Midorifuji Kazunari

Midorifuji Kazunari - 翠富士一成 (born August 30, 1996) is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Yaizu, Shizuoka. He made his debut in September 2016 and currently wrestles for Isegahama stable. He reached the makuuchi division in January 2021 and has 1 special prize. His highest rank as of 2023 is maegashira 1.

Early Life[]

Ihara started participating in sumo since elementary school. He later attended Yaizu Municipal Yaizu Junior High School and was a member of their sumo club. He participated in national championships for all of his junior high school years.

Screen Shot 2020-11-28 at 10.33 — Ihara during his college sumo career (c. 2015)

He later attended Numazu Gakuen Hiryu Senior High School and was also a member of their sumo club. His most notable moment of his high school sumo career was when he defeated Takanobu Sato (the future Takakeisho) and prevented Sato's high school of Saitama Sakae High School a 4th straight title. After graduating from high school, Ihara enrolled at Kinki University's Department of Business Administration and was also a member of their sumo club. In his first year he won the national tournament for wrestlers below 100 kg, but he left the sumo club in his sophomore year and eventually dropped out of university. He later returned to his hometown, but Isegahama Oyakata (the former 63rd yokozuna Asahifuji) visited his hometown and recruited him for professional sumo.

Career[]

Early Career[]

Ihara made his debut alongside Nishikifuji (who also belonged in his stable) and Uehara. Nishikifuji and Uehara were also members of Kinki University's sumo club and they also dropped out from the school.

Ihara made his professional debut in September 2016 under his family name, however the following tournament he changed his shikona to "Midorifuji". In his jonokuchi and jonidan debuts, Midorifuji won all seven matches in both tournaments, however he lost against stablemate Nishikifuji in both playoffs and couldn't secure the yusho for both divisions.

Nonetheless, Midorifuji only spent one tournament in sandanme and made his makushita debut just five tournaments after his professional debut. Upon reaching makushita, Midorifuji started to struggle a little more and would post mainly 4-3 and 3-4 records for a year. Midorifuji started to gradually rise through the makushita ranks in November 2018 and reached makushita 4 for the September 2019 tournament. In January 2020, Midorifuji was ranked at makushita 2 and he produced a 5-2 record which secured him a promotion to the salaried juryo division.

Juryo Career[]

41bd443687204d7c1e81fd3d06c022a7 1 — Midorifuji defeats Kyokushuho in a playoff to win the juryo yusho (c. 2020)

Midorifuji was the first wrestler from Shizuoka promoted to juryo since Tochihiryu in 2013. He was the third sekitori from his high school and the second sekitori from Yaizu, Shizuoka (the first was Katayama). In his juryo debut, Midorifuji struggled due to his small stature (he weighed only 100 kg at the time) and he finished with a 7-8 record. The following tournament, Midorifuji won his last two matches and finished with an 8-7 record. He followed this record with an impressive 11-4 record and was promoted to juryo 2 for the November 2020 tournament. In this tournament he produced a 10-5 record and defeated Kyokushuho in a playoff to claim the juryo yusho. This record also guaranteed Midorifuji promotion to the top makuuchi division for the January 2021 tournament.

Makuuchi Career[]

Midorifuji was the fifth top division wrestler from Shizuoka Prefecture since World War II and the first since Sagatsukasa in 2010. Ahead of his debut he said he hoped to emulate fellow small wrestlers Enho and Terutsuyoshi. In his top division debut in January 2021 Midorifuji scored nine wins against six losses and won the gino-sho or Technique prize, with a win over Tobizaru on Day 15. Midorifuji is only the seventh wrestler to receive this award in his makuuchi debut and the first since Tochinohana in May 2000. Five of his nine wins were by the kimarite of katasukashi, or under-shoulder swing down. On the subject of the use of this kimarite, many commentators have begun to refer to this technique as Midorifuji's speciality, referring to it in particular as Denkanohoto (伝家の宝刀), meaning 'family heirloom' or 'family tradition', since it was also used extensively by Midorifuji's master, Isegahama (former yokozuna Asahifuji), and by Midorifuji's senior in his stable, Aminishiki, who is also described as a technical genius. Midorifuji said he was happy to have received the award, but regretted that he had not managed ten wins.

Midorifuji2021prepares — Midorifuji prepares for his upcoming match (c. 2021)

This performance saw him promoted to the rank of maegasahira 10 for the March 2021 tournament, where he produced a 5–10 record. He withdrew from the May 2021 tournament due to a herniated disc in his back, requiring two months of treatment. Upon his comeback in July 2021, ranked in the juryo division, he could only manage a 6-9 record. In March 2022 a 12–3 score saw him promoted back to the top division for the May tournament.

During the March 2023 tournament, Midorifuji first achieved his best performance in makuuchi by winning five bouts in a row. He then went to lead the honbasho, recording ten wins in ten matches and securing a comfortable lead against Daieisho, the wrestler closest to his score, with two wins ahead of the former. However, he fell on the eleventh day with a defeat against Wakamotoharu, and then on the twelfth day against Wakatakakage. On the fourteenth day, Daieisho handed him his fourth consecutive defeat, which took Midorifuji out of the title race. Midorifuji was listed as a potential recipient of a Fighting Spirit award on Day 15, but it was contingent on an eleventh win. Midorifuji lost to Shodai and did not receive the award. Commenting on his performance at the tournament, Midorifuji expressed his joy at having made it this far in the title race and considered the tournament a good experience.

At the July tournament, Midorifuji won against the new ozeki Kirishima, in a demanding match of about two minutes, marked by a rare "mawashi matta" (まわし待った), or mawashi break, a pause during which the gyoji reattaches a wrestler's mawashi. During the preparations for the September 2023 tournament, Midorifuji was ranked as the lightest makuuchi wrestler, and was also the lightest wrestler ranked as sekitori, tied with Kiho.

During the November 2023 tournament, Midorifuji had a notable match with Hokuseiho on day seven; the match being between the lightest and tallest wrestler in the division. The match also received attention after lasting a total of 6 minutes 40 seconds, and being marked by a very rare mizu-iri (water break), an event that had not happened in makuuchi for 8 years, since day fourteen of the March 2015 tournament during the match between Terunofuji and Ichinojo.

Personal Life[]

Midorifuji made his debut alongside college teammates Nishikifuji and Uehara. They all dropped out of Kinki University during their second year to gain a head start in their sumo career. Midorifuji and Nishikifuji joined the same stable while Uehara joined Musashigawa stable. Midorifuji and Nishikifuji would make the salaried ranks, however, Uehara retired just three tournaments into his sumo career.
Midorifuji was not the first wrestler to wrestle under the shikona of "Midorifuji". The first Midorifuji (wrestled under the shikona from 1997-2002) was a college graduate from Senshu University and his highest rank was makushita 1. However, the kanji in their names are different. Even though the "midori" (緑) in the first Midorifuji and the "midori" (翠) in the sekitori Midorifuji both mean "green", they are written differently.

Fighting Style[]

Midorifuji's Japan Sumo Association profile lists his favourite techniques as oshi (pushing) and katasukashi (under shoulder swing down). He has won 25 percent of his career matches to date with the latter technique, compared to an average among other wrestlers of just one percent. In November 2020 he beat Jokoryu with the rare technique of zubuneri, or head pivot throw, which had not been seen at sekitori level in 22 years.