Toyozakura Toshiaki
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Toshiaki Mukō | |
| Date of birth | March 12, 1974 | |
| Place of birth | Hiroshima, Japan | |
| Height | 1.82 m (5 ft 111⁄2 in) | |
| Weight | 137 kg (300 lb) | |
| Career* | ||
| Heya | Michinoku, formerly Tatsutagawa | |
| Current rank | Jūryō 3 | |
| Record | 572-542-20 | |
| Debut | March, 1989 | |
| Highest rank | Maegashira 5 (September, 2004) | |
| Yusho | 1 (Jūryō) 2 (Makushita) 1 (Sandanme) |
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| Special Prizes | Fighting Spirit (1) | |
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* Career information is correct as of May 2008. |
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Toyozakura Toshiaki (born March 12, 1974 as Toshiaki Mukō) is a sumo wrestler from Hiroshima, Japan. His highest rank has been maegashira 5. He is the younger brother of Kitazakura.
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[edit] Career
Toyozakura's father was also a sumo wrestler, who fought under the same shikona or sumo name, but he never climbed higher than the fourth sandanme division. He encouraged his son to join a different stable than Kitakazura, so Toyozakura joined Tatsutagawa stable. This stable folded in 2000 upon the stablemaster's retirement and Toyozakura is now a member of Michinoku stable. He made his professional debut in March 1989. He first reached elite sekitori status in September 1998 upon promotion to the second juryo division but he could not maintain that rank. It took him another five years to reach the top division, which he finally achieved in November 2003 after re-entering the second division in September 2002. The 88 tournaments it took him to get there is the fourth slowest ever.
Toyozakura has spent 14 tournaments in the top makuuchi division, two more than his brother, and has also reached a higher rank, maegashira 5. He achieved this rank after a strong 12-3 record in July 2004, where he finished runner-up to Yokozuna Asashōryū, winning the Fighting Spirit prize. This impressive performance however, appears to be a one-off. He has only managed a majority of wins against losses in two further makuuchi tournaments, and has not appeared in the top division since January 2007.
Toyozakura's favourite techniques are open-handed thrusts known as tsuppari, and simple pushes to the opponent's chest, oshi-dashi.
In May 2008 it emerged that the previous January Toyozakura had beaten a junior wrestler in his stable up to ten times with a ladle, so badly that he required eight stitches.[1] Coming in the wake of the death of trainee Takeshi Saito, he was severely criticised for such actions and issued an apology. Both he and his stablemaster Michinoku Oyakata were docked 30 percent of their salary by the Japan Sumo Association for three months.[2]
[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 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | x | x | x | x | x | East Maegashira #14 6–9 |
| 2004 | (Jūryō) | West Maegashira #15 6–9 |
(Jūryō) | East Maegashira #14 12–3 F |
East Maegashira #5 5–10 |
East Maegashira #8 3–12 |
| 2005 | (Jūryō) | West Maegashira #14 8–7 |
West Maegashira #10 4–11 |
West Maegashira #16 9–6 |
West Maegashira #11 4–11 |
(Jūryō) |
| 2006 | West Maegashira #12 7–8 |
East Maegashira #14 4–11 |
(Jūryō) | West Maegashira #14 5–10 |
(Jūryō) | East Maegashira #8 5–10 |
| 2007 | East Maegashira #12 3–12 |
(Jūryō) | (Jūryō) | (Jūryō) | (Jūryō) | (Jūryō) |
| 2008 | (Jūryō) | (Jūryō) | (Jūryō) | 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 |
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