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83-476: Chiyonofuji was considered one of the greatest yokozuna of recent times, winning 31 yūshō or tournament championships, second at the time only to Taihō . He was particularly remarkable for his longevity in sumo's top rank, which he held for a period of ten years from 1981 to 1991. Promoted at the age of twenty-six after winning his second championship, his performance improved with age, winning more tournaments in his thirties than any other wrestler and dominating

166-558: A komusubi in the May and September tournaments, in the latter of which he won 10 matches in the top division for the first time. Chiyonofuji reached sekiwake (the third-highest rank), and stayed at this rank for only two tournament. As a sekiwake, he scored 11–4 in November, and in January 1981 he scored 14–1, losing only one regular match to dominating yokozuna Kitanoumi , and then defeated him in

249-659: A VIP, such as the Emperor , to the arena. The san'yaku can be split into two groups: The senior yokozuna and ōzeki , and junior sekiwake and komusubi . The former group have special promotion criteria and higher salaries, and have additional perks such as a higher number of junior wrestlers to assist them, an entitlement to park in the Sumo Association compound and voting rights in the election for Association directors. Senior yokozuna and ōzeki also have added responsibilities. They are expected to represent wrestler views to

332-406: A good score of 12–3 in the following tournament; however, he announced his retirement five days into the May 1971 tournament after losing to the promising young wrestler Takanohana for the second time. He had been a yokozuna for nearly ten years. His career win ratio was in excess of 80%, which is also a post-war record. He became the first former rikishi to be offered (and accept) membership of

415-466: A lack of support. On May 31, 2015, he marked his 60th birthday by performing the kanreki dohyō-iri at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan , becoming the tenth former yokozuna to do so. Two active yokozuna were his attendants, with Hakuhō the tachimochi and Harumafuji acting as tsuyuharai . Chiyonofuji announced his engagement shortly after his fifth tournament championship in May 1982. He had

498-511: A large part of the reason that the promotion criteria for yokozuna are so strict in the first place. In extremely rare instances the Yokozuna Deliberation Council can, with over two-thirds of the members in favor, issue notices to yokozuna whose performance as well as poise and character are contrary to what is expected of the rank. These notices are, in increasing level of severity: Notices have been issued three times since

581-514: A licence by the Yoshida family in February 1884, and Gojo licences are no longer recognized officially. In May 1890, the name yokozuna was written on the banzuke for the first time due to the 16th yokozuna Nishinoumi Kajirō I 's insistence that his yokozuna status be recorded. In February 1909, during the reigns of the 19th yokozuna , Hitachiyama Taniemon , and the 20th, Umegatani Tōtarō II , it

664-521: A mentor, surpassed his record by winning his 33rd championship in January 2015. Kōki's birth name was Ivan Boryshko. He was born on the island of Sakhalin ( Karafuto Prefecture ) to a Japanese mother Kiyo Naya and an ethnic Ukrainian father Markiyan Boryshko who was born in Runivshchyna in present-day Krasnohrad Raion , Kharkiv Oblast had fled the Bolshevik Revolution . However, he

747-407: A moment of silence. He said that Taihō gave him regular advice, and told him that records are meant to be broken. Hakuhō would indeed surpass Taihō's all-time championship record by winning his 33rd yushō in January 2015, two years after Taihō's death. Taihō was noted for his skill and power when he grabbed his opponents' mawashi or belt– techniques known as yotsu-sumo . His preferred grip

830-592: A promotion, and the reverse ( make-koshi ) results in demotion. There are stricter criteria for promotion to the top two ranks, which are also privileged when considered for demotion. At the top fixed positions of the division are the, "titleholder" or san'yaku ranks of yokozuna , ōzeki , sekiwake and komusubi . There are typically 8–12 san'yaku wrestlers, with the remainder, called maegashira , ranked in numerical order from 1 downwards. San'yaku ( 三役 ) literally means "the three ranks", even though it actually comprises four ranks. The discrepancy arose because

913-480: A record dominance of any of the six specific honbasho . As his rival Kitanoumi went into a long slump, Chiyonofuji dominated sumo in 1982, winning four of the six tournaments. However, another yokozuna , Takanosato , emerged over the next two years to challenge him, and he also suffered a number of injury problems. Chiyonofuji was restricted to just one championship in the nine tournaments held from May 1983 to September 1984. But Kitanoumi retired in January 1985, with

