Asahifuji Seiya

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
In this Japanese shikona name, the surname is Asahifuji.
Asahifuji Seiya
旭富士 正也
Futahaguro
)
* Up to date as of August 2007.

Asahifuji Seiya (旭富士 正也, born Seiya Suginomori (杉野森 正也) on July 6, 1960) is a Japanese former professional

Terunofuji
.

Early life

He was born in the fishing town of

Kinki University.[1] However, tiring of the never-ending training, he gave up sumo for a while and spent his time fishing.[1] Eventually an acquaintance of his father introduced him to Ōshima-oyakata, former ōzeki Asahikuni, who had recently opened his own heya or stable of wrestlers, Ōshima stable.[1]

Early sumo career

Asahifuji made his professional debut in January 1981. He was already 20 years old, considerably older than most new recruits who tended to be 15 or 16 at the time. However, because of his amateur sumo experience he was able to work his way up the ranks very quickly and won tournament championships in the

sekiwake rank for the first time in January 1986. After regular training sessions at Takasago stable, where he knew Asashio from his university days,[2] he began to develop a more rounded technique,[1]
and after three double figure records he was promoted to sumo's second highest rank of ōzeki after the September 1987 tournament.

Ōzeki

In January 1988 Asahifuji won his first top division tournament championship, which was also the first for the Tatsunami-Isegahama

Futahaguro
's brief tenure at sumo top's rank.

After managing only 8–7 in the following tournament in July, Asahifuji endured a long slump. This was partly caused by longstanding pancreatic trouble,[2] which had first been diagnosed in 1984 and had also afflicted his stablemaster during his active days.[1] After a string of mediocre 8–7 and 9–6 scores it seemed Asahifuji would finish his career as an ōzeki. However, by mid-1990 his health began to improve, and after encouragement from his stablemaster, who reminded him that he would soon turn 30 years of age and was down to his last chance, he won consecutive championships in May and July 1990. He scored 14–1 in both tournaments, securing his yokozuna promotion on the final day in July by defeating yokozuna Chiyonofuji for only the fifth time in 28 meetings.

Yokozuna

Asahifuji began his yokozuna career with 12 straight wins in the September 1990 tournament, but he lost to

Konishiki
twice on the last day, once in their regulation match and once in the playoff, to finish with a 14–1 record.

This was to prove Asahifuji's only tournament championship as a yokozuna, as the rest of his career was dogged by illness and injury. He managed only a bare majority of 8–7 in July 1991, the last tournament he was to complete. He pulled out of the September 1991 tournament with an injured shoulder on the sixth day, and hampered by the return of his old pancreatic problems missed the November 1991 tournament altogether. He returned in January 1992 but after losing his opening three bouts to

danpatsu-shiki or retirement ceremony was held in September 1992. There were no active yokozuna at the time, so he was unable to follow the tradition of having one serve as his tachimochi and tsuyuharai
for the event.

After retirement

Asahifuji (middle, with glasses) watching a Yokozuna Deliberation Council training session, May 2017

Coaching career

Asahifuji has remained in the sumo world as a coach. He had married a niece of the former Kasugayama (former maegashira Ōnobori) in 1988, and seemed set to revive Kasugayama stable,[2] but instead he took over Ajigawa stable in 1993 due to the poor health of the previous incumbent (former sekiwake Mutsuarashi). In November 2007 Asahifuji acquired the Isegahama elder name and renamed his stable "Isegahama stable."

Both as Ajigawa and Isegahama, he had a prolific career, elevating several wrestlers to the top ranks of the sport. The first top division wrestler he produced was

Takarafuji reaching komusubi rank and Terunofuji, inherited from the defunct Magaki stable
, being promoted to ōzeki, both in 2015. Terunofuji fell to the jonidan division through injury in 2019. Isegahama refused to accept Terunofuji's request to be allowed to retire, and his faith was rewarded when Terunofuji staged a spectacular comeback and reached the yokozuna rank in July 2021.

In the final years of his coaching career, he continued to nurture promising young wrestlers, with Midorifuji winning promotion to makuuchi in 2021,[6] while Atamifuji and Nishikifuji advanced to that division in 2022.[7][8] In 2024, another pupil of Asahifuji, Takerufuji, made his makuuchi debut and became the first wrestler in 110 years to win the championship in his inaugural top division tournament.[9]

He has also worked as a judge at tournament matches.

