Wakajishi Shigenori

Wakajishi Shigenori - 若獅子茂憲 (born May 4, 1948) is a former Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Kamikita, Aomori. He made his debut in May 1964 and wrestled for Futagoyama stable. He reached the makuuchi division in January 1973 and has one special prize as well as one kinboshi. His highest rank was komusubi and he retired in May 1983.

Early Life[]

Wada was born in Aomori Prefecture but due to his parent's work (his father was a trailer driver and his mother was involved in agriculture), he traveled all over the country since he was a child. He spent his junior high school days in Minato Ward, Tokyo, and was a member of the kendo club since elementary school. He was a successful kendoka and was offered a spot at Tokai University Takanawadai Senior High School, but he rejected it as suddenly he aspired to become a sumo wrestler. He initially visited Tokitsukaze stable after he was introduced by his mother's acquaintance, but he was immediately rejected due to his short stature. He then visited Futagoyama stable and directly appealed to Futagoyama Oyakata (the 45th yokozuna Wakanohana I) who ultimately accepted him. He officially joined the stable after graduating from junior high school.

Career[]

Early Career[]

He made his professional debut in May 1964 and was given the shikona "Wadanohana" (和田ノ花) which was derived from his surname Wada. He was promoted to sandanme in May 1965 and makushita in May 1966. In January 1968, he changed his shikona to "Wakajishi" (若獅子). In July 1970, he was promoted to the top of makushita, but lost his final match against juryo-ranked Arashiyama to finish with a 3-4 record. In November 1970, he produced a 4-3 record at the rank of makushita 2 and was promoted to juryo in the following January 1971 tournament.

Juryo Career[]

012wakami 02 — Wakajishi (right) and stablemate Wakamisugi play with children

In his very first tournament as a sekitori, Wakajishi produced a strong 11-4 record, but missed out on the juryo yusho after losing to Shiratayama in a playoff. In July 1971, Wakajishi suffered from appendicitis and had to withdraw from the tournament which made him fall back down to makushita. In makushita, Wakajishi produced a perfect 7-0 record and was immediately promoted back to juryo. In July 1972, Wakajishi finished with a 10-5 record, but again missed out on the juryo yusho after losing to Daiyu in a playoff. Nevertheless, he followed with two more winning records and was promoted to makuuchi in January 1973.

Makuuchi Career[]

Wakajishi was ranked in makuuchi for a total of 31 tournaments finishing with a 200 wins to 262 loss record. In January 1974, he defeated yokozuna Kotozakura for his first and only career kinboshi (he defeats yokozuna Kitanofuji by default as well, but this does not count as a kinboshi). In July 1976, he produced a career-best 11-4 record and was awarded the Fighting Spirit prize. He was promoted to komusubi in the following tournament, but could only manage a 3-12 record at that rank. This proved to be his only tournament ranked in san'yaku. In May 1978, he produced a disastrous 1-14 record and was demoted back down to juryo.

After three years in juryo, Wakajishi returned to makuuchi in July 1981, but produced a losing record. He won the juryo yusho in November 1981 and was promoted back to makuuchi, but he could only maintain his top division status for two tournaments. He returned to makuuchi once more in July 1972, but this proved to be his last tournament in makuuchi.

Retirement from Sumo[]

WakajishiRestaurant censored — Wakajishi (middle) inside his udon restaurant

Due to an injured right knee, Wakajishi announced his retirement after the May 1983 tournament at the age of 35. Upon retirement from active competition he became an elder in the Japan Sumo Association. He held many elder names over the years (11 different names), finding new ones as permanent owners required them. He left the Association in July 1996.

After leaving the sumo world, he worked as a temporary coach for Minezaki stable. He later opened up an udon restaurant called "Sanuki Udon Wada" (讃岐うどん) in Suginami, Tokyo, but the restaurant has since closed down.

Personal Life[]

After training, Wakajishi likes to drink coca-cola and lemon-lime drink, specifically Mitsuya Cider.

At one point during his time as a makushita wrestler, Wakajishi was traveling to the Kuramae Kokugikan by taxi, but he was surrounded by police who were trying to put an end to the student movements, better known as Zenkyoto. Since he was worried that he would not arrive to the Kokugikan on time, he eventually got out of the car and ran by foot.

On May 29, 1974, he had a joint wedding ceremony with his stablemate Daio. The wedding was held at Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

Fighting Style[]

Wakajishi was a tsuki/oshi specialist, who prefers pushing and thrusting at his opponents rather than fighting on the mawashi or belt. His favorite technique was ketaguri (pulling inside ankle sweep), but his most used kimarite was oshidashi (push out). He was also fond of employing tsuppari, a series of rapid thrusts to the chest.