Chiyotairyu Hidemasa

Chiyotairyu Hidemasa - 千代大龍秀政 (born November 14, 1988) is a former Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Arakawa, Tokyo. He made his debut in May 2011 and wrestled for Kokonoe stable. He reached the makuuchi division in May 2012 and has 1 special prize as well as 3 kinboshi. His highest rank was komusubi and he retired in November 2022.

Early Life[]

Hidemasa Meigetsuin was born on November 14, 1988, in Arakawa, Tokyo. When he was in his sixth year of elementary school, he lost in the first round of a children's sumo tournament and was about to go home when he was encouraged to learn sumo and started practicing at the Shiratori Sumo Dojo.^[1]

College Yokozuna — Meigetsuin as a student yokozuna (c. 2010)

He continued sumo at Katsushika City Daido Junior High School, but according to him, "I was the weakest because I was small, and I was always a substitute throughout junior high." The future Daido was his senior in junior high school. After junior high school, he enrolled Adachi Shinden High School and his height started to increase during his time and he began to win matches.^[2]

After graduating, he enrolled in the Department of Martial Arts at Nippon Sport Science University.^[1] He became a student yokozuna upon winning the 2010 national college individual sumo championship where he defeated the future Jokoryu, and admitted that he got "really big-headed" after this triumph.^[3] In addition, he achieved third place in the All Japan Sumo Championships. However, Meigetsuin was not a diligent trainer at university, avoiding traditional sumo training exercises and just doing muscular training instead.^[3]

Career[]

Early Career[]

Upon graduating, he joined former yokozuna Chiyonofuji's stable on January 24, 2011. However, his tournament debut was delayed because the March tournament was cancelled in the wake of the Sumo match-fixing scandal gripping the world of sumo at the time. During this time, due to the uncertainty about the future of sumo, he considered quitting to become a teacher, but he decided in the end it was better to continue. He participated in the following technical examination tournament in May. Because of his university success he was allowed to make his debut at the rank of makushita 15.^[3]

Screen Shot 2020-11-26 at 10.51.08 PM — Meigetsuin during his time in makushita (c. 2011)

Meigetsuin did not fare well in his debut tournament and after two consecutive losses he withdrew from the tournament due to a right lower thigh inflammation. It was the first time since World War II that a makushita tsukedashi wrestler had withdrawn from his debut tournament, and he was criticized by some commentators for ducking a challenge.^[3] Meigetsuin admitted to shedding tears at the comments from his hospital bed.^[3] Fighting back from falling to makushita 46 in the following July tournament, he posted two consecutive 6-1 records, and then a 4–3 record in the November 2011 tournament to achieve promotion to the salaried juryo ranks.^[4]

Juryo Career[]

Upon his promotion he chose his new ring name of Chiyotairyu, literally meaning "grand dragon of a thousand years". The name was chosen to honor ozeki Chiyotaikai, his predecessor at Kokonoe stable and also because his January juryo debut coincided with the year of the Dragon, considered the most auspicious year in the Chinese zodiac.^[3]

His rise was so rapid that his hair was still not long enough to fashion into a traditional topknot, or chonmage, that sekitori are required to wear.^[3] His success continued as he took the championship in his January 2012 debut with a 13–2 record. A strong showing of 11–4 in the March tournament earned him promotion to the top-tier makuuchi division in May.^[4]

Makuuchi Career[]

Though he managed a 5–4 record in the first half of the tournament, he had already aggravated injuries in the previous month's exhibition tournament and was forced to withdraw after the 9th day. The following July tournament he participated in the tournament with his first, still tiny, chonmage top-knot and achieved a winning 8–7 record.^[4]

In August of the same year, Chiyotairyu announced he had been diagnosed with diabetes.^[5] In the following September tournament his weight had dropped twenty kilograms from the previous tournament. He only managed a 6–9 record in the tournament. However, with his health and sumo improving he recorded two consecutive 10-5 records in the two following tournaments. In the March 2013 tournament he would debut at his career best rank of maegashira 2. Early on in the tournament he defeated two ozeki (Kotoshogiku and Kotooshu) two days in a row, followed by a kinboshi defeat of yokozuna Harumafuji on the fourth day. His impressive debut came to an early end however, when his leg was broken two days later in a loss to yokozuna Hakuho, and he was forced to withdraw from the tournament.^[6] He made a successful comeback in the next tournament, scoring 10–5.^[4]

