Aminishiki Ryuji
Encyclopedia
Aminishiki Ryūji is a Japanese
sumo
wrestler. He made his professional debut in 1997 and has been ranked in the top division since 2000. He has earned ten special prizes
and won seven gold stars
for defeating yokozuna during his career. He has twice been runner-up in a tournament. The highest rank he has reached is sekiwake. He is the younger brother of Asōfuji
.
, Nishitsugaru District
, Aomori Prefecture
. He joined Ajigawa stable, run by former yokozuna Asahifuji
. He made his professional debut in January 1997. He reached the second highest jūryō division after three years in January 2000. He made the top makuuchi
division just three tournaments later in July 2000. He won his first special prize in his debut top division tournament, for Fighting Spirit. In January 2003, he scored his first win over a yokozuna by defeating Takanohana, who announced his retirement the next day. He was a runner-up in the May 2003 tournament. In 2004, he briefly fell to jūryō after suffering an injury in the July tournament.
Aminishiki has won the prestigious gino-sho
or Technique Award on four occasions, and has earned seven kinboshi
or gold stars for defeating yokozuna. Having come close on a number of occasions, Aminishiki finally made his sanyaku debut in November 2006, having chalked up an impressive 11-4 runner-up record at maegashira 3 rank the previous September. He fell short with 6 wins at komusubi, but remained in the upper maegashira ranks. In July 2007, he returned to komusubi and scored 8–7, winning his second successive shunkun-sho, or Outstanding Performance Award. This earned him promotion to sekiwake for September 2007. It took him 43 top division tournaments to reach sumo's third highest rank, the fourth slowest rise ever.
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He won his first eight bouts in his sekiwake debut, leading the race for the championship, although he faltered in the second week and finished with a 10–5 record. In the November 2007 tournament he won his last three bouts to preserve his sekiwake rank with an 8–7 score. In January 2008, however, he could win only five matches and fell back to the maegashira ranks. In March 2008 he defeated yokozuna Hakuhō
having injured his right knee the day before the match in a loss to Asashōryū
. In May 2008 he scored an impressive ten wins and was the only man to defeat Kotooshu, the winner of the tournament, which secured him his third Outstanding Performance prize.
Aminishiki returned to the sekiwake rank in January 2009 after winning his fourth shukun-sho at komusubi in November 2008. However, he was still wearing a brace on his right knee when he faced yokozuna Asashoryu on Day Eight. Asashoryu shoved him out of the ring, at which point Aminishiki winced, collapsed and grasped his right knee. He forfeited the next day's bout against Kyokutenhō, and pulled out of the Hatsu-Basho altogether after doctors pronounced he would require at least two weeks to heal.
Falling back to the maegashira ranks for the March tournament, he produced a 9–6 score on his return. He earned his seventh kinboshi, and fourth from Asashoryu, during the May 2009 tournament. In July 2009 he scored eleven wins and won his fourth Technique Prize, guaranteeing him a return to sanyaku. In September he was ranked at komusubi but just failed to secure his kachi-koshi, falling to Kakuryu on the final day to finish 7-8. A strong performance in the January 2010 tournament saw him win eleven bouts and pick up his fifth Technique prize. He returned to the komusubi ranking in March, and to sekiwake in May. Dropping to the maegashira ranks for July, he was forced to withdraw after injuring his right knee yet again in a win over Tochinoshin on Day 12. His withdrawal drew much attention in Japan because it meant on that day foreigners outnumbered native born Japanese in the top division for the first time ever (17 to 16). He has not yet managed a return to the sanyaku ranks, but has remained an upper maegashira. He remained at maegashira 3 in July 2011, despite only scoring 7-8 in the previous tournament, due to the larger number of forced retirements from the top two division in the wake of a match-fixing scandal - his brother amongst them.
rather than push his opponents, and specialises in throwing and tripping techniques
. He is one of the few current wrestlers to employ soto-gake, or outer leg trip, and has won with it 18 times in his career. His most common throw, and third most used move overall, is uwate-nage, or outer arm throw. However, his two most common winning techniques are the straightforward yori-kiri or force out, and oshi-dashi, or push out. His favoured grip on the mawashi at the beginning of his career was the unusual mae-mawashi, a double-handed grip on the front of the mawashi at the opponent's stomach area. However, he has more recently favoured a migi-yotsu grip, with his left hand outside and right hand inside his opponent's arms.
