Tokitsuumi Masahiro
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Masahiro Sakamoto | |
| Date of birth | November 8, 1973 | |
| Place of birth | Nagasaki, Japan | |
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | |
| Weight | 133 kg (290 lb) | |
| Career* | ||
| Heya | Tokitsukaze | |
| Record | 466-485-43 | |
| Debut | March 1996 | |
| Highest rank | Maegashira 3 (November 2001) | |
| Retired | October 2007 | |
| Yusho | 2 (Jūryō) | |
| Special Prizes | 4 (Technique) | |
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* Career information is correct as of October 2007. |
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Tokitsuumi Masahiro (born November 8, 1973 as Masahiro Sakamoto) is a former professional sumo wrestler from Fukue, Nagasaki, Japan.
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[edit] Early life
With influence from his father, Tokitsuumi participated in sumo competitions from the age of three, and after a stint with judo in junior high school, he began practicing sumo again in high school and university. He did very well in sumo at Tokyo Nogyo University, but after graduating, he passed an entrance test to began working at a printing company and was planning to have a career with them. But, his father, after seeing his continued success in amateur sumo, suggested he try his hand at professional sumo. Soon afterwards, he joined Tokitsukaze stable and made his debut in March 1996 at the age of 22.
[edit] Career
After joining at the bottom of the third makushita division, Tokitsuumi took just over a year to reach the elite sekitori ranks, making the second highest jūryō division in May 1997. He won the jūryō division championship at his first attempt with a 12-3 record, but then fell flat with a 5-10 mark in the next tournament. In July 1998 he produced a 10-5 score at the rank of Jūryō 2 and was promoted to the top makuuchi division for September.
Tokitsuumi had a long career in the top makuuchi division. His four special prizes for Technique were evidence of his ability, but he always struggled when promoted above the mid-level maegashira ranks. He never reached a sanyaku rank, his highest rank being maegashira 3. A poor result in 2005 took him down to jūryō but he immediately recovered his position in makuuchi by winning the jūryō championship for the second time in July 2005. His best score in the top division was a 12-3 result in January 2006. Just two tournaments later he suffered an injury which took him down to jūryō once again, and it took him three tournaments to get back. However he showed few signs of slowing down, comfortably holding his own in the lower maegashira ranks in 2007.
On October 9, 2007, he suddenly retired from being an active sumo wrestler and became shishō (head coach) of Tokitsukaze stable, after the previous head coach (former komusubi Futatsuryu) was dismissed by the Japan Sumo Association.
[edit] November 2007 banzuke
In a highly unusual move, the banzuke for the November 2007 honbasho ("Kyūshū basho") contained a blank space in the rank where Tokitsuumi's shikona ought to have appeared (West maegashira #11). Ordinarily, when a wrestler retires he does not succeed immediately as a heya-mochi no oyakata, or head coach and owner of a heya. In this case, due to the unusual nature of the dismissal of the previous Tokitsukaze-oyakata, he acquired both the heya and toshiyori-kabu (coaching license) for the Tokitsukaze name immediately on retirement. Had his shikona remained on the banzuke he would therefore have been listed twice. The blank space was left to avoid the confusion in the rankings that would otherwise result.
The last time a comparable situation occurred was in 1873, when two wrestlers were expelled from professional sumo as agitators. They formed a new organization (modern Takasago stable). On that occasion, their names were blotted out of the banzuke with ink.
[edit] Top division record
| January Hatsu basho, Tokyo |
March Haru basho, Osaka |
May Natsu basho, Tokyo |
July Nagoya basho, Nagoya |
September Aki basho, Tokyo |
November Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | x | x | x | x | West Maegashira #14 8–7 |
East Maegashira #13 9–6 |
| 1999 | East Maegashira #5 4–11 |
West Maegashira #11 9–6 |
West Maegashira #6 4–11 |
East Maegashira #13 8–7 |
East Maegashira #10 7–8 |
East Maegashira #12 8–7 |
| 2000 | West Maegashira #11 9–6 |
East Maegashira #7 7–8 |
West Maegashira #8 5–10 |
West Maegashira #11 9–6 |
East Maegashira #10 7–8 |
East Maegashira #12 8–7 |
| 2001 | West Maegashira #9 8–7 |
East Maegashira #4 6–9 |
West Maegashira #6 4–11 |
West Maegashira #13 11–4 T |
West Maegashira #4 9–6 |
East Maegashira #3 2–13 |
| 2002 | East Maegashira #11 11–4 T |
West Maegashira #4 2–6–7 |
Sat out due to injury | East Maegashira #11 8–7 |
West Maegashira #6 7–8 |
West Maegashira #7 8–7 |
| 2003 | West Maegashira #4 5–10 |
East Maegashira #8 8–5–2 |
Sat out due to injury | East Maegashira #7 9–6 T |
West Maegashira #3 5–10 |
West Maegashira #6 8–7 |
| 2004 | East Maegashira #4 7–8 |
East Maegashira #5 8–7 |
East Maegashira #4 7–8 |
East Maegashira #6 6–9 |
West Maegashira #8 5–10 |
East Maegashira #14 8–7 |
| 2005 | East Maegashira #12 5–10 |
East Maegashira #16 8–7 |
West Maegashira #12 3–12 |
(Jūryō) | West Maegashira #14 4–11 |
(Jūryō) |
| 2006 | West Maegashira #14 12–3 T |
West Maegashira #5 2–13 |
East Maegashira #16 2–9–4 |
(Jūryō) | (Jūryō) | (Jūryō) |
| 2007 | West Maegashira #12 8–7 |
West Maegashira #10 8–7 |
East Maegashira #6 3–12 |
East Maegashira #11 8–7 |
West Maegashira #7 5–10 |
West Maegashira #11 Retired 0–0–15 |
| Record given as win-loss-absent Championship Retired Demoted from makuuchi Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique Also shown: ★=Kinboshi |
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[edit] References
- ^ Rikishi in Juryo and Makunouchi (English). szumo.hu. Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
