Asahikuni Masuo

Asahikuni Masuo
Personal information
Born Takeo Ōta
April 25, 1947
Hokkaidō, Japan
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 8 12 in)
Weight 121 kg (267 lb)
Career
Stable Tatsunami
Record 635-479-72
Debut July, 1963
Highest rank Ōzeki (May, 1976)
Retired September, 1979
Championships 1 (Jūryō)
1 (Makushita)
Special Prizes Fighting Spirit (1)
Technique(6)
Gold Stars 2 (Kotozakura (1), Kitanofuji (1))
* Up to date as of August 2012.

Asahikuni Masuo (旭國斗雄 , born April 25, 1947 as Takeo Ōta ( 太田武雄)) is a former sumo wrestler from Hokkaidō, Japan. His highest rank was ōzeki. After his retirement he set up Ōshima stable which he ran from 1980 until he left the Japan Sumo Association in 2012 upon reaching the age of 65.

Career

Born in Aibetsu, Kamikawa District, Asahikuni made his professional debut in July 1963, joining Tatsunami stable. He reached the second highest jūryō division in March 1969 and the top makuuchi division just two tournaments after that. In 1970 he dropped to jūryō once again but he returned to the top division in 1972, reaching sekiwake in November.

At the beginning of 1976 Asahikuni put together two strong records of 12-3 and 13-2, finishing as runner-up in both tournaments, and this earned him promotion to the rank of ōzeki. It had taken him 77 tournaments from his professional debut to reach ōzeki, which at the time was the slowest ever.[1] His best tournament result came in July 1977 when he lost just one bout, but he finished as runner-up to Kitanoumi who won with a perfect record. Asahikuni was never able to win a top division championship, this being his fourth and final runner-up performance.

He retired in September 1979 after 21 tournaments as an ōzeki. His retirement was enforced, as he had broken his shoulder in a bout with Mienoumi.[2] The two wrestlers had been friends as well as rivals, having made their professional debuts in the same month, and their friendship survived the incident.[2]

Fighting style

Asahikuni was an extremely skilful wrestler, earning the nickname "the PhD of sumo",[3] such was his knowledge of a wide variety of techniques. He won the prestigious Ginō-shō, or Technique prize, on six occasions. He achieved this despite the fact that he suffered regularly from pancreatitis and was known even to commute to tournaments from hospital.[3] He specialised in a left hand outside, right hand inside grip on his opponent's mawashi, migi-yotsu, from which he regularly won by shitatenage, or underarm throw. He was also one of very few wrestlers to use tottari, or arm pull.

Retirement from sumo

Asahikuni stayed in the sumo world as an elder under the name of Ōshima Oyakata. In 1980 he established Ōshima stable, despite strong opposition from his old stable boss Tatsunami.[3] Ōshima stable produced yokozuna Asahifuji and in later years the Mongolians Kyokushūzan and Kyokutenhō. In all Ōshima produced ten sekitori, nine of whom went on to reach the top division. He also worked as a shinpan or judge of tournament bouts and was on the Japan Sumo Association's board of directors until 2010 when he lost an election to Takanohana. Upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 65 in April 2012 Ōshima stable was dissolved with its wrestlers moving to Tomozuna stable.[4] Kyokutenhō has Japanese citizenship and may revive Ōshima stable when he retires from active competition.[5]

Career record

Asahikuni Masuo[6]
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
1963 x x x (Maezumo) West Jonokuchi #11
61
 
West Jonidan #11
61
 
1964 West Sandanme #84
52
 
West Sandanme #53
52
 
East Sandanme #25
52
 
East Makushita #93
43
 
West Makushita #81
25
 
West Sandanme #6
43
 
1965 East Makushita #90
43
 
West Makushita #78
34
 
West Makushita #87
16
 
East Sandanme #21
43
 
East Sandanme #9
52
 
East Makushita #79
52
 
1966 East Makushita #66
43
 
East Makushita #60
43
 
East Makushita #55
25
 
West Makushita #73
43
 
West Makushita #63
52
 
West Makushita #44
34
 
1967 West Makushita #50
43
 
West Makushita #39
70
Champion

 
East Makushita #11
34
 
West Makushita #13
25
 
East Makushita #26
52
 
West Makushita #12
43
 
1968 West Makushita #9
34
 
West Makushita #11
43
 
East Makushita #8
52
 
East Makushita #2
25
 
East Makushita #11
43
 
East Makushita #6
52
 
1969 West Makushita #3
52
 
West Jūryō #13
105
 
West Jūryō #5
114
 
East Maegashira #11
78
 
West Maegashira #12
87
 
East Maegashira #6
69
 
1970 West Maegashira #11
87
 
East Maegashira #9
672
 
East Maegashira #13
96
 
West Maegashira #6
411
 
East Jūryō #1
87
 
West Jūryō #1
Sat out due to injury
0015
1971 East Jūryō #10
87
 
East Jūryō #9
78
 
West Jūryō #10
96
 
East Jūryō #5
87
 
East Jūryō #3
123
Champion

 
East Maegashira #10
87
 
1972 West Maegashira #4
0114
 
East Jūryō #1
105
 
West Maegashira #10
87
 
West Maegashira #7
96
 
West Maegashira #3
105
T
West Sekiwake #1
411
 
1973 East Maegashira #5
87
 
West Maegashira #1
87
 
East Maegashira #1
69
 
West Maegashira #3
87
 
West Sekiwake #1
0312
 
East Maegashira #8
96
 
1974 West Maegashira #2
411
 
West Maegashira #9
114
T
West Maegashira #1
96
East Maegashira #1
87
West Komusubi #1
78
 
West Maegashira #1
78
 
1975 West Maegashira #2
105
 
West Komusubi #1
429
 
East Maegashira #4
114
T
East Komusubi #1
114
T
West Sekiwake #1
96
T
West Sekiwake #1
87
 
1976 East Sekiwake #1
123
F
East Sekiwake #1
132P
T
East Ōzeki #1
96
 
West Ōzeki #1
96
 
West Ōzeki #1
105
 
West Ōzeki #1
105
 
1977 East Ōzeki #1
0312
 
East Ōzeki #3
96
 
East Ōzeki #2
96
 
East Ōzeki #2
96
 
West Ōzeki #1
141
 
East Ōzeki #1
87
 
1978 West Ōzeki #2
105
 
East Ōzeki #2
105
 
West Ōzeki #1
87
 
West Ōzeki #1
96
 
West Ōzeki #1
312
 
West Ōzeki #2
96
 
1979 West Ōzeki #2
96
 
West Ōzeki #2
366
 
West Ōzeki #2
87
 
West Ōzeki #2
87
 
West Ōzeki #1
Retired
44
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: Makuuchi Jūryō Makushita Sandanme Jonidan Jonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna Ōzeki Sekiwake Komusubi Maegashira

See also

References

  1. "2012 May Grand Sumo Tournament Banzuke Topics". Japan Sumo Association. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Kuroda, Joe (October 2008). "Rikishi of Old". Sumo Fan Magazine. Retrieved 12 February 2008.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Sharnoff, Lora (1993). Grand Sumo. Weatherhill. ISBN 0-8348-0283-X.
  4. 親方定年で大島部屋力士が友綱へ転属 (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 25 March 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  5. 大島部屋、力士7人友綱部屋に移籍 親方定年で 部屋一時消滅 (in Japanese). Nikkei. 24 March 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  6. "Asahikuni Masuo Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2012-07-29.

External links