Aminishiki is also known for employing henka, or sidestepping, to wrongfoot his opponents at the tachi-ai
or initial charge. His victory over Hakuho in March 2008 was achieved in this manner.
was also a sumo wrestler. He made his debut three years before Aminishiki in 1994 but he spent only two tournaments in the top division, retiring in 2011 after having been found guilty of match-fixing.
Their stablemaster, former yokozuna Asahifuji, comes from the same area of Japan and is a cousin of their father.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
sumo
Sumo
is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...
wrestler. He made his professional debut in 1997 and has been ranked in the top division since 2000. He has earned ten special prizes
Sansho (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:...
and won seven gold stars
Kinboshi
Kinboshi is a notation used in professional sumo wrestling to record a lower-ranked wrestler's victory over a yokozuna....
for defeating yokozuna during his career. He has twice been runner-up in a tournament. The highest rank he has reached is sekiwake. He is the younger brother of Asōfuji
Asofuji Seiya
Asōfuji Seiya is a retired sumo wrestler from Fukaura, Nishitsugaru, Aomori, Japan. His highest rank was maegashira 13. He is the elder brother of Aminishiki.-Career:...
.
Career
Aminishiki was born in FukauraFukaura, Aomori
is a town located in the Nishitsugaru District of Aomori Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of Japan. As of 2009, the town had an estimated population of 9,917 and a density of 20.3 persons per km²...
, Nishitsugaru District
Nishitsugaru District, Aomori
is a district located in Aomori, Japan.As of 2003 , the district has an estimated population of 24,033 and a density of 28.9 persons per km²...
, Aomori Prefecture
Aomori Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region. The capital is the city of Aomori.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Aomori prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
. He joined Ajigawa stable, run by former yokozuna Asahifuji
Asahifuji Seiya
is a former sumo wrestler from Aomori, Japan. He joined professional sumo in 1981, reaching the top makuuchi division just two years later. He reached the second highest rank of ozeki in 1987 and became the 63rd Yokozuna in the history of the sport in 1990 at the age of 30...
. He made his professional debut in January 1997. He reached the second highest jūryō division after three years in January 2000. He made the top makuuchi
Makuuchi
or 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 just three tournaments later in July 2000. He won his first special prize in his debut top division tournament, for Fighting Spirit. In January 2003, he scored his first win over a yokozuna by defeating Takanohana, who announced his retirement the next day. He was a runner-up in the May 2003 tournament. In 2004, he briefly fell to jūryō after suffering an injury in the July tournament.
Aminishiki has won the prestigious gino-sho
Sansho (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:...
or Technique Award on four occasions, and has earned seven kinboshi
Kinboshi
Kinboshi is a notation used in professional sumo wrestling to record a lower-ranked wrestler's victory over a yokozuna....
or gold stars for defeating yokozuna. Having come close on a number of occasions, Aminishiki finally made his sanyaku debut in November 2006, having chalked up an impressive 11-4 runner-up record at maegashira 3 rank the previous September. He fell short with 6 wins at komusubi, but remained in the upper maegashira ranks. In July 2007, he returned to komusubi and scored 8–7, winning his second successive shunkun-sho, or Outstanding Performance Award. This earned him promotion to sekiwake for September 2007. It took him 43 top division tournaments to reach sumo's third highest rank, the fourth slowest rise ever.
Hakuho Sho
is a professional sumo wrestler from Ulan Bator, Mongolia. Making his debut in March 2001, he reached the top makuuchi division in May 2004. On May 30, 2007 at the age of 22 he became the second native of Mongolia, and the fourth non-Japanese overall, to be promoted to the highest rank in sumo,...
having injured his right knee the day before the match in a loss to Asashōryū
Asashōryū Akinori
is a former sumo wrestler from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. He was the 68th yokozuna in the history of the sport in Japan and became the first Mongol to reach sumo's highest rank in January 2003. He was one of the most successful yokozuna ever. In 2005 he became the first man to win all six official...
