Terao Tsunefumi
Encyclopedia
Terao Tsunefumi is a former sumo
wrestler. He was born in Tokyo
, but brought up in Kajiki
, Aira District
, Kagoshima
, Japan
. He fought out of Izutsu stable
. The highest rank he reached was sekiwake. Despite his relatively light weight he had an extremely long career, spanning 23 years from 1979 until 2002, and was known as the "iron man" of sumo. He is now the head coach of Shikoroyama stable
.
, and younger brother of Kakureizan (former jūryō) and Sakahoko
(former sekiwake). His paternal grandfather was a cousin of Satsumanishiki (former makushita). His father married the adopted daughter of former makushita Kaganishiki, who was adopted by Nishinoumi
, the 25th yokozuna. His cousin is Tsurunofuji (former jūryō). Terao and his brothers Kakureizan and Sakahoko together hold various sumo records: they are the first three brothers ever to reach sekitori
status; in September 1986 Terao and Sakahoko were the first brothers to win prizes
together; and in March 1989 they were the first brothers to hold sekiwake rank simultaneously. In November 1990 they appeared together in Chiyonofuji
's ring-entering ceremony as sword-bearer and dew-sweeper.
He took up sumo shortly after his mother died of cancer. He joined Izutsu stable
, which was run by his father, alongside his two brothers. He started competing under the name Terao Setsuo (寺尾 節男) after his mother's maiden name Terao Setsuko (寺尾 節子).
He first entered the second jūryō division in July 1984. To mark this promotion he changed his name to Genjiyama Rikisaburō, but reverted to Terao Setsuo after a single tournament. After winning the jūryō championship in January 1985 he entered the top makuuchi
division, but won only 6 bouts out of 15 and so returned to jūryō. He won the jūryō division the next tournament and so reentered makuuchi in July 1985. In September 1986 he earned nine wins and his first special prize, for Fighting Spirit. This advanced him to his then highest rank, maegashira 1. He changed his name to Terao Tsunefumi in November 1987, on the advice of a fortune-teller. In the following tournament in January 1988, he defeated yokozuna Onokuni to earn his first kinboshi
. He defeated Chiyonofuji in the January 1989 tournament and won the Outstanding Performance Award. In the next basho in March 1989, he finally made his breakthrough into the titled sanyaku ranks at sekiwake after four years in the top division, joining his brother at sumo's third highest rank.
Although Terao fought several tournaments at sekiwake he never came close to ōzeki, his best performance as sekiwake being 9-6. His last appearance in sanyaku was at komusubi rank in July 1994. In March 1995 he upset Takanohana for the only time as a yokozuna, earning his last special prize. November 1999, at the age of 35, he defeated Musashimaru for his final kinboshi. He remained in makuuchi until May 2000 when he was finally demoted at age 37 after 90 consecutive top division tournaments. However, he managed to return to makuuchi for two tournaments in March and May 2001, becoming at 38 years and 24 days the oldest man post World War II to earn promotion to the top division.
His total number of bouts is 1795, the second highest ever, as is his total number of makuuchi bouts (1378). His 860 wins are the sixth highest ever; his 938 losses the most ever recorded. When he had to retire from the March 1997 tournament after breaking his big toe in a bout against Kyokushūzan
it ended a run of 1359 bouts without absence, the sixth highest ever. 1063 of these were in makuuchi, the fourth highest ever. His 110 tournaments ranked as a sekitori
(in the top two divisions) was an all time record until it was broken by Kaio in 2010.
. Throughout his career he consistently weighed around 115 kg, a considerable disadvantage in an era when most of his opponents were over 150 kg. He compensated by relying on his speed and agility, and was often able to use his quick reactions to outwit his heavier opponents. He was well known for his rapid series of thrusts to the chest (tsuppari
), enabling him to win many of his matches by hataki-komi (the slap down), oshi-dashi (the push out) and tsuki-dashi (the thrust out). Due to his light weight he was vulnerable to defeat by yori-kiri (force out) if his opponents managed to contain him.
