

[edit] Top division record

Tochiazuma Daisuke^[3]
	January Hatsu basho, Tokyo	March Haru basho, Osaka	May Natsu basho, Tokyo	July Nagoya basho, Nagoya	September Aki basho, Tokyo	November Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
1996	x	x	x	x	x	West Maegashira #15 10–5 F
1997	West Maegashira #10 9–6	West Maegashira #4 6–9	East Maegashira #6 11–4 F	West Komusubi 9–6 T	West Sekiwake 10–5 T	East Sekiwake 7–8
1998	West Sekiwake 11–4 O	East Sekiwake 2–4–9	Sat out due to injury	West Maegashira #5 8–7 ★	West Maegashira #1 8–7	East Maegashira #1 10–5 T★
1999	West Komusubi 9–6	East Komusubi 8–7	East Komusubi 10–5	East Sekiwake 6–9	East Maegashira #1 10–5 O★★	West Sekiwake 10–5 T
2000	West Sekiwake 8–7	West Sekiwake 8–7	West Sekiwake 9–6	West Sekiwake 12–3 T	East Sekiwake 2–4–9	Sat out due to injury
2001	West Maegashira #4 10–5	East Komusubi 9–6 O	West Sekiwake 9–6	East Sekiwake 10–5 T	East Sekiwake 12–3	East Sekiwake 12–3 T
2002	West Ōzeki 13–2	East Ōzeki 10–5	West Ōzeki 10–5	East Ōzeki 3–2–10	Sat out due to injury	East Ōzeki 8–7
2003	East Ōzeki 0–6–9	Sat out due to injury	West Ōzeki 8–7	West Ōzeki 7–8	West Ōzeki 10–5	West Ōzeki 13–2
2004	East Ōzeki 9–6	East Ōzeki 0–3–12	Sat out due to injury	West Sekiwake 10–5	West Ōzeki 2–2–11	West Ōzeki 3–3–9
2005	West Sekiwake 11–4	West Ōzeki 10–5	West Ōzeki 12–3	East Ōzeki 9–6	West Ōzeki 10–5	East Ōzeki 2–2–11
2006	East Ōzeki 14–1	East Ōzeki 12–3	East Ōzeki 2–5–8	West Ōzeki 8–7	West Ōzeki 9–6	East Ōzeki 10–5
2007	West Ōzeki 5–10	West Ōzeki 8–4–3	West Ōzeki Retired 0–0–15	x	x	x
Record given as win-loss-absent Championship Retired Demoted from makuuchi Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique Also shown: ★=Kinboshi Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna — Ōzeki — Sekiwake — Komusubi — Maegashira