Chiyonoyama Masanobu

Chiyonoyama Masanobu
千代の山 雅信
Personal information
Born Masaharu Sugimura
(1926-06-02)June 2, 1926
Fukushima, Hokkaidō, Japan
Died October 29, 1977(1977-10-29) (aged 51)
Sapporo, Japan
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Weight 122 kg (269 lb)
Career
Stable Dewanoumi
Record 403-158-147 (2 draws)
Debut January 1942
Highest rank Yokozuna (May 1951)
Retired January 1959
Championships 6 (Makuuchi)
2 (Jūryō)
Special Prizes Outstanding Performance (1)
Fighting Spirit (1)
Gold Stars 3
Haguroyama
Terukuni
Maedayama
* Up to date as of July 2007.

Chiyonoyama Masanobu (千代の山 雅信, June 2, 1926 – October 29, 1977) was a sumo wrestler from Fukushima, Hokkaidō, Japan. He was the sport's 41st yokozuna. He was also the founder of Kokonoe stable.

Career

The son of a fisherman, he joined Dewanoumi stable in January 1942. He injured his knee in his first tournament, an injury that was to trouble him for the rest of his career.[1] He reached the second highest jūryō division in November 1944 and made his debut in the top makuuchi division in November 1945. In his first tournament he won all ten of his bouts but was denied the championship as in the absence of any playoff system in the event of a tie, it was simply awarded to the wrestler higher in rank (in this case, yokozuna Haguroyama).[2] In May 1949 he defeated three yokozuna, finishing with a 12-3 record, and was promoted to ōzeki. He won two consecutive championships in October 1949 and January 1950 but was denied promotion to yokozuna as the Sumo Association felt he was rather young at twenty three and with his second championship being "only" a 12-3 they wanted to wait until they were sure he was ready.[1] He was eventually promoted in May 1951 after winning his third championship with a 14-1 record. He is the first yokozuna to be promoted without being awarded a licence by the house of Yoshida Tsukasa. During his yokozuna career he missed many bouts through injury and in 1953 even asked to be demoted back to ōzeki so he could start over again. The Sumo Association refused this unprecedented request.[2] Chiyonoyama finally took his first championship as a yokozuna in January 1955 and won two more thereafter, in March 1955 and January 1957. He announced his retirement in January 1959.

Statue of Chiyonoyama in his Fukushima birthplace

Retirement from sumo

Chiyonoyama had expected to take over as head coach of Dewanoumi stable after the death of the former boss Tsunenohana in 1960, but he lost a succession battle to former maegashira Dewanohana. After yokozuna Sadanoyama married Dewanohana's daughter, Chiyonoyama realised he had no chance to take over and so asked to leave and set up his own stable. This was allowed on the condition that he also leave the Dewanoumi ichimon (group of stables).[2] In March 1967 he set up Kokonoe stable, taking ōzeki (later yokozuna) Kitanofuji and nine other recruits with him. In 1970 future yokozuna Chiyonofuji, also from Fukushima, Hokkaidō, joined the stable. Chiyonoyama died of liver cancer aged fifty one in 1977.

Pre-modern top division record

Chiyonoyama[3]
- Spring
Haru basho, Tokyo
Summer
Natsu basho, Tokyo
Autumn
Aki basho, Tokyo
1945 Not held East Jūryō #2
61
Champion

 
East Maegashira #10
100
 
1946 Not held Not held East Maegashira #1
103
 
1947 Not held West Sekiwake #1
Sat out due to injury
0015
West Maegashira #1
83
1948 Not held West Sekiwake #1
461draw
 
West Maegashira #1
83
F
1949 West Sekiwake #1
85
 
East Sekiwake #1
123
O
West Ōzeki #1
132
 
1950 East Ōzeki #1
123
 
East Ōzeki #1
96
 
East Ōzeki #1
114
 
1951 East Ōzeki #1
87
 
East Ōzeki #1
141
 
West Yokozuna #2
96
 
1952 West Yokozuna #2
132
 
West Yokozuna #1
105
 
West Yokozuna #1
114
 
- New Year
Hatsu basho, Tokyo
Spring
Haru basho, Osaka
Summer
Natsu basho, Tokyo
Autumn
Aki basho, Tokyo
1953 East Yokozuna #1
447
 
East Yokozuna #2
159
 
East Yokozuna #2
Sat out due to injury
0015
West Yokozuna #2
114
 
1954 West Yokozuna #1
105
 
East Yokozuna #2
105
 
West Yokozuna #1
123
 
East Yokozuna #1
123
 
1955 East Yokozuna #1
123P
 
East Yokozuna #1
132P
 
East Yokozuna #1
87
 
East Yokozuna #2
1041draw
 
1956 West Yokozuna #1
4110
 
West Yokozuna #2
87
 
West Yokozuna #2
114
 
East Yokozuna #1
Sat out due to injury
0015
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Top Division Runner-up 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

Modern top division record

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
1957 West Yokozuna #2
150
 
East Yokozuna #1
105
 
East Yokozuna #2
Sat out due to injury
0015
Not held West Yokozuna #2
582
 
West Yokozuna #2
Sat out due to injury
0015
1958 West Yokozuna #2
123
 
East Yokozuna #1
123
 
East Yokozuna #1
123
 
West Yokozuna #1
Sat out due to injury
0015
East Yokozuna #2
1410
 
East Yokozuna #2
Sat out due to injury
0015
1959 East Yokozuna #2
Retired
339
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Top Division Runner-up 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. 1 2 Kuroda, Joe (December 2005). "Rikishi of Old". sumofanmag.com. Retrieved 2007-07-04.
  2. 1 2 3 Sharnoff, Lora (1993). Grand Sumo. Weatherhill. ISBN 0-8348-0283-X.
  3. "Chiyonoyama Masanobu Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2007-07-15.
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41st Yokozuna
1951 - 1959
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Yokozuna is not a successive rank, and more than one wrestler can share the title
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