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996-544: A son and three daughters. His second daughter, Kozue Akimoto , born in 1987, is a fashion model. His youngest daughter Ai died at the age of four months , shortly before the July tournament of 1989. Chiyonofuji had surgery for pancreatic cancer in July 2015, and was noticeably weak when speaking to reporters at the Aki basho in September of that year. Having reportedly told associates that

1079-413: A stroke at the age of 36, he was originally scheduled not to perform the ceremony at all, but only to pose for a commemorative photo with his tsuna tied behind him. However, he was able to complete his Unryū ring-entering style by tightly pinching the skin of his stomach with the fingers of his left hand so that his left arm, which was not free to move, would not slump down. In May 2002 Taihō recruited

1162-943: A wide range of other techniques as well, employing 41 different kimarite in his career. In January 1987, he won with the very rare amiuchi , or fisherman's net casting throw, and joked to the press afterwards that it was appropriate for him as he was the son of a fisherman. Chiyonofuji's muscular physique, athleticism and dramatic throws made him the most successful and one of the most popular wrestlers of his day. Sanshō key: F =Fighting spirit; O =Outstanding performance; T =Technique     Also shown: ★ = Kinboshi ; P = Playoff (s) Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi Taih%C5%8D Koki Taihō Kōki ( Japanese : 大鵬 幸喜 , born Kōki Naya ( 納谷 幸喜 , Naya Kōki ) , Ukrainian : Іва́н Маркіянович Бори́шко , Ivan Markiyanovych Boryshko ; May 29, 1940 – January 19, 2013)

1245-399: Is a professional wrestler . Sanshō key: F =Fighting spirit; O =Outstanding performance; T =Technique     Also shown: ★ = Kinboshi ; P = Playoff (s) Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi Sekiwake Makuuchi ( 幕内 ) , or makunouchi ( 幕の内 ) ,

1328-429: Is deemed to have not upheld the dignity of the rank. Expectations are so high that, even in the course of one tournament, a yokozuna who early on appears to be headed for a losing tournament will feel the pressure to retire. It is common and expected for a yokozuna to withdraw from a tournament with a real or imagined injury to avoid a make-koshi (a losing record) and the expectation to retire. These expectations are

1411-473: Is more contentious, as it is essentially a subjective issue. For example, Hawaiian-born ōzeki Konishiki , in particular, was felt by many to be unfairly kept from yokozuna status due to his non-Japanese origin, and many Sumo Association members even openly said that foreigners ( gaijin ) could never achieve the hinkaku needed to be a yokozuna . In the case of Konishiki, other issues such as his weight were also cited. The debate concerning foreigners having

1494-468: Is not sufficient, with example being Ozeki Kisenosato in 2013 and 2016. The rules are not set in stone and hence in reaching their conclusion the Yokozuna Deliberation Council and Sumo Association can interpret the criteria more leniently or strictly and also take into account other factors, such as total number of tournament victories, the quality of the wins, and whether the losses show any serious vulnerabilities. The issue of hinkaku (dignity and grace)

1577-520: Is regarded as having come from Teshikaga, Hokkaidō , where he moved to as a child after the Soviet Union took control of Sakhalin in 1945. While on a sumo tour to the Soviet Union in 1965 he tried to locate his father, but without success. Taihō was the first of three great yokozuna who all hailed from Hokkaidō , the most northerly of the main islands of Japan and who among them dominated sumo during

1660-462: Is the highest rank in sumo . The name literally means "horizontal rope" and comes from the most visible symbol of their rank, the rope ( 綱 , tsuna ) worn around the waist. The rope is similar to the shimenawa used to mark off sacred areas in Shinto , and like the shimenawa it serves to purify and mark off its content. The rope, which may weigh up to 20 kilograms (44 lb), is not used during

1743-491: Is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo . Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers ( rikishi ), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the only division that is featured on NHK 's standard live coverage of sumo tournaments. The lower divisions are shown on their satellite coverage, with only the makuuchi broadcast having bilingual English commentary. Makuuchi literally means "inside