. In May 2008 he scored an impressive ten wins and was the only man to defeat Kotooshu, the winner of the tournament, which secured him his third Outstanding Performance prize.
Aminishiki returned to the sekiwake rank in January 2009 after winning his fourth shukun-sho at komusubi in November 2008. However, he was still wearing a brace on his right knee when he faced yokozuna Asashoryu on Day Eight. Asashoryu shoved him out of the ring, at which point Aminishiki winced, collapsed and grasped his right knee. He forfeited the next day's bout against Kyokutenhō, and pulled out of the Hatsu-Basho altogether after doctors pronounced he would require at least two weeks to heal.
Falling back to the maegashira ranks for the March tournament, he produced a 9–6 score on his return. He earned his seventh kinboshi, and fourth from Asashoryu, during the May 2009 tournament. In July 2009 he scored eleven wins and won his fourth Technique Prize, guaranteeing him a return to sanyaku. In September he was ranked at komusubi but just failed to secure his kachi-koshi, falling to Kakuryu on the final day to finish 7-8. A strong performance in the January 2010 tournament saw him win eleven bouts and pick up his fifth Technique prize. He returned to the komusubi ranking in March, and to sekiwake in May. Dropping to the maegashira ranks for July, he was forced to withdraw after injuring his right knee yet again in a win over Tochinoshin on Day 12. His withdrawal drew much attention in Japan because it meant on that day foreigners outnumbered native born Japanese in the top division for the first time ever (17 to 16). He has not yet managed a return to the sanyaku ranks, but has remained an upper maegashira. He remained at maegashira 3 in July 2011, despite only scoring 7-8 in the previous tournament, due to the larger number of forced retirements from the top two division in the wake of a match-fixing scandal - his brother amongst them.
Fighting style
Aminishiki prefers to work on the mawashiMawashi
In sumo, a mawashi is the belt that the rikishi wears during training or in competition. Upper ranked professional wrestlers wear a keshō-mawashi as part of the ring entry ceremony or dohyo-iri.-Mawashi:...
rather than push his opponents, and specialises in throwing and tripping techniques
Kimarite
Kimarite are winning techniques in a sumo bout. For each bout in a Grand Sumo tournament , a sumo referee, or gyoji, will decide and announce the type of kimarite used by the winner...
. He is one of the few current wrestlers to employ soto-gake, or outer leg trip, and has won with it 18 times in his career. His most common throw, and third most used move overall, is uwate-nage, or outer arm throw. However, his two most common winning techniques are the straightforward yori-kiri or force out, and oshi-dashi, or push out. His favoured grip on the mawashi at the beginning of his career was the unusual mae-mawashi, a double-handed grip on the front of the mawashi at the opponent's stomach area. However, he has more recently favoured a migi-yotsu grip, with his left hand outside and right hand inside his opponent's arms.
Aminishiki is also known for employing henka, or sidestepping, to wrongfoot his opponents at the tachi-ai
Tachi-ai
The tachi-ai is the initial charge between two sumo wrestlers at the beginning of a bout.There are several common techniques that wrestlers use at the tachi-ai, with the aim of getting a decisive advantage in the bout:...
or initial charge. His victory over Hakuho in March 2008 was achieved in this manner.
Family
Aminishiki's older brother AsōfujiAsofuji Seiya
Asōfuji Seiya is a retired sumo wrestler from Fukaura, Nishitsugaru, Aomori, Japan. His highest rank was maegashira 13. He is the elder brother of Aminishiki.-Career:...
was also a sumo wrestler. He made his debut three years before Aminishiki in 1994 but he spent only two tournaments in the top division, retiring in 2011 after having been found guilty of match-fixing.
Their stablemaster, former yokozuna Asahifuji, comes from the same area of Japan and is a cousin of their father.