Fukunohana Shuji - 福の花 修司 (born July 15, 1981) is a former Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Yoshinogawa, Tokushima. He made his debut in March 2004 and wrestled for Dewanoumi stable. His highest rank was makushita 12 and he retired in September 2011.
Early Life[]
Shuji Fukumoto was born in the town of Kamojima (later merged with nearby towns to form the city of Yoshinogawa) in Tokushima prefecture. He attended Asahi University in Gifu prefecture where he was a member of the school's sumo club. After graduating from university, he joined Dewanoumi stable.
Career[]
He made his professional debut in March 2004 and was given the shikona "Asahisakari" (朝日盛) which is derived from his alma mater. In his first tournament in May 2004, he finished with a perfect 7-0 record, but missed out on the jonokuchi yusho after losing to stablemate Dewaotori in the playoff. He was promoted to sandanme in May 2005, but struggled to progress up the banzuke at a meaningful pace. After two years in sandanme, he reached makushita in July 2007.
In March 2009, he was given the shikona "Fukunohana" (福の花) which was also used by a sekiwake of the same name who also came from Dewanoumi stable. In July 2009, he finished with a perfect 7-0 record, but missed out on the sandanme yusho after losing to Takarafuji in the playoff. Nevertheless, he was promoted to a career-best makushita 12 for the following September 2009 tournament. He retired from sumo in September 2011 after falling back down to sandanme.
Fighting Style[]
Fukunohana defeats Takaazuma by okuritaoshi (rear push down)
Fukunohana was a yotsu-sumo wrestler who prefers grappling to pushing and thrusting techniques. He won over half of his bouts with a straightforward yorikiri, or force out.
Record[]
Division Results[]
- Total: 154-132-22/284 (45 basho)
- Makushita: 60-72-8/131 (20 basho)
- Sandanme: 70-56/125 (18 basho)
- Jonidan: 11-3-14/14 (4 basho)
- Jonokuchi: 13-1/14 (2 basho)
Shikona History[]
- Asahisakari Shuji (2004.03 - 2009.01)
- Fukunohana Shuji (2009.03 - 2011.09)
Gallery[]
