Wajima Hiroshi

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輪島大士
Wajima Hiroshi
Personal information

Birth name	Hiroshi Wajima
Date of birth	January 11, 1948 (1948-01-11) (age 60)
Place of birth	Ishikawa, Japan
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	132 kg (290 lb)
Career*
Heya	Hanakago
Record	673-234-85
Debut	January 1970
Highest rank	Yokozuna (May, 1973)
Retired	March 1981
Yusho	14 (Makuuchi) 1 (Juryo) 2 (Makushita)
Special Prizes	Outstanding Performance (3) Fighting Spirit (2)
* Career information is correct as of August 2007.

Wajima Hiroshi (輪島大士, Wajima Hiroshi^?) (born January 11, 1948) is a former sumo wrestler and professional wrestler from Nanao, Ishikawa, Japan. He was sumo's 54th Yokozuna.

1 Sumo career
2 Retirement from sumo
3 Professional wrestling career
4 Top division record
5 References
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Sumo career

Wajima is the only former college champion to make sumo's highest rank and also the only wrestler to be allowed to compete as a yokozuna using his family name as his shikona, or fighting name. After graduating from Nihon University he made his professional debut in January 1970 at the age of 22, and he reached the top makuuchi division a year later. He was promoted to yokozuna in May 1973. He won a total of fourteen tournament championships during his career and retired in March 1981.

[edit] Retirement from sumo

Following his retirement Wajima took over as oyakata, or head coach, of Hanakago stable. However his time there was controversial. He lacked leadership qualities and most unusually did not even live in the stable, preferring to commute.^[1] Hanakago declined to the point when it did not have any top division wrestlers left. In 1982 his wife attempted suicide and he was demoted from his position as a shimpan or judge as a result.^[1] In 1985 he was pressured by fellow oyakata to resign from the Sumo Association altogether after it emerged that he was heavily in debt and had put up his shares in the Association as collateral on a loan, a practice strictly forbidden.^[1] The stable folded completely with all its wrestlers transferring to the affiliated Hanaregoma stable. ^[1]

[edit] Professional wrestling career

To pay off his debts, Wajima turned to pro wrestling. Shohei Baba, owner of All Japan Pro Wrestling, convinced him to join his promotion and train at their dojo. Because of his status as a former Yokozuna (the first since Kinichi Azumafuji to turn to pro wrestling), Wajima was pushed as a superstar, feuding with Stan Hansen over the PWF Heavyweight Championship. In the long run, however, accumulated injuries from his sumo years limited his potential as a professional wrestler, and he ended up retiring from the game altogether in 1988.

[edit] Top division record

Wajima Hiroshi^[2]
	January Hatsu basho, Tokyo	March Haru basho, Osaka	May Natsu basho, Tokyo	July Nagoya basho, Nagoya	September Aki basho, Tokyo	November Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
1971	West Maegashira #11 9–6	West Maegashira #5 5–10	East Maegashira #12 11–4 F	West Maegashira #2 6–9	East Maegashira #6 10–5	East Maegashira #1 11–4 F
1972	East Komusubi 10–5 O	West Sekiwake 9–6	West Sekiwake 12–3 O	East Sekiwake 8–7	East Sekiwake 13–2 O	East Ōzeki 11–4
1973	West Ōzeki 11–4	East Ōzeki 13–2	East Ōzeki 15–0	East Yokozuna 11–4	East Yokozuna 15–0	East Yokozuna 12–2–1
1974	East Yokozuna 12–3	East Yokozuna 12–3	East Yokozuna 10–5	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 9–6
1975	West Yokozuna 10–5	West Yokozuna 0–4–11	West Yokozuna 0–3–12	Sat out due to injury	West Yokozuna 10–5	West Yokozuna 11–4
1976	West Yokozuna 12–3	West Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 12–3	East Yokozuna 13–2
1977	West Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 12–3	West Yokozuna 11–4	West Yokozuna 15–0	East Yokozuna 10–5	West Yokozuna 14–1
1978	East Yokozuna 10–5	West Yokozuna 1–1–13	West Yokozuna 9–6	East Yokozuna 14–1	West Yokozuna 1–3–11	East Yokozuna 13–2
1979	West Yokozuna 10–5	East Yokozuna 12–3	East Yokozuna 12–3	East Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 10–5	West Yokozuna 10–5
1980	West Yokozuna 0–3–12	West Yokozuna 11–4	East Yokozuna 11–4	East Yokozuna 1–4–10	West Yokozuna 11–4	East Yokozuna 14–1
1981	East Yokozuna 10–5	West Yokozuna 1–2–retired	x	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

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Sharnoff, Lorna (1993). Grand Sumo. Weatherhill. ISBN 0-8348-0283-x.
^ Wajima Hiroshi (English). sumodb.sumogames.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-11.