Roga Tokiyoshi

Roga Tokiyoshi - 狼雅外喜義 (born March 2, 1999) is a Mongolian-Russian professional sumo wrestler from Kyzyl, Tuva. He made his debut in September 2018 and currently wrestles for Futagoyama stable. He reached the makuuchi division in November 2023. His highest rank as of 2025 is maegashira 8.

Early Life[]

Amarsanaa was born to a Buryat father and a Tuvan and Russian mother.^[1] He grew up in Kyzyl, Tuva, Russia, a region near the border of Mongolia. As a kid he practiced sambo wrestling and judo.^[2] He moved to Mongolia at the age of 14 and obtained the Mongolian nationality at the age of 15.^[3] The adoption of Mongolian nationality has been the source of confusion since his professional debut, with Roga first listed as Mongolian on the Japan Sumo Association website although he himself insists that he is Russian.^[2]

When he was 15, he travelled to Japan to participate in the 2014 Hakuho Cup. He placed 8th in the individual junior high school division,^[4] so Yokozuna Hakuho recommended him to enroll at Tottori Johoku High School's sumo club, where he became classmate with future makuuchi-ranked wrestler Takerufuji.^[5] In his third year, he defeated NSSU Kashiwa High School wrestler Hoshoryu at the Inter-High School Championships to become the first foreign-born high school yokozuna.^[2] Since then he has regularly announced his intention to close the ranking gap between himself and the Hoshoryu, the latter having entered professional sumo before Amarsanaa.^[6] After graduation, he was recruited into Futagoyama stable in September 2018.^[3]

Career[]

Early Career[]

He was given the shikona, or ring name, "Roga" (狼雅) because it is a combination of the first kanji (雅) from his master's name (former ozeki Miyabiyama) and "wolf" (狼), a symbol of strength coming from his Mongolian roots.^[7] The first shikona given name that was given to him, Chikara (力), means "strength". Roga made a strong debut as he won all seven matches in his first tournament to claim the jonokuchi championship. In the following tournament, he remained undefeated and scored a victory against former ozeki Terunofuji, who just made his return in competition, in a playoff to win the jonidan championship. In the following tournament he scored a 5–2 record and was promoted to the makushita division. With four consecutive 5-2 records, he was promoted to makushita 8 and was close to a juryo promotion. However, due to injury, he achieved mixed results at the top makushita ranks.^[8] In March 2022, he changed his shikona first name "Chikara" to "Tokiyoshi". He chose this specific first name as a tribute to the principal of Tottori Johoku High School and president of his sumo club, Tokiyoshi Ishiura.^[4] In September 2022, while ranked at the top of makushita, Roga ended the tournament with a 4–3 record and secured a juryo promotion along Tsushimanada for the Kyushu tournament of November.^[9]

Juryo Career[]

RogaShimanoumi — Roga grapples with Shimanoumi (c. 2022)

Roga became the first sekitori from Futagoyama stable since its establishment in 2018 and the first Russian wrestler to be promoted to juryo since Amuru in 2012.^[10] Since his promotion he has secured winning records, reaching the rank of juryo 1 for the September 2023 tournament. During this tournament, Roga managed to score an eighth victory on the final day of the championship over Onosato, beating one of the championship leaders by sukuinage.^[9]

During the October 2023 tour, Roga took part for the first time in the joint sekitori training sessions, normally reserved for makuuchi-ranked wrestlers. During this training, along with maegashira Shonannoumi and komusubi Tobizaru, he took part in the largest number of bouts of the day, wrestling 17 matches. It was noted by several observers that he fought on equal terms with the wrestlers in the highest division.^[11]

Maegashira Career[]

At the banzuke unveiling for the November 2023 tournament, it was announced that Roga would be promoted to maegashira 16, making him the first Russian wrestler to reach the makuuchi division in 9 years, after Amuru in November 2014. On the occasion of his promotion, his master, Futagoyama Oyakata, was delighted to see him make his debut in sumo's top division only a year after being promoted to the second-highest juryo division.^[12]

Roga sat out the first four days of the January 2025 tournament after suffering a torn thigh muscle.^[13] He returned on Day 5, but withdrew again on Day 7 after two straight losses. His stablemaster Futagoyama said that Roga was not in his sumo form and would not return to the tournament.^[14]

Personal Life[]

Roga's favorite food is tuna, meat, and sushi.^[15] He dislikes natto (fermented soybeans).^[16] His hobbies are handicrafts and fishing, his favorite artists are 10-Feet and Takaya Kawasaki, and his favorite manga are Naruto and One Piece.^[15]
Roga's grandfather, Araptan Valerie, stood over 2 meters tall (6 ft 7 in) and held the rank equivalent of yokozuna in Khuresh (traditional Tuvan wrestling), which is a similar sport to Mongolian wrestling.^[16]

Fighting Style[]

Roga is a yotsu-sumo wrestler who prefers grappling to pushing and thrusting techniques. He favors a migi-yotsu (left hand outside, right hand inside) position when gripping his opponent's mawashi (belt).^[15] He won most of his bouts with a straightforward yorikiri, or force out. His second most common kimarite in oshidashi, or push out. He is also fond of using different types of throwing techniques.^[17]