(a sumo elder) known as Shikoroyama. In February 2004 he established Shikoroyama stable
. He decided not to take any rikishi from Izutsu stable with him, recruiting all the new stable's rikishi himself. In January 2006 Hōmashō
became his first rikishi to reach sekitori status.
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 was born in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; 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...
, but brought up in Kajiki
Kajiki, Kagoshima
was a town located in Aira District, Kagoshima, Japan. It was located north of the city of Kagoshima. Kajiki was located on the northern part of the bay. Kagoshima Airport is to the north....
, Aira District
Aira District, Kagoshima
is a district located in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The current population is 11,420.-History:*April 1, 1889 - Due to the municipal status enforcement, the villages of Chōsa, Kajiki, Gamo, Mizobe, Shigetomi and Yamada were created within Aira District...
, Kagoshima
Kagoshima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Kagoshima.- Geography :Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu and includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest for a few hundred kilometers...
, 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...
. He fought out of Izutsu stable
Izutsu stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tokitsukaze group of stables.The stable was established in the Meiji era by former yokozuna Nishinoumi Kajirō I, the 16th yokozuna, who became the 7th Izutsu-oyakata. He was succeeded by Nishinoumi Kajirō II, the 25th yokozuna...
. The highest rank he reached was sekiwake. Despite his relatively light weight he had an extremely long career, spanning 23 years from 1979 until 2002, and was known as the "iron man" of sumo. He is now the head coach of Shikoroyama stable
Shikoroyama stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tokitsukaze ichimon or group of stables. It was established in its current form in February 2004 by former sekiwake Terao, who branched off from Izutsu stable. He did not take any established rikishi with him, recruiting all his rikishi himself instead. As...
.
Sumo Family
Terao has a long sumo pedigree. He is the third son of former sekiwake TsurugamineTsurugamine Akio
Tsurugamine Akio , real name Akio Fukuzono, was a sumo wrestler from Aira, Kagoshima, Japan. His highest rank was sekiwake. After his retirement he was the head of Izutsu stable and coached two of his sons, Sakahoko and Terao, to the top division.-Career:Tsurugamine began his professional career...
, and younger brother of Kakureizan (former jūryō) and Sakahoko
Sakahoko Akihiro
Sakahoko Nobushige is a former sumo wrestler from Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyūshū, Japan. His highest rank was sekiwake. He is now the head coach of Izutsu stable...
(former sekiwake). His paternal grandfather was a cousin of Satsumanishiki (former makushita). His father married the adopted daughter of former makushita Kaganishiki, who was adopted by Nishinoumi
Nishinoumi Kajiro II
Nishinoumi Kajirō II was a sumo wrestler. He was the sport's 25th Yokozuna.- Career :Nishinoumi was promoted to the top makuuchi division in May 1906. He was awarded a yokozuna licence by the house of Yoshida Tsukasa in February 1916 after winning a championship at January 1916 tournament...
, the 25th yokozuna. His cousin is Tsurunofuji (former jūryō). Terao and his brothers Kakureizan and Sakahoko together hold various sumo records: they are the first three brothers ever to reach 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; in September 1986 Terao and Sakahoko were the first brothers to win 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:...
together; and in March 1989 they were the first brothers to hold sekiwake rank simultaneously. In November 1990 they appeared together in Chiyonofuji
Chiyonofuji Mitsugu
, born June 1, 1955, as in Hokkaidō, Japan, is a former champion sumo wrestler and the 58th yokozuna of the sport. He is now the head coach of Kokonoe stable....
's ring-entering ceremony as sword-bearer and dew-sweeper.
Career
Izutsu stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tokitsukaze group of stables.The stable was established in the Meiji era by former yokozuna Nishinoumi Kajirō I, the 16th yokozuna, who became the 7th Izutsu-oyakata. He was succeeded by Nishinoumi Kajirō II, the 25th yokozuna...
