Tomoefuji Toshihide

巴富士俊英
Tomoefuji Toshihide
Personal information
Born Toshihide Kurosawa
January 27, 1971 (1971-01-27) (age 41)
Kazuno, Akita
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Weight 142 kg (310 lb; 22.4 st)
Career
Heya Kokonoe
Record 354-307-97
Debut May, 1986
Highest rank Komusubi (July, 1992)
Retired September, 1998
Yūshō 1 (Jonidan)
Sanshō Fighting Spirit (1)
* Career information is correct as of February 2009.

Tomoefuji Toshihide (born 27 January 1971 as Toshihide Kurosawa) is a former sumo wrestler from Akita Prefecture, Japan. His highest rank was komusubi.

Contents

Career

Born in Kazuno, he was scouted by yokozuna Chiyonofuji after winning several children's sumo competitions in his native Akita Prefecture.[1] At junior high school he was a rival of the future Wakanohana.[1] He joined Chiyonofuji's Kokonoe stable and made his professional debut in May 1986. He made the sandanme division in November 1987 but then missed two tournaments and fell back to the lowest jonokuchi division. In July 1988 he won his first (and only) yusho or tournament championship in the jonidan division with a perfect 7-0 record. He reached the third highest makushita division a year later.

While in the makushita division he performed the yumitori-shiki or bow-twirling ceremony that takes place at the end of every tournament day, from 1989 to 1990. He reached sekitori status in July 1990 upon promotion to the jūryō division and in January 1991 made his debut in the makuuchi top division. He scored ten wins in his debut and was awarded the Fighting Spirit sansho or special prize. Tomoefuji seemed to have broken the jinx against performers of the yumitori-shiki ceremony having a successful career in sumo.[1]

In May 1992 he became the only sekitori in his stable, following the retirements of Hokutoumi and Takanofuji. Just a year earlier the stable had had two yokozuna, Hokutoumi and Chiyonofuji.[1] Tomoefuji's subsequent career was blighted by injuries. He was involved in a training accident with Akebono shortly before the July 1992 tournament, which led to Akebono having to miss his debut tournament as ozeki. Tomoefuji made his debut in the sanyaku ranks at komusubi in that tournament, but had to pull out on the second day. He never managed to return to the rank. Restricted by an injury to his right knee, in September 1993 he was demoted back to the jūryō division after a poor 4-11 record. He missed two tournaments in 1994, falling to the bottom of the division, and in May 1995 he lost sekitori status altogether after falling back to makushita. He fought his last competitive match in March 1998. He was still listed on the banzuke ranking sheets in September but had fallen to sandanme 85, the lowest rank ever recorded by a former sanyaku wrestler, upon which he announced his retirement from sumo. He left the Sumo Association upon retiring.

Fighting style

Tomoefuji's favourite techniques were hidari-yotsu, (a right hand outside, left hand inside grip on his opponents' mawashi) shitatenage, (underarm throw) and yorikiri (force out).

Top division record

Tomoefuji Toshihide[2]


year in sumo January
Hatsu basho, Tokyo
March
Haru basho, Osaka
May
Natsu basho, Tokyo
July
Nagoya basho, Nagoya
September
Aki basho, Tokyo
November
Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
1991 West Maegashira #15
10–5
F
West Maegashira #6
5–10
 
West Maegashira #13
8–7
 
West Maegashira #9
9–6
 
East Maegashira #4
0–2–13
 
East Maegashira #16
9–6
 
1992 East Maegashira #12
8–7
 
West Maegashira #6
9–6
 
West Maegashira #1
8–7
 
West Komusubi
0–2–13
 
East Maegashira #13
9–6
 
West Maegashira #6
10–5
 
1993 East Maegashira #2
6–9
 
West Maegashira #4
9–6
 
West Maegashira #1
3–12
 
East Maegashira #8
5–10
 
West Maegashira #13
4–11
 
(Juryo)
1994 (Juryo) (Juryo) (Juryo) (Juryo) (Juryo) (Juryo)
1995 (Juryo) (Juryo) (Juryo) (Makushita) (Makushita) (Makushita)
1996 (Makushita) (Makushita) (Makushita) (Makushita) (Makushita) (Makushita)
1997 (Makushita) (Makushita) (Makushita) (Makushita) (Makushita) (Makushita)
1998 (Makushita) (Makushita) (Makushita) (Sandanme) East Sandanme #85
Retired
0–0–7
x
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Retired Lower Divisions

Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique     Also shown: =Kinboshi(s) P=Playoff(s)
Divisions: MakuuchiJūryōMakushitaSandanmeJonidanJonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: YokozunaŌzekiSekiwakeKomusubiMaegashira

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Sharnoff, Lora (1993). Grand Sumo. Weatherhill. pp. 118. ISBN 0-8348-0283-x. 
  2. ^ "Tomoefuji Toshihide Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. http://sumodb.sumogames.com/Rikishi.aspx?r=157. Retrieved 18 February 2009. 

External links