Homarefuji Yoshiyuki

Homarefuji Yoshiyuki - 誉富士歓之 (born May 6, 1985) is a former Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Ajigasawa, Aomori. He made his debut in January 2008 and wrestled for Isegahama stable. He reached the makuuchi division in May 2013. His highest rank was maegashira 6 and he retired in September 2019.

Early Life[]

Miura Yoshiyuki was born on May 6, 1985, in Ajigasawa, Aomori. He started practicing sumo in his third year of elementary school. This was the same elementary school as the well-known sumo wrestler Mainoumi had attended several years before. Miura has stated his reason for wanting to practice sumo was that he wanted to be strong so he could protect a girl he liked at the time.^[1]

During his third year at Ajigasawa Choritsu Ajigasawa Junior High School (where Mainoumi also attended) he came in second overall in a national junior high school sumo competition. At this time, he was introduced to former yokozuna Asahifuji, who was scouting for prospective wrestlers for his Isegahama stable, through an intermediary. Miura decided at this point that if he were to become a professional sumo wrestler he would join this stable.^[1] Miura would continue to practice sumo at Goshogawara Agricultural & Forestry High School and as a student at Kinki University, participating in several national competitions.^[1]

Career[]

Early Career[]

Homarefuji1 — Homarefuji prepares for his upcoming match (c. 2010)

Miura, upon joining Isegahama stable, quickly assumed the ring name of Homarefuji. He stepped into the professional sumo ring in March 2008. He would make quick work of the lower three divisions. He achieved an impressive 5–2 record in his jonokuchi debut in March. Then the very next tournament in May he had a perfect 7–0 record and defeated Fukao (future Akiseyama) in a playoff for the championship of the jonidan division. He followed this with another 7–0 record and a playoff win against Surugatsukasa to take the sandanme division championship in July of that year.^[2]

Homarefuji's speedy rise slowed considerably upon reaching the makushita division in September 2008. He began to struggle in this division, and he would fight largely in the middle ranks of makushita for three years. He also had to miss two tournaments due to a left shoulder injury, both of which resulted in him being relegated back to sandanme. On both occasions though, strong records allowed him promotion back to makushita after only one tournament. After his second promotion back to makushita in November 2011 his fortunes began to change. Over the next six tournaments he would only have one losing tournament, and in January 2012 he was promoted to the salaried ranks of the second juryo division.^[2]

Juryo Career[]

In his juryo debut, Homarefuji posted a lackluster 6-9 record and was demoted back down to makushita. He immediately earned promotion back to juryo after a 4-3 record in March, 2012. In his return to juryo, Homarefuji posted two losing records and was demoted back down to juryo, however he would earn promotion back to juryo after a 5-2 record. In his second return to juryo, Homarefuji had a strong run and posted three consecutive 10-5 records which promoted him to makuuchi.^[2]

Makuuchi Career[]

HomarefujiPrepares2015 — Homarefuji prepares for his upcoming match (c. 2015)

He was the first wrestler from Aomori prefecture (a place known for producing many strong wrestlers) to enter makuuchi since Takarafuji (also from the Isegahama stable) in July 2011. Homarefuji only lasted one tournament however, as a 5–10 record in lower makuuchi saw him again in the ranks of juryo. For the next sixteen months, he became a juryo regular, recording around the same number of winning and losing tournaments. In the last three tournaments of this period in September 2014, he managed a string of winning tournaments which culminated in an 11–4 record, his strongest showing ever since becoming a sekitori.^[2]

In the following November he was re-promoted to makuuchi. He had two consecutive winning 8–7 tournaments and reached maegashira 7 for the March tournament in Osaka. Since then his progress has stalled and he was demoted back to juryo for the March 2016 tournament. He reappeared in makuuchi in September 2016, but had to withdraw from the tournament on Day 4 after getting injured on the opening day.^[2]

Later Career[]

After his demotion from makuuchi, Homarefuji became a juryo regular and produced mixed results. In the September 2017 tournament, Homarefuji produced a 10-5 record and was placed in a playoff for the juryo yusho, however he lost against Abi in the first round. This would be his last good performance in sekitori level and after that, Homarefuji produced five consecutive make-koshi, causing him to fall back down to makushita in September 2018. He pulled out of the January 2019 tournament, due to a left shoulder operation had fallen to sandanme 77 by May 2019.^[3] He competed in just one match in the May 2019 tournament, which he won, resulting in a drop to jonidan.^[2]

Retirement from Sumo[]

After a 6-1 record in jonidan in July 2019 he won four of his seven bouts in September 2019 before announcing his retirement. He is staying in sumo as a toshiyori or elder of the Japan Sumo Association and a coach at Isegahama stable. He is now known as Tateyama Oyakata, the elder share previously held by the former head of the Kataonami stable, ex-sekiwake Tamanofuji. His danpatsu-shiki, or retirement ceremony, was held at the Ryogoku Kokugikan on February 19, 2022.^[4]

Personal Life[]

Homarefuji announced his engagement in February 2017, and his wedding reception was held in June at the Tokyo Royal Park hotel with 500 guest attending.^[5]
In the July 2012 tournament in this period, Homarefuji participated in the ring entering ceremony wearing a kesho-mawashi with a panda design on it. It had been provided by a support group in Wakayama prefecture to commemorate the birth of a baby panda in Ueno Zoo in Tokyo just two days before the beginning of the tournament. Sadly, the baby panda died only four days into the tournament. Homarefuji later lamented that his lackluster 5–10 performance that tournament did not give the baby panda the proper memorial, and he deserved the demotion.^[6]
Homarefuji's favorite food is sushi.^[7] Homarefuji's hobbies include collecting memorabilia (especially Gundam models), astronomical observation, fishing, karaoke, and watching movies.^[7]^[8]^[9]
Homarefuji admires former ozeki Musoyama and even wore a silver mawashi identical to the one Musoyama used to wear.^[10]
Homarefuji served as stablemate Harumafuji's tsuyuharai, or dew sweeper.^[11]

Fighting Style[]

Homarefuji was an oshi-sumo specialist who preferred pushing and slapping techniques to fighting on the mawashi or belt. His most common winning kimarite or technique is oshidashi, or push-out.^[12]