Asahifuji turned 60 in July 2020. His kanreki dohyō-iri, originally postponed from May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[10] was held at Ryōgoku Kokugikan on 3 October 2021.[11] Two of Isegahama stable's retired wrestlers, Ajigawa (former sekiwake Aminishiki) and yokozuna Harumafuji, served as his tsuyuharai and tachimochi, respectively. He told reporters shortly after the original postponement that he would need to put on weight to be able to wear his tsuna.[12]

In April 2024, as head of his ichimon, he took on the responsibility of hosting Miyagino stable following the Hokuseihō violence scandal and the subsequent closure of the stable. The merger of the two stables made Isegahama stable the largest active stable in the sport.[13][14]

Scandals and board resignations

Asahifuji submitted Harumafuji's retirement papers to the Sumo Association on 29 November 2017 after the yokozuna took responsibility for an assault on fellow Mongolian

Tottori restaurant and bar the previous month. At a subsequent news conference Isegahama shed tears as he told reporters, "I've watched him grow since he was 16 and have never seen or heard of him being violent before... I can't imagine why it happened."[15] At a meeting on 20 December 2017 the Sumo Association accepted Isegahama's resignation as a director.[16]
He was moved to the competition inspection committee as a deputy chairman. He returned to the board of directors in 2020 as head of the judging department.

On 26 December 2022 Asahifuji again submitted his resignation as a member of the Japan Sumo Association's Board of Directors after it was found that two junior wrestlers in his stable acted violently against younger wrestlers, with the victims beaten with wooden beams and burned with chankonabe hot water poured on their backs. According to the Sumo Association, Asahifuji knew about these incidents but failed to report them. When the board concluded that he should be demoted in sumo's hierarchy as punishment, he instead submitted his resignation. One of the wrestlers held responsible was suspended for two tournaments, while the other had already submitted his retirement papers, which were accepted.[17] Asahifuji's resignation from the board resulted in him vacating his position as the head of the judging department.[18] The following month it was confirmed through the Sumo Association's website that he had been demoted two ranks to yakuin taigu iin (executive member) and was appointed deputy director of the guidance promotion department.[19]

Fighting style

Asahifuji's favoured

Asahikuni, whose view was that by winning by his own idiosyncratic methods, he would be unable to cure his faults.[20] Asahifuji himself claimed in an interview with Channel 4 television to have no favourite technique, but did say that while "everyone likes to throw an opponent, that's not sumo."[21]

Career record

Asahifuji Seiya[22]
Year January
Hatsu basho, Tokyo		 March
Haru basho, Osaka		 May
Natsu basho, Tokyo		 July
Nagoya basho, Nagoya		 September
Aki basho, Tokyo		 November
Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
1981 (Maezumo) West Jonokuchi #27
7–0
Champion
 		 East Jonidan #44
6–1
 		 West Sandanme #77
7–0–P
Champion
 		 East Makushita #60
4–3
 		 West Makushita #47
7–0
Champion
 
1982 East Makushita #2
5–2
 		 West Jūryō #10
9–6
 		 West Jūryō #6
6–9
 		 West Jūryō #8
9–6
 		 East Jūryō #4
7–8
 		 West Jūryō #6
9–6
 
1983 East Jūryō #1
10–5
 		 West Maegashira #10
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #4
4–11
 		 East Maegashira #11
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #5
8–7
 		 West Komusubi #1
6–9
 
1984 East Maegashira #4
1–3–11
 		 East Maegashira #14
9–6
 		 East Maegashira #6
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #2
8–7
★		 West Komusubi #1
5–10
 		 East Maegashira #5
11–4
F
1985 East Komusubi #1
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #1
9–6
T		 East Komusubi #1
8–7
 		 East Komusubi #1
5–10
 		 East Maegashira #2
10–5
T		 East Komusubi #1
8–7
 
1986 West Sekiwake #1
11–4
O		 East Sekiwake #1
7–8
 		 West Komusubi #1
11–4
O		 East Sekiwake #1
4–11
 		 East Maegashira #2
8–7
★		 West Komusubi #1
7–8
 
1987 East Maegashira #1
8–7
 		 West Sekiwake #1
10–5
 		 West Sekiwake #1
10–5
T		 East Sekiwake #1
11–4
T		 East Sekiwake #1
12–3
TF		 West Ōzeki #1
11–4
 
