Chiyonofuji Mitsugu - 千代の富士 貢 (born June 1, 1955 - July 31, 2016) was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Fukushima, Hokkaido. He made his debut in September 1970 and wrestled for Kokonoe stable. He reached the makuuchi division in September 1975 and has 7 special prizes, 3 kinboshi and 31 top division championships. He was the 58th yokozuna and he retired in May 1991.
Early Life[]
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 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.
Career[]
Early Career[]
Akimoto made his professional debut in September 1970 and initially wrestled under the shikona "Oakimoto" (大秋元) before switching to "Chiyonofuji" (千代の富士) in his third professional tournament. He was promoted to sandanme in November 1971 and makushita in September 1972. In September 1974, he won the makushita yusho with a perfect 7-0 record at the rank of makushita 11 and was promoted to juryo in the following November 1974 tournament at the young age of 19.
Juryo Career[]
Weighing only 97 kg (214 Ib) at the time of his juryo debut, Chiyonofuji was much lighter than many of his opponents, but he still managed to defeat majority of his opponents and finished with a 9-6 record in his first tournament as a sekitori. After three consecutive winning records, he was promoted to makuuchi in September 1975.
Makuuchi Career[]
However, he lasted only one tournament in his first makuuchi appearance 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 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.
Chiyonofuji defeats yokozuna Kitanoumi in a playoff for his first yusho (c. 1981)
In 1979, due to his shoulder trouble, Chiyonofuji briefly fell to 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 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 the subsequent playoff to win a top makuuchi division title for the first time. This earned him promotion to ozeki, 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.
Ozeki Career[]
In his first tournament as an ozeki, Chiyonofuji missed out on the chance of a playoff after losing to yokozuna Kitanoumi on the final day to finish with an 11-4 record and was runner up to Kitanoumi's 13-2 record. In the following tournament, Chiyonofuji again missed out on the yusho after losing to Kitanoumi on the final day to finish with a 13-2 record (runner up to Kitanoumi's 14-1 record). During his third tournament as ozeki in July 1981, Chiyonofuji defeated Kitanoumi on the final day to finish with a 14-1 record and his second career yusho. After this victory, he was promoted to yokozuna, the 58th in sumo history.
Yokozuna Career[]
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, a record dominance of any of the six specific honbasho.
Chiyonofuji prepares for his first ever yokozuna dohyo-iri (c. 1981)
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 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 Hakuho's 63, and Futabayama's all-time record of 69. The sequence began on 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 Onokuni. 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 the 45 bouts won by Taiho 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 Oshio'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 the record set by Taiho 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 Koji (then known as Takahanada). It 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 Takatoriki on the third day, Chiyonofuji announced his own retirement, a few weeks short of his 36th birthday.
Retirement from Sumo[]
In September 1989 while Chiyonofuji 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.
Chiyonofuji performs the kanreki dohyo-iri to mark his 60th birthday (c. 2015)
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 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 ozeki Chiyotaikai, former komusubi Chiyotenzan and former maegashira Chiyohakuho. As of March 2016, Kokonoe stable is one of the most successful stables in sumo in terms of quantity of sekitori, with four men (Chiyotairyu, Chiyomaru, Chiyonokuni, and Chiyootori) in the top division and two (Chiyoshoma and Chiyonoo) in juryo. 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 the regional tours or jungyo, but he had to resign in April 2011 after his wrestler Chiyohakuho 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 a lack of support.
On May 31, 2015, he marked his 60th birthday by performing the kanreki dohyo-iri at the Ryogoku Kokugikan, becoming the tenth former yokozuna to do so. Two active yokozuna were his attendants, with Hakuho the tachimochi and Harumafuji acting as tsuyuharai.
Death[]
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 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 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 Ryogoku Kokugikan on October 1.
Personal Life[]
Chiyonofuji announced his engagement shortly after his fifth tournament championship in May 1982. He had 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.
His shikona (ring name) surname of Chiyonofuji (千代の富士) 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. He is the only yokozuna to have a shikona that consists of five kanji.
Chiyonofuji's hobbies were golf, mahjong, jigsaw puzzles and Nintendo Entertainment System.
Fighting Style[]
Chiyonofuji defeats Hokutenyu by uwatenage (overarm throw)
Throughout his career, Chiyonofuji's trademark kimarite or technique 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 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.
Record[]
Division Results[]
- Total: 1045-437-170/1473 (125 basho)
- Makuuchi: 807-253-155/1052 (81 basho)
- Juryo: 130-120-5/249 (17 basho)
- Makushita: 54-34-3/88 (13 basho)
- Sandanme: 24-11-7/35 (6 basho)
- Jonidan: 25-17/42 (6 basho)
- Jonokuchi: 5-2/7 (1 basho)
Championships[]
- 31 Makuuchi Championships
- 1st (January 1981)
- 2nd (July 1981)
- 3rd (November 1981)
- 4th (March 1982)
- 5th (May 1982)
- 6th (July 1982)
- 7th (November 1982)
- 8th (March 1983)
- 9th (November 1983)
- 10th (November 1984)
- 11th (January 1985)
- 12th (May 1985)
- 13th (September 1985)
- 14th (November 1985)
- 15th (January 1986)
- 16th (May 1986)
- 17th (July 1986)
- 18th (September 1986)
- 19th (November 1986)
- 20th (January 1987)
- 21st (July 1987)
- 22nd (November 1987)
- 23rd (May 1988)
- 24th (July 1988)
- 25th (September 1988)
- 26th (November 1988)
- 27th (March 1989)
- 28th (July 1989)
- 29th (September 1989)
- 30th (January 1990)
- 31st (November 1990)
- 1 Makushita Championship (September 1974)
Achievements[]
- Special Prizes: Technique Prize (5), Fighting Spirit Prize (1), Outstanding Performance Prize (1)
- Kinboshi: 3: (2) Mienoumi, (1) Wakanohana II
- Record: 3rd most career championships (31 championships)
- Record: 3rd most career wins (1045 career wins)
- Record: 3rd most top division wins (807 top division wins)
- Record: 3rd most tournaments ranked at yokozuna (59 tournaments ranked as yokozuna)
- Record: Tied for 4th most undefeated championships (7 undefeated championships)
- Record: Tied for 5th most consecutive championships (5 consecutive championships)
- Record: 6th most consecutive wins (53 consecutive wins)
- Record: Tied for 6th most championship playoffs (6 championships playoffs)
- Record: Tied for 8th most wins in a calendar year (80 wins out of 90 bouts in 1985)
Shikona History[]
- Akimoto Mitsugu (1970.09 - 1970.09)
- Oakimoto Mitsugu (1970.11 - 1970.11)
- Chiyonofuji Mitsugu (1971.01 - 1991.05)
Gallery[]
