Yoshiiyama Tomoichiro - 吉井山 朋一郎 (born March 13, 1924 - date of death unknown) was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Itoda, Fukuoka. He made his debut in May 1948 and wrestled for Dewanoumi stable. He reached the makuuchi division in October 1949. His highest rank was maegashira 11 and he retired in March 1960.
Early Life[]
Tomoichiro Yoshii was born in the town of Itoda in Fukuoka prefecture. He was a member of the sumo club at Tagawa Junior High School and continued his amateur sumo career at Koa Professional School (currently Asia University) and Koryo University (currently Takushoku University). During his time at Koryo University, Yoshii won many amateur titles, and opted to go professional after graduation. He was the first professional sumo wrestler from college after the Second World War.
Career[]
Early Career[]
Yoshii joined Dewanoumi stable after graduating from university and was given the shikona "Yoshiiyama Tomoichiro" (吉井山 朋一郎). Due to his amateur accomplishments, he was granted makushita tsukedashi status which allowed him to make his debut at the rank of makushita 14. After three tournaments in the unsalaried ranks, Yoshiiyama was promoted to juryo in May 1949. He posted a strong 10-5 record in his juryo debut and was promoted to makuuchi in October 1949 after only one tournament in juryo.
Makuuchi Career[]
Despite reaching makuuchi in only five tournaments, Yoshiiyama's career plateaued when he reached the top division. He remained mainly in the lower maegashira ranks for around five years, reaching as high as maegashira 11 in May 1951. He was demoted back down to juryo in May 1954 and spent the majority of his later career bouncing back and forth between makuuchi and juryo. In September 1959, Yoshiiyama posted a 5-10 record at the rank of juryo 20 and was demoted down to makushita in November 1959. After losing sekitori status, Yoshiiyama withdrew from three consecutive tournaments and retired from sumo in March 1960.
Retirement from Sumo[]
After retiring from sumo, Yoshiiyama remained in the sumo world as a coach for Dewanoumi stable under the names Onomatsu and Sekinoto. He left the Japan Sumo Association in July 1966. After leaving the sumo world, he managed an amusement park, but his whereabouts in his later years are unknown.
Fighting Style[]
Yoshiiyama was an oshi-sumo specialist, preferring pushing and thrusting techniques. He was fond of employing tsuppari, or a series of rapid thrusts to the chest. His most common winning kimarite was hatakikomi (slap down), oshidashi (push out), and tsukidashi (thrust out).
Record[]
Division Results[]
- Total: 300-351-41-1d/648 (49 basho)
- Makuuchi: 165-225-14-1d/389 (27 basho)
- Juryo: 116-121-3/235 (16 basho)
- Makushita: 19-5-24/24 (6 basho)
Championships[]
- 1 Makushita Championship (January 1949)
Shikona History[]
- Yoshiiyama Tomoichiro (1948.05 - 1956.05)
- Yoshiiyama Ichiro (1956.09 - 1957.05)
- Yoshiiyama Tomoichiro (1957.09 - 1960.03)
Gallery[]
