Chikugoyama Kazumasa - 筑後山 一政 (born January 8, 1926 - March 12, 1978) was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Yanagawa, Fukuoka. He made his debut in May 1948 and last wrestled for Tatsunami stable. He reached the juryo division in March 1954. His highest rank was juryo 2 and he retired in January 1959.
Early Life[]
Kazumasa Ishibashi was born in Yanagawa, Fukuoka, on January 8, 1926. He attended Denshukan High School and Chuo University and after graduating, he worked for the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. He was recruited by Yokozuna Haguroyama during a tour in Yanagawa, and Ishibashi subsequently joined Tatsunami stable.
Career[]
He made his professional debut in May 1948 and wrestled under the shikona "Ishibashigawa" (石橋川). Upon promotion to sandanme in May 1949, he was given the new shikona "Chikugoyama" (筑後山). He was promoted to makushita in September 1950 and reached juryo in March 1954. In his first tournament as a sekitori, Chikugoyama finished with a strong 13-2 record, but missed out on the yusho after losing to Aichiyama in the playoff. He followed with two more winning records and was promoted to the rank of juryo 2 for the January 1955 tournament. However, in this tournament Chikugoyama struggled and withdrew on the 12th day due to back pain. He later suffered a knee injury and never managed to reach the top division. He changed his shikona to "Dairyuzan" (大柳山) in September 1956, but was demoted back down to makushita in September 1957. While in the unsalaried ranks, he reverted his ring name back to his surname and retired from sumo in January 1959.
Retirement from Sumo[]
After retiring from sumo, Chikugoyama briefly worked at Tatsunami stable where he worked as an instructor. After that, he worked at Keihin Land Co., Ltd., which was managed by his uncle. Together with his relatives, he worked on a residential land development project in the Uragamidai area of Yokosuka City. He died on March 12, 1978, at the age of 52.
Fighting Style[]
Chikugoyama was a yotsu-sumo wrestler who prefers grappling to pushing and thrusting techniques. He favored a migi-yotsu (left hand outside, right hand inside) position when gripping his opponent's mawashi (belt). His most common kimarite was yorikiri, or force out.
Record[]
Division Results[]
- Total: 246-268-3/513 (42 basho)
- Juryo: 96-111-3/206 (14 basho)
- Makushita: 103-121/224 (21 basho)
- Sandanme: 33-27/60 (4 basho)
- Jonidan: 7-5/12 (1 basho)
- Jonokuchi: 5-1/6 (1 basho)
- Shinjo: 2-3/5 (1 basho)
Shikona History[]
- Ishibashigawa Kazumasa (1948.05 - 1949.05)
- Chikugoyama Kazumasa (1949.10 - 1956.05)
- Dairyuzan Kazumasa (1956.09 - 1957.09)
- Ishibashi Kazumasa (1957.11 - 1959.01)
Gallery[]
