Tokitsuumi Masahiro

Tokitsuumi Masahiro
時津海 正博
Personal information
Born	Masahiro Sakamoto (1973-11-08) November 8, 1973 Nagasaki, Japan
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	133 kg (293 lb)
Career
Stable	Tokitsukaze
Record	466-485-43
Debut	March 1996
Highest rank	Maegashira 3 (November 2001)
Retired	October 2007
Championships	2 (Jūryō)
Special Prizes	4 (Technique)
* Up to date as of October 2007.

Tokitsuumi Masahiro (born November 8, 1973 as Masahiro Sakamoto) is a former professional sumo wrestler from Fukue, Nagasaki, Japan. A former amateur sumo champion, he turned professional in 1996. His highest rank was maegashira 3. He became the head coach of Tokitsukaze stable in 2007 following the dismissal of the previous stablemaster.

Early life

With influence from his father, Tokitsuumi participated in sumo competitions from the age of three, and after a stint with judo in junior high school, he began practicing sumo again in high school and university. He did very well in sumo at Tokyo University of Agriculture, but after graduating, he passed an entrance test to begin working at a printing company and was planning to have a career with them. But, his father, after seeing his continued success in amateur sumo, suggested he try his hand at professional sumo. Soon afterwards, he was recruited by the former ōzeki Yutakayama, a fellow Tokyo University of Agriculture graduate, and joined his Tokitsukaze stable. He made his debut in March 1996 at the age of 22.

Career

After joining at the bottom of the third makushita division, Tokitsuumi took just over a year to reach the elite sekitori ranks, making the second highest jūryō division in May 1997. He won the jūryō division championship at his first attempt with a 12-3 record, but then fell flat with a 5-10 mark in the next tournament. In July 1998 he produced a 10-5 score at the rank of Jūryō 2 and was promoted to the top makuuchi division for September.

Tokitsuumi had a long career in the top makuuchi division. His four special prizes for Technique were evidence of his ability, but he always struggled when promoted above the mid-level maegashira ranks. He never reached a san'yaku rank, his highest rank being maegashira 3. A poor result in 2005 took him down to jūryō but he immediately recovered his position in makuuchi by winning the jūryō championship for the second time in July 2005. His best score in the top division was a 12-3 result in January 2006. Just two tournaments later he suffered an injury which took him down to jūryō once again, and it took him three tournaments to get back. However he showed few signs of slowing down, comfortably holding his own in the lower maegashira ranks in 2007.

Fighting style

Tokitsuumi was a yotsu-sumo wrestler who preferred fighting on the mawashi to pushing or thrusting. His favoured grip was migi-yotsu, with his left hand outside and right hand inside his opponent's arms. He won over 40 per cent of his matches by yori-kiri, or force out.^[1] He was also fond of shitatenage, or underarm throw.

Retirement

On October 9, 2007, he suddenly retired from being an active sumo wrestler and became shishō (head coach) of Tokitsukaze stable, after the previous head coach (former komusubi Futatsuryū) was dismissed by the Japan Sumo Association for his involvement in a hazing scandal.^[2][3] He was initially reluctant to do so, having not yet reached san'yaku, but was persuaded by the former Yutakayama, who had always regarded him as his preferred successor. He was a popular choice among his fellow wrestlers.

In a highly unusual move, the banzuke for the November 2007 honbasho ("Kyūshū basho") contained a blank space in the rank where Tokitsuumi's shikona ought to have appeared (West maegashira #11). Ordinarily, when a wrestler retires he does not succeed immediately as a heya-mochi no oyakata, or head coach and owner of a heya. In this case, due to the unusual nature of the dismissal of the previous Tokitsukaze-oyakata, he acquired both the heya and toshiyori-kabu (coaching license) for the Tokitsukaze name immediately on retirement. Had his shikona remained on the banzuke he would therefore have been listed twice. The blank space was left to avoid the confusion in the rankings that would otherwise result. The last time a comparable situation occurred was in 1873, when two wrestlers were expelled from professional sumo as agitators. They formed a new organization (modern Takasago stable). On that occasion, their names were blotted out of the banzuke with ink.

His official retirement ceremony, or danpatsu-shiki, took place at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan on October 5, 2008.

In June 2010 he faced censure for his involvement in the gambling scandal rocking the sumo world, after it was revealed that he had illegally bet on baseball while still an active wrestler.^[4] On July 4 he was demoted to the lowest toshiyori level on the elder hierarchy, and will not be re-promoted for at least five years.^[5]

Career record

See also

• Glossary of sumo terms
• List of sumo tournament second division champions
• List of past sumo wrestlers
• List of sumo elders

References

External links

• Tokitsuumi Masahiro's official biography (English) at the Grand Sumo Homepage