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1826-412: Is there a set quota: there have been periods with no wrestlers at yokozuna rank, and there have been periods with as many as four simultaneously. The power and skill aspects are usually considered with reference to recent tournament performance. The de facto standard is to win two consecutive championships as ōzeki or an equivalent performance. In the case where the "equivalent performance" criterion

1909-457: Is to be introduced and form a circle around the wrestling ring ( dohyō ) wearing specially decorated heavy silk "aprons", called keshō-mawashi . A brief symbolic "dance" is carried out before filing off to change into their fighting mawashi and prepare for their bouts. A yokozuna , however, is introduced after the lower ranked wrestlers and is flanked by two other top division wrestler "assistants". The "dewsweeper" or tsuyuharai precedes

1992-450: Is used, the wrestler's record over the previous three tournaments is taken into account with an expectation of at least one tournament victory and one runner-up performances, with none of the three records falling below twelve wins. Thus, a consistent high level of performance is required. Winning two tournaments with a poor performance between them is not usually sufficient. Also, achieving runner-up performance in three consecutive tournaments

2075-458: Is usually completed within a couple of weeks of the tournament end. As opposed to all other sumo ranks, a yokozuna cannot be demoted. However, during tournaments, expectations are very high for yokozuna . A yokozuna is expected to win or at least be a serious contender for championships on a regular basis. A yokozuna is expected to retire if he can no longer compete at the peak of the sport, or in some cases (such as Futahaguro or Harumafuji )

2158-470: The Hakuhō era. Although Kashiwado was to win only five tournament championships, Taihō was to remark, "There was Taihō because there was Kashiwado. There was Kashiwado because there was Taihō." Outside of competition they had a genuine friendship, which continued until Kashiwado's death in 1996. Taihō outperformed Kashiwado very quickly, and during his tenure in sumo's highest rank he was dominant, especially in

2241-571: The Japan Sumo Association without having to purchase a share ( ichidai toshiyori ), in recognition of his great achievements. Taihō branched off from his old heya and opened Taihō stable in December 1971. In February 1977, at the age of 36, he suffered a stroke , and his subsequent health problems may have played a part in him being passed over for the chairmanship of the Sumo Association. He had extensive rehabilitation sessions to get

2324-434: The yokozuna was traditionally regarded as an ōzeki with a special license to wear a particular rope around his waist and perform a distinctive ring entry ceremony. In modern use san'yaku has a somewhat flexible definition. This is largely because the top two ranks of yokozuna and ōzeki have distinctive differences from the lower two ranks and from each other. Therefore, a reference to san'yaku can sometimes mean only

2407-456: The 1930s. He is the only wrestler to win at least one championship every year of his top division career. He was a popular grand champion, especially amongst women and children. After retiring from active competition, he became a sumo coach, although health problems meant he had limited success. When Kōki died in January 2013, he was widely cited as the greatest sumo wrestler of the post-war period. Since then, Hakuhō , who regarded Taihō as

2490-401: The 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The others were Kitanoumi and Chiyonofuji . He entered sumo in September 1956, joining Nishonoseki stable . He initially fought under his real name of Naya Kōki. Upon promotion to the second jūryō division in May 1959 he was given the shikona (ring name) of "Taihō", meaning "Great peng " ("peng" is often translated to "phoenix"). Taihō rapidly rose through

2573-433: The 41st yokozuna and was from the same Fukushima town. Chiyonoyama promised him a trip to Tokyo in an airplane, which excited the young Akimoto as he had never flown before. At the time of his debut he weighed just 71 kg (157 lb). Chiyonoyama died in 1977, at which time Kitanofuji , the 52nd yokozuna and also a Hokkaido native, took over the stable. His shikona (ring name) surname of Chiyonofuji ( 千代の富士 )

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2656-605: The 45 bouts won by Taihō in 1968 and 1969. In July 1989 he took his 28th championship in a playoff from his stablemate Hokutoumi , marking the first time ever that two yokozuna from the same stable had met in competition. In September 1989 Chiyonofuji surpassed Ōshio 's record of 964 career wins and became the first sumo wrestler to receive the People's Honour Award from the Japanese Prime Minister. In March 1990, he secured his 1000th win. A 32nd tournament title would have tied

