Abi Masatora

Abi Masatora - 阿炎政虎 (born May 4, 1994) is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Koshigaya, Saitama. He made his debut in May 2013 and currently wrestles for Shikoroyama stable. He reached the makuuchi division in 2018 and has 6 special prizes, 3 kinboshi and 1 top division championship. His highest rank as of 2025 is sekiwake.

Early Life[]

Kosuke Horikiri was born the youngest of four children, two brothers and two sisters; his family runs a construction company. He was a head taller than most of his classmates, and he was a playful child who liked eating and playing. Unlike other members of his family, he was not inclined towards sports as he was overweight and did not like to run. Horikiri first tried judo, but figured that he excelled in sumo; he took the children's sumo championship in both his first and second year. At first Horikiri did not like sumo, because he found it to grueling and painful and would try to avoid it. Finding the city tournaments too easy he tried out for the national tournament, but found little success. He did not think sumo as his future, but continued it anyway as most of his friends were involved. Having a friendly personality, he quickly made friends at tournaments, including the future Daieisho and Hokutofuji.^[1]

Screen Shot 2020-08-25 at 5.43.10 PM — A young Horikiri practicing his distinctive tsuppari technique.

Horikiri attended Koshigaya City Sagami Junior High School and was a member of their sumo club. He found sumo in his junior high days much more appealing and placed well in many tournaments. He took third place in the national junior high school sumo tournament in Kagoshima. Horikiri recalled being so certain he would be eliminated on the first day, that he brought a swimsuit for swimming in the nearby sea so he would have something to do for the rest of the tournament. He later transferred to Chiba Prefectural Nagareyama High School and was also a member of their sumo club. He was classmates with future Daishoho. In his third year of high school he achieved 3rd place in the 61st Towada Sumo Tournament in the individual category, losing to the future Ichinojo. His parents hoped he would enter college sumo, but he expressed interest in taking over the family business. Not long afterwords he entered the Shikoroyama Stable without consulting his parents, because the stablemaster of Shikoroyama Stable, the former Terao, maintained a good relationship with Horikiri's high school sumo coach. His parents had not expected this sudden change and were reluctant to meet with his stablemaster at first, but Horikiri convinced them of his fervor.^[1]

Career[]

Early Career[]

Horikiri2014 — Horikiri prepares for his upcoming match (c. 2014)

Horikiri made his debut on July 2013 where he achieved a 6-1 record, only losing to Ikeru who went on to win the jonokuchi championship. In the following tournament in September, Horikiri took the jonidan championship with a perfect 7-0 record, beating Aokishin in a playoff. In the next tournament, which was his sandanme debut, he only achieved a 4-3 record, but went on to take the sandanme championship with a perfect 7-0 record in January 2014. Unlike most wrestlers, Horikiri was able to blow by the makushita division in only 6 tournaments. After achieving a 5-2 record at the rank of makushita 2, Horikiri was promoted to juryo in March 2015 after less than two years in professional sumo.

Juryo Career[]

He was promoted to the salaried ranks of juryo for the March 2015 tournament along with Amakaze and Ishiura. He was subsequently given shikona of "Abi" (阿炎) which was the idea of his coach the aforementioned former sekiwake Terao. Abi was pronounced the same as Shikoroyama coach's nickname. The characters used were chosen in the hope that Horikiri could be strong like the many armed Asura of which the first character is the same as in Abi's first character) and "on fire" in the ring (the second character means "flaming").^[2] Abi only lasted four tournaments in juryo and was later demoted back to the unsalaried makushita division in November 2015. In the March 2017 tournament at makushita 16 he got a 7–0 record and took the championship. He would follow this with a strong 5-2 in May, which would finally garner re-promotion to juryo in July 2017, in which he achieved a winning tournament (8–7). In the next tournament in September at juryo 11 he posted a 10–5 record and on the final day beat both Homarefuji and Kotoyuki in a playoff to take the championship. An 11–4 record at juryo 5 in November would propel him to the top makuuchi division for the first time.

