Kirinji Kazuharu
Encyclopedia
Kirinji Kazuharu is a former sumo
wrestler from Kashiwa
, Chiba Prefecture
, Japan
. His highest rank was sekiwake. During his long career he won several awards and set a number of longevity records. He is now a sumo coach.
. At first he fought under his own surname of Tarusawa, before adopting the shikona
of Kirinji in January 1974 upon promotion to the second highest jūryō division. The shikona had previously been used by one of his stablemates, ozeki Daikirin.
Kirinji reached the top makuuchi
division in September 1974 and remained there for 84 tournaments, a record at the time second only to Takamiyama's 97. The run was not consecutive however, as he dropped to jūryō briefly in November 1979 after sitting out the previous tournament through injury. He fought in 1221 top division bouts in total, the fifth highest in history. He spent ten tournaments at komusubi rank, the first in March 1975 and the last thirteen years later in January 1988, making him one of the oldest postwar sanyaku wrestlers. He reached his highest rank of sekiwake for the first time in July 1975 and held it on seven occasions in total. He never won a top division tournament but was a runner-up on two occasions, to Kitanoumi in September 1978 and to Chiyonofuji in March 1982. He won eleven sanshō
, or special prizes, placing him joint tenth on the all-time list, and earned six kinboshi
or gold stars for defeating yokozuna. His last kinboshi against Onokuni in May 1988 came just two tournaments before his retirement.
His spirited match with Fujizakura
in May 1975 was particularly memorable and was enjoyed by the then Emperor Hirohito, a sumo fan. After fierce thrusting attacks from both sides, Kirinji eventually won the bout with an uwatenage
, or outer arm throw. He was awarded the Fighting Spirit prize at the end of that tournament. The bout was later released on DVD as one of the "Best Matches in the 20th Century."
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 Kashiwa
Kashiwa, Chiba
is a city located in northern Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2011, the city had an estimated population of 404,820 and a population density of 3520 persons per km²...
, Chiba Prefecture
Chiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...
, 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...
. His highest rank was sekiwake. During his long career he won several awards and set a number of longevity records. He is now a sumo coach.
Career
He made his professional debut in May 1967 at the age of just 14, joining Nishonoseki stableNishonoseki Stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Nishonoseki group of stables named after it. It first appeared in the late eighteenth century and was re-established in its current form in 1935 by the 32nd Yokozuna Tamanishiki while still active...
. At first he fought under his own surname of Tarusawa, before adopting the shikona
Shikona
A shikona is a sumo wrestler's ring name.As with standard Japanese names, a shikona consists of a 'surname' and a 'given' name, and the full name is written surname first. However, the given name is rarely used outside formal or ceremonial occasions. Thus, the former yokozuna Asashōryū Akinori is...
of Kirinji in January 1974 upon promotion to the second highest jūryō division. The shikona had previously been used by one of his stablemates, ozeki Daikirin.
Kirinji reached 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 September 1974 and remained there for 84 tournaments, a record at the time second only to Takamiyama's 97. The run was not consecutive however, as he dropped to jūryō briefly in November 1979 after sitting out the previous tournament through injury. He fought in 1221 top division bouts in total, the fifth highest in history. He spent ten tournaments at komusubi rank, the first in March 1975 and the last thirteen years later in January 1988, making him one of the oldest postwar sanyaku wrestlers. He reached his highest rank of sekiwake for the first time in July 1975 and held it on seven occasions in total. He never won a top division tournament but was a runner-up on two occasions, to Kitanoumi in September 1978 and to Chiyonofuji in March 1982. He won eleven sanshō
Sansho (Sumo)
Sanshō are the three special prizes awarded to top division sumo wrestlers for exceptional performance during a sumo honbasho or tournament. The prizes were first awarded in November 1947.-Criteria:...
, or special prizes, placing him joint tenth on the all-time list, and earned six kinboshi
Kinboshi
Kinboshi is a notation used in professional sumo wrestling to record a lower-ranked wrestler's victory over a yokozuna....
or gold stars for defeating yokozuna. His last kinboshi against Onokuni in May 1988 came just two tournaments before his retirement.
His spirited match with Fujizakura
Fujizakura Yoshimori
Fujizakura Yoshimori is a former sumo wrestler from Kōfu, Yamanashi, Japan. His highest rank was sekiwake. He wrestled for Takasago stable. He has one of the longest professional careers of any wrestler, fighting 1613 bouts in total, of which 1543 were consecutive. This latter record is second...
in May 1975 was particularly memorable and was enjoyed by the then Emperor Hirohito, a sumo fan. After fierce thrusting attacks from both sides, Kirinji eventually won the bout with an uwatenage
Kimarite
Kimarite are winning techniques in a sumo bout. For each bout in a Grand Sumo tournament , a sumo referee, or gyoji, will decide and announce the type of kimarite used by the winner...
, or outer arm throw. He was awarded the Fighting Spirit prize at the end of that tournament. The bout was later released on DVD as one of the "Best Matches in the 20th Century."
Retirement from sumo
Two days into the September 1988 tournament, where at 35 years of age he was the oldest in his division, Kirinji pulled out with a knee injury. He announced his retirement from sumo on the 14th day. He has remained in the sumo world as a coach at Nishonoseki stable, and is now known as Kitajin Oyakata.Top division record
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 second division winners
- List of sumo record holders