2739-429: The 7th day of the May 1988 tournament with victory over Hananoumi and continued through the July and September 1988 tournaments, ending only on the final day of the November 1988 tournament when he was defeated by Ōnokuni . Had he won that bout, he would have been the first wrestler ever to win three consecutive tournaments with 15–0 records. Nonetheless, his winning run was the best ever in the postwar period, surpassing

2822-1700: The Association, assist in advertising events and meet event sponsors. The latter group, sekiwake and komusubi , have lesser responsibilities and are still eligible for one of the three special prizes, or sanshō that are awarded for exceptional performance at the end of each tournament. [REDACTED] Terunofuji [REDACTED] Kotozakura [REDACTED] Hōshōryū [REDACTED] Ōnosato [REDACTED] Kirishima [REDACTED] Daieishō [REDACTED] Wakamotoharu [REDACTED] Shōdai [REDACTED] Ōhō [REDACTED] Hiradoumi [REDACTED] Wakatakakage [REDACTED] Ura [REDACTED] Abi [REDACTED] Atamifuji [REDACTED] Churanoumi [REDACTED] Ōshōma [REDACTED] Tobizaru [REDACTED] Kotoshōhō [REDACTED] Takanoshō [REDACTED] Nishikigi [REDACTED] Endō [REDACTED] Mitakeumi [REDACTED] Rōga [REDACTED] Gōnoyama [REDACTED] Midorifuji [REDACTED] Takayasu [REDACTED] Ichiyamamoto [REDACTED] Takarafuji [REDACTED] Tamawashi [REDACTED] Meisei [REDACTED] Hokutofuji [REDACTED] Sadanoumi [REDACTED] Ryūden [REDACTED] Shōnannoumi [REDACTED] Chiyoshōma [REDACTED] Nishikifuji [REDACTED] Ōnokatsu [REDACTED] Tokihayate [REDACTED] Shishi [REDACTED] Takerufuji [REDACTED] Asakōryū [REDACTED] Bushōzan Yokozuna ( 横綱 , IPA: [jo̞ko̞d͡zɯᵝna] )

2905-515: The Emperor, and was posthumously awarded the title for the first time. There is little supporting evidence for either theory—in fact, it is not even certain that Akashi actually existed—but it is known that by November 1789, yokozuna starting from the fourth yokozuna , Tanikaze Kajinosuke , and the fifth yokozuna , Onogawa Kisaburō , were depicted in ukiyo-e prints as wearing the shimenawa . These two wrestlers were both awarded yokozuna licences by

2988-501: The Japanese government in 2004. In November 2009, he was one of 15 people to receive the Person of Cultural Merit award from the Japanese government, becoming the first sumo wrestler to be so honoured. After suffering a stroke at 36 in 1977, Taihō used a wheelchair in the last stage of his life. He died of heart failure in a Tokyo hospital on January 19, 2013, at the age of 72. His death

3071-581: The Russian wrestler Rohō . He handed over control of his stable to his son-in-law, ex- sekiwake Takatōriki , in February 2003. Taihō reached the mandatory retirement age of 65 in May 2005 and became the curator of the Sumo Museum at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan . He still maintained close contact with his old stable, inviting yokozuna Hakuhō to train there in May 2008. Taihō was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon by

3154-596: The United States and Asashōryū , Hakuhō , Harumafuji , Kakuryū , and Terunofuji all in Mongolia. Other wrestlers have also been held back. For example, Chiyonoyama in the 1950s was not immediately promoted due to his relative youth despite winning consecutive tournaments, although he later achieved the top rank. On the other hand, Futahaguro was given the title of yokozuna in 1986, despite immaturity being cited in opposition to his promotion. After being promoted, he

3237-490: The aging Takanosato following a year later, and Chiyonofuji resumed his dominance. In 1986 he won five out of the six tournaments held, the first time this had been done since Kitanoumi in 1978. Despite being older and lighter than nearly all his opponents, he dominated the sport throughout the 1980s. In 1988, he went on a winning streak of 53 bouts, the third longest in sumo history, second to yokozuna Hakuhō 's 63, and Futabayama 's all-time record of 69. The sequence began on