Makuuchi Career[]

In his debut in January 2018 at maegashira 14 he had a record of 10–5 and earned the Fighting Spirit Prize along with Ryuden. Another 10-5 for the March 2018 tournament saw him promoted to maegashira 2 for the May tournament, where he recorded only seven wins but earned his first kinboshi by defeating the yokozuna Hakuho on day 6. He won his second kinboshi in consecutive tournaments in July 2018 with a victory over Kakuryu on Day 5.

In May 2019 he won ten bouts and shared the Fighting Spirit prize with tournament winner Asanoyama and top division debutant Shimanoumi. Abi clinched the prize on the final day by defeating Tamawashi, and said he was inspired by Asanoyama, who is the same age.^[3] This performance earned him promotion to the sanyaku ranks for the first time at komusubi. He followed up with 8–7 and 9–6 records in the next two tournaments but did not get promoted to sekiwake as there were no openings at that rank (with it being filled by Mitakeumi and the demoted ozeki Takakeisho in September and Tochinoshin in November). In the following November tournament in Kyushu he produced another 9–6 record from the rank of komusubi East. He was ranked at komusubi on the January 2020 banzuke for the fourth tournament in a row; the first time this has happened since Kisenosato spent four straight tournaments at komusubi from July 2006 until January 2007.

AbiMakushita — Abi falls down to makushita due to his suspension (c. 2021)

In the July 2020 tournament, Abi was forcibly withdrawn fro the tournament for violating the COVID-19 guidelines. (see controversies section for more details). Abi was next eligible to compete in the March 2021 tournament, where he was ranked at makushita 56 where he won the makushita yusho with a perfect 7-0 record. He followed with another prefect 7-0 record in May which earned him a spot in the juryo division for the July 2021 tournament. He lost to Kaisho on day 8 to end his winning streak at 21, but still finished with a solid 11-4 record. He won the juryo yusho in the following September 2021 tournament to ensure a promotion back to makuuchi in November 2021. On Day 13 of the November tournament, having had only one loss, he defeated ozeki Takakeisho to stand alone in second place on the leaderboard, just one win behind tournament leader Terunofuji. His hopes of winning the tournament were ended the following day when he was defeated by Terunofuji, and he also lost on the final day to Takanosho. However his 12–3 record was still good enough for a share of second place, and he received his third career Fighting Spirit prize. Fighting from the higher rank of maegashira 6 in the subsequent January tournament, Abi once again remained in contention for the title until the final day and finished as runner-up when yokozuna Terunofuji was defeated by tournament champion sekiwake Mitakeumi. He received his third gold star for defeating a yokozuna by upsetting Terunofuji in their regulation bout on day 14 and was awarded his first shukun-sho special prize for Outstanding Performance.

Https---imgix-proxy.n8s.jp-DSXZQO2692376028112022000000-1.jpg — Abi receives the Emperor's Cup after winning his first yusho (c. 2022)

For his consecutive runner-up performances, Abi jumped up in the rankings to a new career high at sumo's third-highest rank of sekiwake for the March 2022 tournament. It marked his return to san'yaku since being ranked at komusubi for four tournaments in 2019 and 2020. He held his sekiwake rank for the following tournament, but was defeated on the final day in May by Wakatakakage to fall to a 7–8 record.

A few weeks before the September 2022 tournament, Abi tested positive for COVID-19. The JSA at the time had yet to determine whether or not Abi could participate in the tournament. However, Abi announced his withdrawal on the eve of the tournament due to knee and ankle injuries. The injuries required surgery and about three weeks of rehabilitation.^[4] Returning in November, Abi won his first top division championship with a 12–3 record, defeating tournament leader Takayasu on the final day and then winning a three-way playoff by defeating Takayasu and Takakeisho in consecutive matches. It was the first time a three-way playoff had been since in the top division since 1994 and made Abi the sixth different winner of a top division championship in 2022. Speaking to reporters the following day, Abi said he was looking forward to seeing his stablemaster Shikoroyama, who was unable to travel to Kyushu to see Abi's victory due to ill health.^[5]

During the first days of the March 2024 tournament, Abi stood out by taking back-to-back victories over two of the four ozeki at the time (Takakeisho and Kirishima). In August 2024, Abi injured his back during a training session and had to withdraw from the summer tour. Later that month, he confided that his condition had improved thanks to acupuncture, and the press also reported his good results in team training prior to the September tournament.^[6]

Controversies[]

Posting Inappropriate Videos[]

Screenshot of the Wakamotaru video — Screenshot of the "inappropriate" Wakamotoharu video posted by Abi.

