Azumafuji Kin'ichi
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese
sumo
wrestler from Taitō
, Tokyo
, Japan
. He was the sport's 40th Yokozuna, and later a professional wrestler.
. He was promoted to the top makuuchi
division in May 1943. On the sixth day of the November 1944 tournament, he defeated yokozuna Futabayama
, the last wrestler ever to do so as Futabayama pulled out of the tournament the next day and only fought one more bout before his retirement. Azumafuji was promoted to ozeki in June 1945 on the strength of two runner-up performances. He won his first top division championship in May 1948, and was promoted to the top yokozuna rank in October of that year after finishing as runner-up. Unusually, he managed to win his debut yokozuna tournament, in January 1949.
On the 12th day of the September 1951 tournament, he recorded a azukari, or hold, a rare result. On that day, he had come down with acute pneumonia
but he forced himself to continue in the tournament as he had only one loss. Azumafuji fought with then ozeki Yoshibayama
twice, but the outcome still could not be determined. After the second bout, Azumafuji couldn't stand up any more and conceded defeat, but the gentlemanly Yoshibayama insisted that the fairest result was to declare a hold, which was confirmed by the officials. Azumafuji went on to win the tournament, his fourth championship.
Azumafuji won his sixth and final championship in September 1953, and struggled with injuries after that. In September 1954, ozeki Tochinishiki
seemed certain to win his second consecutive championship. Azumafuji suddenly announced his retirement at that tournament, not wishing to hinder Tochinshiki's promotion to yokozuna. Had he remained, Tochinishiki would have had to become a fifth active yokozuna, an unprecedented situation. Tochinishiki reportedly asked Azumafuji to reconsider his decision, but to no avail.
, in 1955. This occurred after a dispute in the Japan Sumo Association
between two other elders, Takasago and Tatsunami, which he wished to escape. In April 1955 he won the Hawaii
an Tag Team
title in Honolulu alongside another former sumo wrestler turned professional wrestler, Rikidōzan
. In 1956 he defeated former judo
ka Toshio Yamaguchi to win the Japanese Heavyweight tournament. This tournament was supposed to give him a shot at Rikidozan, at the time Japanese Heavyweight Champion, but the match never took place.
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 120%"
|-
!
!New Year
!Summer
!Autumn
|-
|1943
|x
|East Maegashira #8 (10-5)
| no tournament held
|-
|1944
| West Maegashira #1 (7-4-4)
| East Maegashira #2 (6-4)
| West Sekiwake (9-1)
|-
|1945
| no tournament held
| East Sekiwake (6-1)
| East Ōzeki (9-1)
|-
|1946
| no tournament held
| no tournament held
| East Ōzeki (7-6)
|-
|1947
| no tournament held
|West Ōzeki (9-1)
|West Ōzeki (6-5)
|-
|1948
| no tournament held
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (10-1)
|West Ōzeki (10-1)
|-
|1949
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Yokozuna (10-2-1draw)
|East Yokozuna (8-7)
|West Yokozuna (10-5)
|-
|1950
|West Yokozuna (6-6-3)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Yokozuna (14-1)
|East Yokozuna (11-4)
|-
|1951
|West Yokozuna (10-5)
|East Yokozuna (12-3)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Yokozuna (13-1-1hold)
|-
|1952
|East Yokozuna (7-4-4)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Yokozuna (13-2)
|East Yokozuna (7-7-1)
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 120%"
|-
!
!New Year
!March
!May
!September
|-
|1953
|West Yokozuna (2-5-8)
|West Yokozuna (12-3)
|East Yokozuna (11-4)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Yokozuna (14-1)
|-
|1954
|East Yokozuna (3-7-5)
|West Yokozuna (5-3-7)
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out
|East Yokozuna (4-4-7) (Retired)
{|
| Green Box=Tournament Championship
|}
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
sumo
Sumo
is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...
wrestler from Taitō
Taito, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Taito City.As of April 1, 2011, the ward has an estimated population of 168,909, with 94,908 households, and a population density of 16,745.86 persons per km². The total area is 10.08 km².-History:The ward was founded...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He was the sport's 40th Yokozuna, and later a professional wrestler.
Sumo career
He made professional debut in January 1936, joining Takasago stableTakasago stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Takasago group of stables.It is correctly written in Japanese as "髙砂部屋", but the first of these kanji is rare, and is more commonly written as "高砂部屋"....
. He was promoted to the top makuuchi
Makuuchi
or is the top division of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers , ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments....
division in May 1943. On the sixth day of the November 1944 tournament, he defeated yokozuna Futabayama
Futabayama Sadaji
Futabayama Sadaji , born as Akiyoshi Sadaji in Oita Prefecture, Japan, was the 35th Yokozuna in sumo wrestling, from 1937 until 1945. He won twelve top division championships and had a winning streak of 69 consecutive bouts, an all-time record. Despite his dominance he was extremely popular with...
, the last wrestler ever to do so as Futabayama pulled out of the tournament the next day and only fought one more bout before his retirement. Azumafuji was promoted to ozeki in June 1945 on the strength of two runner-up performances. He won his first top division championship in May 1948, and was promoted to the top yokozuna rank in October of that year after finishing as runner-up. Unusually, he managed to win his debut yokozuna tournament, in January 1949.