3320-431: The bottom three ranks, or in other cases only sekiwake and komusubi . There must be at least one sekiwake and komusubi on each side of the banzuke , normally two total, but there may be more. Although there is usually a yokozuna there is no requirement for one, and it has sometimes happened that no active yokozuna or no ōzeki were listed in the ranks. If there is more than one yokozuna but only one ōzeki ,

3403-621: The cancer had spread to his heart and lungs, he had been hospitalized since the fourth day of the Nagoya tournament in 2016. He died in Tokyo on July 31, 2016, at the age of 61. The chairman of the Japan Sumo Association, former yokozuna Hokutoumi who was a stablemate and protégé of Chiyonofuji, was too grief-stricken to speak to the press in the immediate aftermath of Chiyonofuji's death. His former stablemaster, ex- yokozuna Kitanofuji, said that he

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3486-490: The championship in September 1968 with a 14–1 record and embarked on a 45 bout winning streak. It was broken in March 1969 only after an incorrect decision by the judges , which caused such a furor that video replays were introduced after the incident. His final championship came in January 1971 after a playoff with Tamanoumi , maintaining his record of winning at least one championship every year of his top division career. He had

3569-422: The council's inception in 1950: The formal birth of the rank from Tanikaze's time appears to have in part come from a desire to let the very best have a separate ring entry ceremony ( dohyō-iri ) from the remaining top division wrestlers. The dohyō-iri is a ceremonial presentation of all the top division wrestlers which is held before the competitive bouts of the day. The normal ceremony for top division wrestlers

3652-507: The criteria, then he will be visited in his training stable by a member of the Sumo Association Board of Directors who will formally give him the news. In the following days, a tsuna or ceremonial rope will then be made in his stable, and he will practice the ring entrance ceremony with advice from a previous or current yokozuna . Finally, he will have his inaugural ceremonial ring entry ceremony held at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, which

3735-404: The curtain", a reference to the early period of professional sumo, when there was a curtained-off area reserved for the top ranked wrestlers, to sit before appearing for their bouts. Wrestlers are considered for promotion or demotion in rank before each grand tournament according to their performance in the one previous. Generally, a greater number of wins than losses ( kachi-koshi ) results in

3818-471: The dignity to be a yokozuna was finally laid to rest on 27 January 1993, when Hawaiian-born ōzeki Akebono was formally promoted to yokozuna after only eight months as an ōzeki . Since then, the issue of whether foreigners have the necessary dignity has become a moot point as six of the nine wrestlers to achieve sumo's ultimate rank following Akebono in 1993 were not born in Japan: Musashimaru in

3901-489: The early part of his career. Until 2005—when the 68th yokozuna Asashōryū bettered his record—he was the only post-war yokozuna to have achieved six tournament victories consecutively, a feat he managed on two separate occasions. Eight of Taihō's championships were achieved with a perfect record of 15 wins and no losses ( zenshō-yūshō ), a record that stood until 2013 when it was broken by Hakuhō . He came back from withdrawing from or missing five straight tournaments to win

3984-423: The first of his former record 32 tournament championships and earned promotion to ōzeki . Following two consecutive tournament victories (his second and third) he became a yokozuna in September 1961, less than two years after his top division debut. Because the island of Sakhalin is/was claimed as a Japanese territory, Taihō is not considered the first non-Japanese yokozuna . At the time of his promotion, Taihō

4067-422: The first time. During his early top division career he was often compared to another lightweight wrestler popular with sumo fans, Takanohana I . Takanohana had first come across Chiyonofuji whilst on a regional tour and encouraged him to give sumo a try. Later, he also advised Chiyonofuji to give up smoking, which helped him put on some extra weight. In 1979, due to his shoulder trouble, Chiyonofuji briefly fell to

4150-516: The former sekiwake Takatoriki , who took over the running of Taihō stable (renamed Ōtake stable ) after Taihō's retirement. When Ōtake was dismissed from sumo after a gambling scandal, he divorced Taihō's daughter. Taihō's grandson Konosuke Naya (born 2000) joined Ōtake stable as a professional sumo wrestler in January 2018, using Ōhō as his shikona . He was followed into sumo by his brothers Kosei in November 2019 and Takamori in March 2020. Taihō's fourth and eldest grandson, Yukio Naya (born 1994),