1988 East Ōzeki #1
14–1
 		 East Ōzeki #1
12–3
 		 East Ōzeki #1
12–3
 		 East Ōzeki #1
11–4
 		 East Ōzeki #1
12–3
 		 East Ōzeki #1
12–3
 
1989 East Ōzeki #1
14–1–P
 		 East Ōzeki #1
13–2
 		 East Ōzeki #1
13–2–P
 		 East Ōzeki #1
8–7
 		 West Ōzeki #1
9–6
 		 West Ōzeki #1
8–7
 
1990 West Ōzeki #1
9–6
 		 West Ōzeki #2
8–7
 		 West Ōzeki #2
14–1
 		 East Ōzeki #1
14–1
 		 West Yokozuna #1
13–2
 		 West Yokozuna #1
12–3
 
1991 West Yokozuna #1
11–4
 		 West Yokozuna #1
11–4
 		 East Yokozuna #2
14–1–P
 		 East Yokozuna #1
8–7
 		 West Yokozuna #1
2–4–9
 		 East Yokozuna #1
Sat out due to injury
0–0–15
1992 West Yokozuna #1
Retired
0–4–11		 x x x x x
Record given as wins–losses–absencies    Top division champion Top division runner-up Retired Lower divisions Non-participation

Playoff
(s)
Divisions:
Jonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: 
Maegashira

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 0-356-18120-0
    .
  2. ^
    ISBN 0-8348-0283-X
    .
  3. ^ "The Yokozuna: A Retrospective". Japan Sumo Association. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
  4. ^ "Harumafuji basking in glow of milestone win". Japan Times. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  5. The Asahi Shimbun. 2012-09-28. Archived from the original
    on 2012-10-09. Retrieved 2012-09-30.
  6. ^ "新入幕の翠富士 目指すは「炎鵬さんと照強さんの間くらい」【大相撲】". Chunichi Shimbun. 24 December 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  7. ^ "Sumo: Ageless September champ Tamawashi rejoins elite ranks". Kyodo News. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  8. ^ "【名古屋場所新番付】新入幕の錦富士「しっかり当たってスピードのある相撲を」". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 27 June 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  9. ^ "尊富士110年ぶり新入幕Ｖ！右足負傷で救急搬送も強行出場！所要10場所も最速、三賞も総なめ" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  10. ^ Gunning, John (8 July 2020). "Sumo's unique kanreki ceremonies provide windows into past". Japan Times. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  11. ^ "伊勢ケ浜親方が還暦土俵入り「新たなスタート」元日馬富士と安治川親方従え" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 3 October 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  12. ^ "伊勢ケ浜親方が還暦 驚異の肉体派はベンチプレス「１００キロ以上も上がる」". daily.co.jp (in Japanese). 6 July 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  13. ^ "Sumo: Wrestlers from scandal-hit Miyagino stable to join Isegahama". Kyodo News. 28 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  14. ^ "元白鵬の宮城野親方、転籍後初めて伊勢ケ浜部屋訪問　今後は弟子の親への説明行脚も" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 3 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  15. ^ Himmer, Alastair (29 November 2017). "Tearful sumo champion steps down after brutal attack on rival". AFP/Yahoo. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  16. ^ "Yokozuna Hakuho, Kakuryu docked pay over beating". Asahi Shimbun. 20 December 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  17. ^ "伊勢ケ浜部屋の幕下以下力士が弟弟子に暴力で引退 伊勢ケ浜親方は理事辞任のみで処分なし". news.yahoo.co.jp (in Japanese). Sports Nippon. 26 December 2022. Archived from the original on 26 December 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  18. ^ "藤島副部長が審判長に 伊勢ケ浜親方の理事辞任受け" (in Japanese). Sankei Sports. 6 January 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  19. ^ "伊勢ケ浜親方が指導普及部副部長として役員待遇委員に 昨年末、弟子の暴力行為発覚で理事辞任" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  20. ISBN 0-356-18120-0
    .
  21. ^ "Sumo", Cheerleader Productions, Channel 4, 1990.
  22. ^ "Asahifuji Seiya Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2007-07-11.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Asahifuji Seiya.


Preceded by 63rd Yokozuna
July 1990 – January 1992 		Succeeded by
Yokozuna
 is not a successive rank, and more than one wrestler can hold the title at once
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