On the 12th day of the September 1951 tournament, he recorded a azukari, or hold, a rare result. On that day, he had come down with acute pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
but he forced himself to continue in the tournament as he had only one loss. Azumafuji fought with then ozeki Yoshibayama
Yoshibayama Junnosuke
Yoshibayama Junnosuke , real name Junnosuke Ikeda, was a sumo wrestler from Atsuta, Hokkaidō, Japan. He was the sport's 43rd Yokozuna. He suffered a number of injuries and only one won tournament championship, but he was a popular wrestler...
twice, but the outcome still could not be determined. After the second bout, Azumafuji couldn't stand up any more and conceded defeat, but the gentlemanly Yoshibayama insisted that the fairest result was to declare a hold, which was confirmed by the officials. Azumafuji went on to win the tournament, his fourth championship.
Azumafuji won his sixth and final championship in September 1953, and struggled with injuries after that. In September 1954, ozeki Tochinishiki
Tochinishiki Kiyotaka
Tochinishiki Kiyotaka was a sumo wrestler from Tokyo, Japan. He was the sport's 44th Yokozuna. He won ten top division yusho or tournament championships and was a rival of fellow yokozuna Wakanohana I...
seemed certain to win his second consecutive championship. Azumafuji suddenly announced his retirement at that tournament, not wishing to hinder Tochinshiki's promotion to yokozuna. Had he remained, Tochinishiki would have had to become a fifth active yokozuna, an unprecedented situation. Tochinishiki reportedly asked Azumafuji to reconsider his decision, but to no avail.
Professional wrestling career
He was the first yokozuna to turn to Western-style professional wrestlingProfessional wrestling in Japan
Puroresu is the popular term for the predominant style or genre of professional wrestling that has developed in Japan. The term comes from the Japanese pronunciation of "professional wrestling" , which is shortened to puroresu . The term became popular among English-speaking fans due to Hisaharu...
, in 1955. This occurred after a dispute in the Japan Sumo Association
Japan Sumo Association
The is the body that operates and controls professional sumo wrestling in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Rikishi , gyōji , tokoyama , and yobidashi , are all on the Association's payroll, but the organisation is run...
between two other elders, Takasago and Tatsunami, which he wished to escape. In April 1955 he won the Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
an Tag Team
Tag Team
Tag Team was a hip hop/pop rap duo from Atlanta, Georgia, United States active from 1993 up to 1995. The duo was made up of Cecil Glenn and Steve Gibson . They are best known for their #1 single, "Whoomp! ", which was released in 1993, but rereleased as a remix in 2000...
title in Honolulu alongside another former sumo wrestler turned professional wrestler, Rikidōzan
Rikidozan
, better known as Rikidōzan , was a Korean Japanese professional wrestler, known as the "Father of Puroresu" and one of the most influential men in wrestling history. Initially, he had moved from his native country Korea to Japan to become a sumo wrestler...
. In 1956 he defeated former judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
ka Toshio Yamaguchi to win the Japanese Heavyweight tournament. This tournament was supposed to give him a shot at Rikidozan, at the time Japanese Heavyweight Champion, but the match never took place.
Top division record
*Two tables represent a change in the tournament system over the years{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 120%"
|-
!
!New Year
!Summer
!Autumn
|-
|1943
|x
|East Maegashira #8 (10-5)
| no tournament held
|-
|1944
| West Maegashira #1 (7-4-4)
| East Maegashira #2 (6-4)
| West Sekiwake (9-1)
|-
|1945
| no tournament held
| East Sekiwake (6-1)
| East Ōzeki (9-1)
|-
|1946
| no tournament held
| no tournament held
| East Ōzeki (7-6)
|-
|1947
| no tournament held
|West Ōzeki (9-1)
|West Ōzeki (6-5)
|-
|1948
| no tournament held
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (10-1)
|West Ōzeki (10-1)
|-
|1949
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Yokozuna (10-2-1draw)
|East Yokozuna (8-7)
|West Yokozuna (10-5)
|-
|1950
|West Yokozuna (6-6-3)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Yokozuna (14-1)
|East Yokozuna (11-4)
|-
|1951
|West Yokozuna (10-5)
|East Yokozuna (12-3)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Yokozuna (13-1-1hold)
|-
|1952
|East Yokozuna (7-4-4)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Yokozuna (13-2)
|East Yokozuna (7-7-1)
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 120%"
|-
!
!New Year
!March
!May
!September
|-
|1953
|West Yokozuna (2-5-8)
|West Yokozuna (12-3)
|East Yokozuna (11-4)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Yokozuna (14-1)
|-
|1954
|East Yokozuna (3-7-5)
|West Yokozuna (5-3-7)
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out
|East Yokozuna (4-4-7) (Retired)
- The wrestler's East/West designation, rank, and win/loss record are listed for each tournament.
- A third figure in win-loss records represents matches sat-out during the tournament (usually due to injury)
- an X signifies the wrestler had yet to reach the top division at that point in his career
{|
| Green Box=Tournament Championship
|}
See also
- Glossary of sumo termsGlossary of sumo termsThe following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. azukari : Hold. A kind of draw. After a mono-ii, the gyōji or the shimpan "holds" the result if it was too close to call...
- List of past sumo wrestlers
- List of sumo tournament winners
- List of yokozuna