Wakashimazu Mutsuo
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Mutsuo Hidaka | |
| Date of birth | January 12, 1957 | |
| Place of birth | Kagoshima, Japan | |
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | |
| Weight | 122 kg (270 lb) | |
| Career* | ||
| Heya | Futagoyama | |
| Record | 515-330-21 | |
| Debut | March, 1975 | |
| Highest rank | Ozeki (January, 1983) | |
| Retired | July, 1987 | |
| Yusho | 2 (Makuuchi) 1 (Juryo) 1 (Jonokuchi) |
|
| Special Prizes | Fighting Spirit (2) Technique (3) |
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| Gold stars | 2 | |
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* Career information is correct as of July 2007. |
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Wakashimazu Mutsuo (born 12 January 1957 as Mutsuo Hidaka) is a former sumo wrestler from Nakatane, Kagoshima, Japan.
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[edit] Career
Wakashimazu wrestled for Futagoyama stable, joining in March 1975. Unlike most professional sumo wrestlers, he did not join from junior high school but instead joined after completing high school. He was a high school sumo champion but needed some persuasion from his stablemaster that he would be able to put on enough weight to succeed in professional sumo.[1] He reached the salaried sekitori ranks in March 1980 upon promotion to the juryo dvision and reached the top makuuchi division in January 1981. He scored 10 wins in his makuuchi debut. He moved quickly through the division, winning five special prizes, two for fighting spirit and three for technique. He reached sumo's second highest rank of ozeki in January 1983.
Wakashimazu was popular with the crowds and his lean and swarthy appearance led to him being nicknamed the "Black Panther".[1]His best year was in 1984, when he won more bouts than any other wrestler. He took two top division tournament championships in March and July, the second with a perfect 15-0 record, but he could manage only third place in the September 1984 tournament and missed out on promotion to the highest rank of yokozuna. He retired in July 1987 at the age of thirty, leaving the Futagoyama stable without anyone in the sanyaku ranks for the first time in over fifteen years. [1]
[edit] Retirement from sumo
After his retirement Wakashimazu set up his own training stable, Matsugane, early in 1990. The retirement of Harunoyama in November 2006 left the stable with no wrestlers in the top two divisions.
He is married to a former pop singer named Mizue Takada.
[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 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | East Maegashira #12 10–5 F |
East Maegashira #4 4–11 |
West Maegashira #9 8–7 |
East Maegashira #8 8–7 |
East Maegashira #3 7–8 |
West Maegashira #4 8–7 ★ |
| 1982 | West Maegashira #2 12–3 T★ |
West Sekiwake 8–7 |
West Sekiwake 7–8 |
East Komusubi 10–5 |
East Sekiwake 12–3 TF |
East Sekiwake 12–3 T |
| 1983 | West Ōzeki 10–5 |
East Ōzeki 8–3–4 |
West Ōzeki 13–2 |
West Ōzeki 11–4 |
West Ōzeki 13–2 |
East Ōzeki 11–4 |
| 1984 | East Ōzeki 11–4 |
East Ōzeki 14–1 |
East Ōzeki 9–6 |
East Ōzeki 15–0 |
East Ōzeki 11–4 |
East Ōzeki 11–4 |
| 1985 | East Ōzeki 9–6 |
West Ōzeki 12–3 |
West Ōzeki 10–5 |
West Ōzeki 4–4–7 |
West Ōzeki 9–6 |
West Ōzeki 3–12 |
| 1986 | East Ōzeki 8–7 |
West Ōzeki 7–8 |
West Ōzeki 9–6 |
West Ōzeki 9–6 |
West Ōzeki 8–7 |
West Ōzeki 8–7 |
| 1987 | East Ōzeki 5–10 |
East Ōzeki 8–7 |
West Ōzeki 4–9–2 |
West Ōzeki 0–3–retired |
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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[edit] References
- ^ a b c Sharnoff, Lorna (1993). Grand Sumo. Weatherhill. ISBN 0-8348-0283-x.
- ^ Wakashimazu Mutsuo Rikishi Information (English). Sumo Reference. Retrieved on 2007-07-20.
