1995 in sumo
Encyclopedia
Tournaments
- Hatsu bashoHonbashoA is an official professional sumo tournament. There are six held each year, a system established in 1958. Only honbasho results matter in determining promotion and relegation for rikishi ....
, Ryogoku KokugikanRyogoku Kokugikan, also known as Sumo Hall, is an indoor sporting arena located in the Ryōgoku neighborhood of Sumida, one of the 23 wards of Tokyo in Japan, next to the Edo-Tokyo Museum. It is the third building built in Tokyo associated with the name kokugikan. The current building was opened in 1985 and has a...
, TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, 8 - 22 January - Haru basho, Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium, OsakaOsakais a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, 12 - 26 March - Natsu basho, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, 7 - 21 May
- Nagoya basho, Aichi Prefectural GymnasiumAichi Prefectural GymnasiumThe is an all purpose gymnasium in Aichi, Japan, built in 1964. Located on the site of the secondary enclosure of Nagoya Castle, it is host to numerous concerts and events...
, Nagoya, 2 - 16 July - Aki basho, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, 10 - 24 September
- Kyushu basho, Fukuoka International Centre, KyushuKyushuis the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
, 9 - 23 November
January
- In his debut tournament as a yokozuna, Takanohana wins his eighth makuuchiMakuuchior is the top division of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers , ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments....
division championship in a playoff with ozeki Musashimaru after both finish on 13-2. KaioKaio HiroyukiKaiō Hiroyuki is a former professional sumo wrestler from Nōgata, Fukuoka, Japan.He made his debut in 1988, reaching the top makuuchi division in 1993. He held the second highest rank of ōzeki or champion for eleven years from 2000 to 2011, and is the longest-serving ozeki of all time in terms of...
wins the Outstanding Performance prize in his sekiwake debut. The Fighting Spirit prizeSansho (Sumo)Sanshō are the three special prizes awarded to top division sumo wrestlers for exceptional performance during a sumo honbasho or tournament. The prizes were first awarded in November 1947.-Criteria:...
is shared between Akinoshima and Daishoho. Asahiyutaka wins the juryo title after a playoff with Tosanoumi, and Kyokushuzan wins the makushita championship.
March
- Takanohana's yokozuna rival AkebonoAkebono Tarois a retired American born-Japanese sumo wrestler from Waimānalo, Hawaii. Joining the professional sport in Japan in 1988, he was trained by pioneering Hawaiian sumo wrestler Takamiyama and rose swiftly up the rankings, reaching the top division in 1990...
responds by winning his eighth championship, defeating him on the final day to finish on 14-1. Veteran Terao wins the Outstanding Performance prize. Akinoshima scores 11-4 in his second successive tournament and wins his second Fighting Spirit Award in a row. Former maegashira Kototsubaki retires. Tokitsunada wins the juryo championship with a 10-5 record after a playoff with Shikishima.
May
- Once again Akebono and Takanohana meet in a yushoYushoA Yūshō is a tournament championship in sumo. It is awarded in each of the six annual honbasho or official tournaments, to the wrestler who wins the most number of bouts. Yūshō are awarded in all six professional sumo divisions...
deciding match. This time Takanohana wins to finish on 14-1. Musashimaru is third on 12-3, and Musoyama wins Outstanding Performance and Fighting Spirit prizes after a fine 11-4 record. Tosanoumi wins the juryo championship.
July
- Takanohana wins his tenth championship with a 13-2 record, one ahead of Musashimaru. It is the fifth tournament in a row that Musashimaru has won twelve bouts or better. KenkoKenko SatoshiKenkō Satoshi was a sumo wrestler from Osaka, Japan. His highest rank was komusubi.-Career:Debuting in November 1984, he reached the second highest jūryō division in March 1991. His first tournament in the top makuuchi division was in July 1992...
scores 11-4 and wins the Outstanding Performance prize, shared with Kotonishiki. Musoyama wins the Technique Prize; it is the first time in a year that this prize has been awarded. Kotonowaka gets the Fighting Spirit Award. Tosanoumi makes his top division debut halfway up the maegashira ranks at #7, and fights an ozeki and a yokozuna in his first two bouts. He finishes on 7-8. The juryo championship is won by Kyokushuzan. Chiyotaikai comes through with a winning record in his juryo debut. The Hawaiian wrestler Daiki (Percy Kipapa) wins the makushita championship with a perfect 7-0 record, ensuring his promotion to the sekitoriSekitoriA sekitori is a sumo wrestler who is ranked in one of the top two professional divisions: makuuchi and juryo.Currently there are 70 rikishi in these divisions...
ranks. The sandanme championship is won by Shiga (the future ozeki Tochiazuma). It is his third consecutive yusho and he is unbeaten in 25 bouts since his professional debut.
September
- Takanohana wins his fourth yusho of the year, with a perfect 15-0 score. Akebono is runner-up, three wins behind. Kotonishiki wins the Technique prize, and Kaio the Outstanding Performance Award. Kotoinazuma scores 9-6 and wins the Fighting Spirit prize, earning promotion to the sanyaku ranks for the first time at the age of 33. His award is shared with Tosanoumi. Wakanojo wins the juryo title in his debut with a 12-3 record, three wins ahead of anyone else. Shiga's winning streak is stopped at 26, and he finishes with a 3-4 losing score in his debut in the makushita division. Former sekiwake Kotofuji, surprise winner of the July 1991 tournament, announces his retirement.
November
- Ozeki WakanohanaWakanohana Masaruis a former sumo wrestler from Tokyo, Japan. As an active wrestler he was known as Wakanohana III Masaru , and his rise through the ranks alongside his younger brother Takanohana Koji saw a boom in sumo's popularity in the early 1990s...
wins his second career championship, defeating his brother Takanohana in an historic playoff after both men finish on 12-3. It is the first time the brothers have met in competition. Akebono pulls out midway through due to injury. Tosanoumi wins two special prizes for Technique and Outstanding Performance. Minatofuji wins the Fighting Spirit prize, shared with Kaio. Former maegashira Wakanoyama wins the juryo championship with an 11-4 score after a playoff with Daihisho. One win behind on 10-5 are Tamakasuga, who is promoted to makuuchi, and Hawaiian wrestler Sunahama (William Taylor Hopkins), in his juryo debut. Four former top division wrestlers announce their retirements: Takamisugi, Daishoyama, Kirinishiki and Komafudo.
Deaths
- 26 January: Former sekiwake KuramaKurama TatsuyaKurama Tatsuya was a sumo wrestler from Yasu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. He fought under his real name for his entire career, never adopting a traditional shikona. He made his debut for the Tokitsukaze stable in September 1968, retiring 21 years later in September 1989, at which point he was the...
, also former Shikoroyama Oyakata, aged 42. - 31 March: Former maegashira Wakanoumi, also former Otake Oyakata aged 50.
- 4 June: Former maegashira Hideminato, aged 69.
- 20 July: Former maegashira Fukunoumi, also former Kitajin, Urakaze, Kiriyama, Hakkaku and Nakagawa Oyakata, aged 65.
- 16 Sept: Former maegashira Fukunosato, aged 71.
- 3 Oct: Former komusubi Kuninobori, also former Sanoyama Oyakata, aged 70.