4233-523: The height of his fame (coincidentally, the final day of the May Tournament that year, which he won, was also his 26th birthday), to the daughter of a ryokan proprietor. Their lavish reception at the Imperial Hotel was attended by 1000 guests and over 200 reporters. He was the first to hold a press conference afterwards, now a common occurrence with sumo marriages. Taihō's youngest daughter married

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4316-412: The left side of his body moving again. In general he did not manage to replicate his own wrestling success as a trainer, but he did produce Ōzutsu , a sekiwake who fought in 78 consecutive top division tournaments from 1979 to 1992. He had his kanreki dohyō-iri ceremony to mark his 60th birthday in 2000, although his restricted mobility meant he could not perform it in full. In fact, suffering from

4399-415: The lower rank will be filled out by designating one of the yokozuna as yokozuna-ōzeki . There is no recorded instance of there being fewer than two yokozuna and ōzeki in total. There are a number of privileges and responsibilities associated with the san'yaku ranks. Any wrestler who reaches one of them is entitled to purchase one of the membership shares in the Japan Sumo Association , regardless of

4482-429: The matches themselves, but is worn during the yokozuna 's dohyō-iri ring entrance ceremony. As the sport's biggest stars, yokozuna are in many ways the grandmasters and the public face of sumo. As such, the way they conduct themselves is highly scrutinized, as it is seen as reflecting on the image of sumo as a whole. As of July 2021, a total of 73 sumo wrestlers have earned the rank of yokozuna. The birth of

4565-418: The most successful stables in sumo in terms of quantity of sekitori , with four men ( Chiyotairyū , Chiyomaru , Chiyonokuni , and Chiyootori ) in the top division and two ( Chiyoshoma and Chiyonoō  [ ja ] ) in jūryō . He also served for some years as a ringside judge . In February 2008, he joined the board of directors of the Japan Sumo Association, where he was responsible for organising

4648-504: The performance of the top-ranked wrestlers. Usually, at the instigation of the Japan Sumo Association, they can make a recommendation that a particular ōzeki -ranked wrestler has the necessary attributes to be promoted. Their recommendation is then passed to the Judging division and then the Board of Directors of the Sumo Association who make the final decision. If a wrestler is deemed to have met

4731-486: The prominent Yoshida family. Before the Meiji Era , the title yokozuna was conferred on ōzeki who performed sumo in front of the shōgun . This privilege was more often determined by a wrestler's patron having sufficient influence rather than purely on the ability and dignity of the wrestler. Thus, there are a number of early wrestlers who were, by modern standards, yokozuna in name only. In these early days, yokozuna

4814-403: The rank of yokozuna is unclear, and there are two competing legends. According to one, a 9th-century wrestler named Hajikami tied a shimenawa around his waist as a handicap and dared anyone to touch it, creating sumo as it is now known in the process. According to the other, legendary wrestler Akashi Shiganosuke tied the shimenawa around his waist in 1630 as a sign of respect when visiting

4897-479: The ranks after his debut in the top makuuchi division in January 1960. In his first tournament in the top division, he recorded eleven consecutive wins from day one, a record that took 64 years to be equalled by Takerufuji . Because he scored twelve victories in total, he was a runner-up in his first top division tournament and was awarded the Fighting Spirit prize . At sekiwake rank in November 1960 he won

4980-431: The record set by Taihō in 1971, but his 31st championship in November 1990 proved to be his last. In the opening tournament of 1991, Chiyonofuji surpassed Kitanoumi's record of 804 top division wins but injured himself on the second day and had to withdraw. He returned in May, but he lost on the opening day of the tournament to the 18-year-old rising star and future yokozuna Takanohana Kōji (then known as Takahanada). It

5063-502: The regional tours or jungyō , but he had to resign in April 2011 after his wrestler Chiyohakuhō admitted involvement in match-fixing and retired from sumo. He returned in the January 2012 elections as the Operations director (the second most senior position in the Association's hierarchy), but was unseated two years later. He chose not to run for a board position in the 2016 elections, citing

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5146-425: The second division, but he soon came back. Encouraged by his stablemaster, he began to rely not only on throwing techniques, which increased the risk of re-injuring his shoulders, but also on gaining ground quickly and forcing out his opponents. Showing much more consistency, he earned three kinboshi by defeating yokozuna in the March and July 1980 tournaments, where he also got technique prizes. He fought again as

