Tamaasahi - 玉旭 (born October 1, 1948) is a former Japanese-American professional sumo wrestler from Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii. He made his debut in July 1965 and wrestled for Kataonami Stable. His highest rank was makushita 23 and his last tournament was in July 1975.
Early Life[]
George Isomura was born on October 1, 1948, in Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, and is a third-generation Japanese-American. His grandfather raised peanuts in Honolulu and his father, Tadao Isomura, was a United States Armed Forces civilian worker. George practiced sumo at the Oahu Sumo Club before leaving for Tokyo at the age of 16 to embark on a professional sumo career.
Career[]
Isomura joined Kataonami stable and made his professional debut in July 1965. There are conflicting reports about what Isomura listed as his official birthplace when he joined professional sumo. The sumo database lists his birthplace as Hachioji, Tokyo, while some sumo directories list the United States as his birthplace. As a result, there is confusion as to whether Isomura is regarded as a foreign wrestler or not (for example, Colorado native Harley Ozaki used Fukuoka as his hometown and is therefore not considered to be a foreign wrestler). He also used the name Sadao Isomura with the Japanese media.
At the time of his debut, Isomura already weighed 283 pounds (128 kg) and was heavier than many of his contemporaries. Towards his later career, he weighed in at 370 pounds (168 kg) and was one of the heaviest wrestlers of his time. He was promoted to sandanme in November 1966 and was given the shikona "Tamakiyama" (玉城山), meaning jewelry mountain, in July 1967. He reached the makushita division in March 1970 and was given the new ring name "Tamaasahi" (玉旭) in November of that year. Tamaasahi reached a career-best makushita 23 in January 1973.
Tamaasahi withdrew from the November 1974 tournament and missed the following five tournaments. By July 1975, he had already fallen completely off the banzuke. He never returned to maezumo (pre-sumo) or any of the lower divisions which makes it unclear when he retired.
Record[]
Division Results[]
- Total: 188-190-42/378 (61 basho)
- Makushita: 57-69/126 (18 basho)
- Sandanme: 76-78-14/154 (24 basho)
- Jonidan: 47-37-21/84 (15 basho)
- Jonokuchi: 8-6-7/14 (3 basho)
Shikona History[]
- Isomura (1965.07 - 1967.05)
- Tamakiyama (1967.07 - 1970.07)
- Tamaasahi (1970.09 - 1975.07)
Gallery[]
See Also[]
Sources[]
- Tamaasahi Rikishi Information
- Honolulu Advertiser, George Isomura Embarks on "Sumo" Career
- Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Traditional Sumo Goes International by Hisashi Ono