G20131125007080330 view — Chiyotairyu and Ikioi pose with their special prizes (c. 2013)

In July 2013 Chiyotairyu defeated Harumafuji for the second time in two meetings, and in November of that year he scored an impressive 11–4, winning his first special prize, the Gino-sho or Technique Award. For many tournaments he bounced back and forth between the middle of the maegashira ranks and the top tier, unable to produce a winning record while facing the top competitors but returning at least nine wins when not. His 10–5 record from maegashira 8 in the July 2014 tournament was good enough to get him promoted to komusubi for the first time. His komusubi debut was not a success however, as he withdrew from the tournament on Day 11 having lost nine of his first ten bouts. He also had to withdraw from the January 2015 tournament after suffering complications from diabetes, resulting in the loss of his top division status.^[7] He returned to makuuchi in July 2015 and although he had to miss the last four days of the tournament with a foot problem, he had already secured his majority of wins by that point.^[8] He was relegated from the top division after scoring only 6–9 at the bottom rank of maegashira 16 in the May 2016 tournament. He returned to makuuchi after two tournaments, but was demoted again after the January 2017 tournament. He returned to the top division with consecutive winning records of 8–7 and 10-5 in May and July 2017. In March 2018 he returned to the komusubi rank for the first time since September 2014.^[4]

He remained as a rank-and-file maegashira since then. In the September 2018 tournament he defeated yokozuna Kisenosato to earn his third kinboshi. In September 2020 he withdrew from the tournament on Day 13 with a left side inflammation and right ankle problem.^[9] He held on to top division status by returning with nine wins in November. In January 2021 he was forced to sit out the tournament along with everyone else from his stable due to a number of positive tests for COVID-19.^[10]

Retirement from Sumo[]

Chiyotairyu entered the November 2022 basho in Fukuoka at the rank of maegashira 12, having secured just two winning records in his last ten tournaments. After losing five of his first seven matches, he announced his retirement from professional sumo. His stablemaster Kokonoe said that he had lost his motivation to fight since the previous tournament in September, and that "it's not good for him to go to the raised ring with a wish to quit."^[11] The day after his retirement, Chiyotairyu said that he felt refreshed and had no regrets. He indicated that he will not remain with the Sumo Association, instead leaving to focus on opening his own restaurant specializing in yakiniku.^[12] He opened his first restaurant in the Roppongi district of Tokyo in January 2023.^[13]

MMA Career[]

Chiyotairyu announced that he would make his MMA debut on February 18, 2024. He debuted at Breaking Down 11, where he lost to Kosuke Kindaichi by decision.^[14]

Personal Life[]

Chiyotairyu is married and his wife is from Dazaifu, Fukuoka.^[15]
Chiyotairyu's hobbies include pachinko, training, and sleeping.^[1]^[16]
Chiyotairyu's favorite foods are sushi, yakiniku, calpis (soft drink), and meat. He strongly dislikes natto and sweet bean paste.^[1]^[16]

Struggles with Diabetes[]

Before suffering from diabetes, he would eat seven bowls of white rice, and he use to drink 70% undiluted liquid and 30% water.^[17] Chiyotairyu had such a love for calpis, that he would put one bedside before bed. When he was young he also wanted to appear in a calpis commercial.^[18] However, due to such overeating and lack of training, in August 2012, Chiyotairyu had diabetes with a fasting blood glucose level of 480. About a year later, in November 2013, he suffered from a diabetic retinal detachment and glaucoma. Around this time, Chiyotairyu was about to be 25 years old and it was unusual for a wrestler to develop glaucoma at such a young age. In January 2015, he developed a blood circulation disorder in both legs due to his worsening diabetes.^[19]

Fighting Style[]

Chiyotairyu relies almost exclusively on pushing and thrusting techniques (tsuki/oshi), showing little interest in fighting on the mawashi or belt. His three most common winning kimarite in his career to date are oshidashi (push out), hikiotoshi (pull down) and hatakikomi (slap down).^[20]

Chiyotairyu has been criticized by even his stablemaster for an overuse of slap-downs and pull-downs at the initial charge, which is considered unfair sumo technique by most. This was especially apparent in his juryo championship run, where six out of his first eight consecutive wins were won by slap-downs or pull-downs.^[21]