5229-462: The six annual honbasho , a record eight consecutive years from 1981 until 1988, and also set the record for the longest postwar run of consecutive wins (53 bouts in 1988). That record stood for 22 years until Hakuhō broke it with his 54th straight win in September 2010. In a sport where weight is often regarded as vital, Chiyonofuji was quite light at around 120 kg (260 lb). He relied on superior technique and muscle to defeat opponents. He

5312-523: The sport in the second half of the 1980s. He finally retired in May 1991, just short of his thirty-sixth birthday. During his 21-year professional career, Chiyonofuji set records for most career victories (1045) and most wins in the top makuuchi division (807), earning an entry in the Guinness World Records . Both of these records were later broken by Kaiō . He won the Kyushu tournament, one of

5395-508: The subsequent playoff to win a top makuuchi division title for the first time. This earned him promotion to ōzeki , the second-highest rank. While making this speedy rise, he won the technique prize in the three previous tournaments, and won it again in that January 1981 tournament where he also earned the outstanding performance prize. As an ōzeki he scored well in the following three tournaments up to July 1981, where he again defeated Kitanoumi and won his second title. After this victory, he

5478-402: The total number of tournaments they have spent in the top makuuchi division. They may be called on to represent all sumo wrestlers on certain occasions. For example, when the president of the Sumo Association makes a formal speech on the opening and closing days of a tournament, he is flanked by all the san'yaku wrestlers in their mawashi . Similarly they may be called to assist in welcoming

5561-407: The two exchanged their elder names (Jinmaku and Kokonoe). The purchase price of the stable was reported as being around 50 million yen, below the market rate for a stable. Under his leadership, the stable produced several top wrestlers including former ōzeki Chiyotaikai , former komusubi Chiyotenzan and former maegashira Chiyohakuhō . At the time of his death in 2016, Kokonoe stable was one of

5644-511: The way. Futahaguro eventually retired after only one and a half years at the top rank and became the only yokozuna in sumo history ever to retire without having won at least one top division championship. Elevation to yokozuna rank is a multi-stage process. After a tournament, the Yokozuna Deliberation Council, a body of lay people (that is, not former sumo wrestlers) who are appointed by the Japan Sumo Association to provide an independent quality control on yokozuna promotion, meet and discuss

5727-458: Was hidari-yotsu , a right hand outside, left hand inside position. His most common winning move was yori-kiri , a straightforward force out, which accounted for about 30 percent of his wins. His most frequently used throws were sukuinage (the beltless scoop throw) and uwatenage (the overarm throw). He was particularly diligent about training, and was known to invite every new member of the top division to train with him. He married in 1966 at

5810-421: Was uwatenage , or overarm throw. He preferred a migi-yotsu , or left hand outside, right hand inside grip on his opponent's mawashi . His left hand outer grip was so effective that some commentators referred to it as his "death grip." Uwatenage was his second most common winning technique at sekitori level after yorikiri , or force out. He was also well known for tsuridashi , or lift out. He had knowledge of

5893-446: Was "blessed with a wonderful disciple." Another former yokozuna , Takanohana, who hastened Chiyonofuji's retirement by defeating him in 1991, recalled his fear of Chiyonofuji's "metal body" when training with him. On August 2 the Sumo Association announced that a farewell ceremony for Chiyonofuji would be held at the entrance of the Ryōgoku Kokugikan on October 1. Throughout his career, Chiyonofuji's trademark kimarite or technique

5976-439: Was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He became the 48th yokozuna in 1961 at the age of 21, the youngest ever at the time. Kōki won 32 tournament championships between 1960 and 1971, a record that was unequalled until 2014. His dominance was such that he won six tournaments in a row on two occasions, and he won 45 consecutive matches between 1968 and 1969, which at the time was the best winning streak since Futabayama in

6059-421: Was also not regarded as a separate rank in the listings, but as an ōzeki with special dispensation to perform his own ring entering ceremony. At first, the Yoshida family and a rival family, Gojo, fought for the right to award a wrestler a yokozuna licence. The Yoshida family won this dispute, because the 15th yokozuna Umegatani Tōtarō I , one of the strongest wrestlers, expressed his wish that he be awarded

