Jumonji Masayasu
Encyclopedia
Jūmonji Tomokazu is a former sumo
wrestler from Aomori
, Japan
. Joining the professional ranks in 1992, he reached the top division in 2000 and was ranked there for 34 tournaments until 2007. His highest rank was maegashira 6. He was forced to retire in April 2011 after an investigation by the Japan Sumo Association
found him guilty of match-fixing.
, Sannohe District
. He made his professional debut in November 1992, joining Tatsutagawa stable (which was absorbed into Michinoku stable
in 2000 upon the retirement of its stablemaster). He spent six years in the lower divisions, picking up a tournament championship or yusho
in the sandanme division in 1995. He reached the second jūryō division in January 1998, fighting under the shikona
or ring name of Kaigatake, but he lasted only one tournament there. Upon winning promotion back to jūryō in November 1999 he reverted to his own surname, which he used for the rest of his career. He used various names as the second part of his shikona, including Akinori and Masayasu, but returned to his given name of Tomokazu in 2008.
Jūmonji made his debut in the top makuuchi
division in May 2000. He made his first winning score in the division in March 2001, but after suffering from a hernia
he was demoted back to jūryō and had to miss the September 2001 tournament. Upon his return to competition he earned immediate promotion back to makuuchi but he mostly remained in the middle and lower maegashira ranks, without making much of a challenge for promotion to the titled sanyaku ranks. Despite competing in over 500 top division bouts, he never once rose high enough to face a yokozuna or an ozeki. In November 2006 he fell to the jūryō division for the first time since 2002, but he won the jūryō tournament title and was promoted straight back. He was demoted once again in May 2007. He could only manage a 5-10 score in July 2007, pushing him towards the bottom of the jūryō division.
Jūmonji held onto sekitori
status with an 8-7 mark in September 2007, a tournament which saw him record his 500th career win, but could manage only a 3-12 record in November and fell to the unsalaried makushita division for the first time since 1999. He continued to slide down the rankings, turning in losing scores of 3-4 in the tournaments of January and March 2008. After falling to a low of Makushita 20, he recovered with four consecutive winning scores from September 2008 to March 2009. His 4-3 score at Makushita 2 East in March was enough to return him to the jūryō division for the first time since November 2007, where he recorded a winning score of 9-6 in his 100th tournament in sumo. He maintained his sekitori status until January 2010, when he could score only 6-9 at the lowest jūryō rank of #14 West. In July 2010 he won the makushita division yusho with a perfect 7-0 record, guaranteeing himself a third return to jūryō. He was demoted to makushita once again after the November 2010 tournament.
Jūmonji was one of 23 wrestlers found guilty of fixing the result of bouts after an investigation by the Japan Sumo Association
, and he was forced to retire in April 2011.
, with his left hand outside and right hand inside his opponent's arms. His most common winning kimarite
was a straightforward yori-kiri or force out, which accounted for roughly 40 percent of his victories at sekitori level.
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 from Aomori
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....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Joining the professional ranks in 1992, he reached the top division in 2000 and was ranked there for 34 tournaments until 2007. His highest rank was maegashira 6. He was forced to retire in April 2011 after an investigation by the Japan Sumo Association
Japan Sumo Association
The is the body that operates and controls professional sumo wrestling in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Rikishi , gyōji , tokoyama , and yobidashi , are all on the Association's payroll, but the organisation is run...
found him guilty of match-fixing.
Career
Jūmonji was born in HashikamiHashikami, Aomori
is a town located in the Sannohe District of southeastern Aomori Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of Japan. As of 2009, the town had an estimated population of 14,978 and a density of 159 persons per km². Its total area was 93.91 km².-Geography:...
, Sannohe District
Sannohe District, Aomori
is a district located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It occupies the southeast corner of the prefecture, bordering Iwate Prefecture.As of 2010, the district has an estimated population of 73,955 and a density of 76.3 persons per km². The total area was 969.38 km².- Towns and villages :The...