In November 2019, Abi was reprimanded by the JSA for posting a video on Instagram of friend and fellow wrestler, Wakamotoharu tied up and gagging as a prank, while laughing in the background. The video was deemed inappropriate and Abi and Wakamotoharu had to apologize to Chairman Hakkaku and the board in person over the incident. The JSA has advised wrestlers not to post on their individual social media in future, although accounts run by the stables were not affected. In February 2020 he was reprimanded again after he told reporters, unprompted, that he had slept through a workshop organized by the Sumo Association to explain the changes to their social media policy that he had instigated.^[7]

COVID-19 Violations[]

In the July 2020 tournament, Abi was withdrawn by his stablemaster partway through the July 2020 tournament after he admitted to twice visiting a hostess bar with a low-ranking wrestler from another stable (Gokushindo), against the guidance on nonessential travel given by the Sumo Association to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Abi tested negative for the virus. The Sumo Association chairman Hakkaku called his actions "unpardonable."^[8] Abi submitted a retirement notice through his stablemaster on August 4, which was not immediately accepted. Later that week, the Sumo Association suspended Abi for three tournaments and reduced his pay and that of his stablemaster while rejecting his resignation.^[9] It emerged that he had gone out several more times than the two occasions to which he had admitted. Despite having recently got married, he was told to move back into his stable and be under strict supervision. His retirement papers are being kept on file by the JSA and will be activated if there are any further transgressions. It is notable that during the award ceremony when he won the November 2022 tournament, Abi was asked how he felt about his stablemaster. Abi responded by saying "I have been giving him nothing but trouble. I hope I could make him happy" (referring to his past transgressions). He then became tearful and the audience applauded him in support.^[10]

Personal Life[]

Abi was married in June 2020 after a three year relationship. They have one daughter.^[11]
Abi is currently sponsored by Abitop Co., Ltd., which sells synthetic resin piping in Tokyo.^[12]
Abi's favorite dessert is Pucchin Pudding. In order to increase weight, Abi ate a lot of snacks, including his favorite seafood flavored instant noodles.^[13]

Fighting Style[]

Abi is a tsuki/oshi specialist, meaning he prefers to slap and push his opponents rather than fighting on the mawashi or belt. His most common winning kimarite are oshidashi (push out), hatakikomi (slap down) and tsukidashi (thrust out).^[14]

Although he is known for his aggressiveness of his pushing and slapping attacks, he frequently uses and wins by henka (sidestepping) in his tachiai, especially since his comeback to Makuuchi in November 2021, which has been widely criticized as below the dignity of top-division wrestlers. For example, during the three-way playoff in November 2022, Abi defeated Takayasu by a henka at the tachiai and a violent slap down, giving Takayasu a concussion as he was seen unable to walk off the dohyo on his own.

Record[]

Division Results[]

Total: 443-318-60/760 (68 basho)
Makuuchi: 259-213-38/471 (34 basho)
Juryo: 80-55-15/135 (10 basho)
Makushita: 80-46-7/126 (19 basho)
Sandanme: 11-3/14 (2 basho)
Jonidan: 7-0/7 (1 basho)
Jonokuchi: 6-1/7 (1 basho)

Championships[]

1 Makuuchi Championship (November 2022)

2 Juryo Championship
- 1st (September 2017)
- 2nd (September 2021)
2 Makushita Championships
- 1st (March 2017)
- 2nd (March 2021)
- 3rd (May 2021)
1 Sandanme Championship (January 2014)
1 Jonidan Championship (September 2013)