6142-418: Was announced by the Japan Sumo Association. In its obituary, Nikkan Sports named him "the strongest yokozuna in history." In February 2013, he posthumously became the second sumo wrestler to be commended with the People's Honour Award , with Yoshihide Suga calling him a "national hero." After winning the March 2013 championship, Hakuhō urged the crowd to get to their feet and honour Taihō's memory with

6225-448: Was estimated that half of the Japanese population watched the match on TV. Coincidentally, Takahanada's father, Takanohana Kenshi , had retired in 1981 shortly after losing to Chiyonofuji. Chiyonofuji beat Itai on the next day, but this was to be his final win. After losing another match with Takatōriki on the third day, Chiyonofuji announced his own retirement, a few weeks short of his 36th birthday. In September 1989 while Chiyonofuji

6308-507: Was formed from those of the two previous yokozuna from his stable, Chiyonoyama and Kitanofuji. Chiyo ( 千代 , "thousand years") is a word used to mean forever. Fuji ( 富士 ) is the same as that in Mount Fuji ( 富士山 ) . He was nicknamed "The Wolf" ( ウルフ , Urufu ) due to his ferocity and masculine facial features. Chiyonofuji began his career in September 1970. He reached the second highest jūryō division in November 1974, and

6391-449: Was involved in several misbehaviors that embarrassed the Sumo Association such as hitting one of his tsukebito (manservant or personal assistant) over a trivial matter in a scandal that had six of his seven tsukebito decide to leave him. The promotion again proved to be a fiasco when it was later revealed that he had a heated argument with his stable boss, Tatsunami, and stormed out of the heya , allegedly striking Tatsunami's wife on

6474-619: Was officially recognized as the highest rank. Since the establishment of the Yokozuna Deliberation Council ( 横綱審議委員会 , Yokozuna-shingi-iinkai ) on 21 April 1950, wrestlers have been promoted to yokozuna by the Japan Sumo Association . The first yokozuna promoted by the Sumo Association was the 41st yokozuna Chiyonoyama Masanobu . In modern sumo, the qualifications that an ōzeki must satisfy to be promoted are that he has enough power, skill and dignity/grace (品格 hinkaku ) to qualify. There are no absolute criteria, nor

6557-465: Was promoted to yokozuna , the 58th in sumo history. Chiyonofuji had to pull out of his first tournament as a yokozuna with an injury, but he returned to win the championship in November, defeating Asashio in a playoff. He later said that this victory was the foundation upon which he built his subsequent success as a yokozuna . He was to win the Kyushu tournament eight consecutive years from 1981 to 1988,

6640-402: Was promoted to the top makuuchi division in September 1975. However, he lasted only one tournament before being demoted again, and recurring shoulder dislocation injuries led to him falling back to the unsalaried ranks. He finally won promotion back to the top division in January 1978. After receiving a fighting spirit prize in May, Chiyonofuji reached komusubi (the fourth-highest rank) for

6723-469: Was still active, the Japan Sumo Association decided to proffer the special status of ichidai-toshiyori (one-generation sumo-elder using his ring name as his elder name) to him, but he declined it because he intended to inherit another elder name. Following his retirement from the ring in May 1991, Chiyonofuji inherited the elder name of Jinmaku; then in 1992 he purchased the Kokonoe stable from Kitanofuji and

6806-632: Was the lightest yokozuna since Tochinoumi in the 1960s. Upon his retirement he became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association and became the Kokonoe-oyakata the following year. He was born in Fukushima , a town in the Matsumae District of Hokkaido , northern Japan. He was a son of a fisherman. At school he excelled in athletics events, particularly running. He was scouted at the age of 15 by Kokonoe stable 's head Chiyonoyama , who had served as

6889-437: Was the youngest wrestler ever to have achieved sumo's highest rank of yokozuna aged 21 years and three months, a record subsequently surpassed by Kitanoumi who was one month younger. In a fashion which is considered to be exceptional for a newly promoted yokozuna he also managed to win his first tournament subsequent to his promotion. He was promoted simultaneously with Kashiwado , and their rivalry created what became known as

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