. He made his professional debut in November 1992, joining Tatsutagawa stable (which was absorbed into Michinoku stable
Michinoku stable
The is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tokitsukaze ichimon or group of stables. It was established in 1974 by former maegashira Hoshikabuto, who branched off from Izutsu stable. Former ozeki Kirishima became the current head coach in December 1997. It absorbed Tatsutagawa stable in...
in 2000 upon the retirement of its stablemaster). He spent six years in the lower divisions, picking up a tournament championship or yusho
Yusho
A 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...
in the sandanme division in 1995. He reached the second jūryō division in January 1998, fighting under the shikona
Shikona
A shikona is a sumo wrestler's ring name.As with standard Japanese names, a shikona consists of a 'surname' and a 'given' name, and the full name is written surname first. However, the given name is rarely used outside formal or ceremonial occasions. Thus, the former yokozuna Asashōryū Akinori is...
or ring name of Kaigatake, but he lasted only one tournament there. Upon winning promotion back to jūryō in November 1999 he reverted to his own surname, which he used for the rest of his career. He used various names as the second part of his shikona, including Akinori and Masayasu, but returned to his given name of Tomokazu in 2008.
Jūmonji made his debut in 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 in May 2000. He made his first winning score in the division in March 2001, but after suffering from a hernia
Hernia
A hernia is the protrusion of an organ or the fascia of an organ through the wall of the cavity that normally contains it. A hiatal hernia occurs when the stomach protrudes into the mediastinum through the esophageal opening in the diaphragm....
he was demoted back to jūryō and had to miss the September 2001 tournament. Upon his return to competition he earned immediate promotion back to makuuchi but he mostly remained in the middle and lower maegashira ranks, without making much of a challenge for promotion to the titled sanyaku ranks. Despite competing in over 500 top division bouts, he never once rose high enough to face a yokozuna or an ozeki. In November 2006 he fell to the jūryō division for the first time since 2002, but he won the jūryō tournament title and was promoted straight back. He was demoted once again in May 2007. He could only manage a 5-10 score in July 2007, pushing him towards the bottom of the jūryō division.
Jūmonji held onto sekitori
Sekitori
A 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...
status with an 8-7 mark in September 2007, a tournament which saw him record his 500th career win, but could manage only a 3-12 record in November and fell to the unsalaried makushita division for the first time since 1999. He continued to slide down the rankings, turning in losing scores of 3-4 in the tournaments of January and March 2008. After falling to a low of Makushita 20, he recovered with four consecutive winning scores from September 2008 to March 2009. His 4-3 score at Makushita 2 East in March was enough to return him to the jūryō division for the first time since November 2007, where he recorded a winning score of 9-6 in his 100th tournament in sumo. He maintained his sekitori status until January 2010, when he could score only 6-9 at the lowest jūryō rank of #14 West. In July 2010 he won the makushita division yusho with a perfect 7-0 record, guaranteeing himself a third return to jūryō. He was demoted to makushita once again after the November 2010 tournament.
Jūmonji was one of 23 wrestlers found guilty of fixing the result of bouts after an investigation by the Japan Sumo Association
Japan Sumo Association
The is the body that operates and controls professional sumo wrestling in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Rikishi , gyōji , tokoyama , and yobidashi , are all on the Association's payroll, but the organisation is run...
, and he was forced to retire in April 2011.
Fighting style
Jūmonji was a yotsu-sumo specialist, and in a grappling position preferred a migi-yotsu grip 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:...
, with his left hand outside and right hand inside his opponent's arms. His most common winning kimarite
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...
was a straightforward yori-kiri or force out, which accounted for roughly 40 percent of his victories at sekitori level.
Top division record
See also
- Glossary of sumo termsGlossary of sumo termsThe following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. azukari : Hold. A kind of draw. After a mono-ii, the gyōji or the shimpan "holds" the result if it was too close to call...
- List of sumo tournament second division winners
- List of past sumo wrestlers