Hidenokuni Hajime
Encyclopedia
Hidenokuni Hajime is a former professional sumo
wrestler, who was active from 1989 until 1990. The highest rank he reached was jonidan 89. He was the first, and so far only sumo wrestler from the United Kingdom
.
, he was inspired to join sumo after seeing broadcasts on Channel 4
. After nine months of training in martial arts techniques with Syd Hoare of the British Sumo Association, he went to Japan and joined the Azumazeki stable
run by former sekiwake Takamiyama, who had already taken on a number of foreign recruits from Hawaii
.
The name Hidenokuni was chosen to acknowledge his pioneering status as the first ever rikishi from the United Kingdom: the first and last characters of Hidenokuni together mean England. Hajime is a common given name in Japan, and can be taken to mean start or beginning.
Hidenokuni's sumo career was short. After coming though maesumo (pre-sumo) in September 1989, he fought his first tournament in the bottom jonokuchi division in November 1989, and performed sufficiently well to be promoted to jonidan for the January 1990 tournament. He celebrated by going out to a disco with ōzeki Konishiki
, who had just won the top division title. He again achieved kachi-koshi in January. He had gained quite a lot of attention due to his status as the first ever European in sumo, and even started to receive fan mail. However, he also received very harsh treatment in training from his stablemates, who were not pleased at the attention he was getting, and this influenced his decision to return to England. He did not appear in the next two tournaments, and retired from 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, who was active from 1989 until 1990. The highest rank he reached was jonidan 89. He was the first, and so far only sumo wrestler from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Career
A former photographic print worker from Herne Bay, KentHerne Bay, Kent
Herne Bay is a seaside town in Kent, South East England, with a population of 35,188. On the south coast of the Thames Estuary, it is north of Canterbury and east of Whitstable. It neighbours the ancient villages of Herne and Reculver and is part of the City of Canterbury local government district...
, he was inspired to join sumo after seeing broadcasts on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. After nine months of training in martial arts techniques with Syd Hoare of the British Sumo Association, he went to Japan and joined the Azumazeki stable
Azumazeki Stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Takasago group of stables. It is located at Higashi–Komagata, Sumida, Tokyo. It was founded in April 1986 by the Hawaiian born Takamiyama of the Takasago stable. Azumazeki's first sekitori was Akebono, also from Hawaii, in 1990, who subsequently reached the...
run by former sekiwake Takamiyama, who had already taken on a number of foreign recruits from Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
The name Hidenokuni was chosen to acknowledge his pioneering status as the first ever rikishi from the United Kingdom: the first and last characters of Hidenokuni together mean England. Hajime is a common given name in Japan, and can be taken to mean start or beginning.
Hidenokuni's sumo career was short. After coming though maesumo (pre-sumo) in September 1989, he fought his first tournament in the bottom jonokuchi division in November 1989, and performed sufficiently well to be promoted to jonidan for the January 1990 tournament. He celebrated by going out to a disco with ōzeki Konishiki
Konishiki Yasokichi
----, is a Hawaiian-born Japanese–Samoan former sumo wrestler. He was the first foreign-born wrestler to reach ozeki, the second highest rank in the sport...
, who had just won the top division title. He again achieved kachi-koshi in January. He had gained quite a lot of attention due to his status as the first ever European in sumo, and even started to receive fan mail. However, he also received very harsh treatment in training from his stablemates, who were not pleased at the attention he was getting, and this influenced his decision to return to England. He did not appear in the next two tournaments, and retired from sumo.