, which was run by his father, alongside his two brothers. He started competing under the name Terao Setsuo (寺尾 節男) after his mother's maiden name Terao Setsuko (寺尾 節子).
He first entered the second jūryō division in July 1984. To mark this promotion he changed his name to Genjiyama Rikisaburō, but reverted to Terao Setsuo after a single tournament. After winning the jūryō championship in January 1985 he entered 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, but won only 6 bouts out of 15 and so returned to jūryō. He won the jūryō division the next tournament and so reentered makuuchi in July 1985. In September 1986 he earned nine wins and his first special prize, for Fighting Spirit. This advanced him to his then highest rank, maegashira 1. He changed his name to Terao Tsunefumi in November 1987, on the advice of a fortune-teller. In the following tournament in January 1988, he defeated yokozuna Onokuni to earn his first kinboshi
Kinboshi
Kinboshi is a notation used in professional sumo wrestling to record a lower-ranked wrestler's victory over a yokozuna....
. He defeated Chiyonofuji in the January 1989 tournament and won the Outstanding Performance Award. In the next basho in March 1989, he finally made his breakthrough into the titled sanyaku ranks at sekiwake after four years in the top division, joining his brother at sumo's third highest rank.
Although Terao fought several tournaments at sekiwake he never came close to ōzeki, his best performance as sekiwake being 9-6. His last appearance in sanyaku was at komusubi rank in July 1994. In March 1995 he upset Takanohana for the only time as a yokozuna, earning his last special prize. November 1999, at the age of 35, he defeated Musashimaru for his final kinboshi. He remained in makuuchi until May 2000 when he was finally demoted at age 37 after 90 consecutive top division tournaments. However, he managed to return to makuuchi for two tournaments in March and May 2001, becoming at 38 years and 24 days the oldest man post World War II to earn promotion to the top division.
Records
Despite suffering from a heart condition, Terao enjoyed an exceptionally long and relatively injury-free career from his debut in 1979 aged 16 to his retirement in 2002 aged 39. He was referred to as the Tetsujin, or Iron Man, of sumo. Among his other nicknames were "The Eternal Typhoon," because of both his longevity and his tsuppari fighting style.His total number of bouts is 1795, the second highest ever, as is his total number of makuuchi bouts (1378). His 860 wins are the sixth highest ever; his 938 losses the most ever recorded. When he had to retire from the March 1997 tournament after breaking his big toe in a bout against Kyokushūzan
Kyokushuzan Noboru
Kyokushūzan Noboru is a former professional sumo wrestler and current politician of Democratic Party. He was the first wrestler from Mongolia to reach sumo's top makuuchi division....
it ended a run of 1359 bouts without absence, the sixth highest ever. 1063 of these were in makuuchi, the fourth highest ever. His 110 tournaments ranked as a 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...
(in the top two divisions) was an all time record until it was broken by Kaio in 2010.
Fighting style
Terao was an oshi-sumo specialist, relying on pushing and thrusting techniques, keeping his opponent away from his 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:...
. Throughout his career he consistently weighed around 115 kg, a considerable disadvantage in an era when most of his opponents were over 150 kg. He compensated by relying on his speed and agility, and was often able to use his quick reactions to outwit his heavier opponents. He was well known for his rapid series of thrusts to the chest (tsuppari
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...
), enabling him to win many of his matches by hataki-komi (the slap down), oshi-dashi (the push out) and tsuki-dashi (the thrust out). Due to his light weight he was vulnerable to defeat by yori-kiri (force out) if his opponents managed to contain him.
After retirement
He is now a toshiyoriToshiyori
A toshiyori is a sumo elder of the Japan Sumo Association. Also known as oyakata, former wrestlers who reached a sufficiently high rank are the only people eligible...
(a sumo elder) known as Shikoroyama. In February 2004 he established Shikoroyama stable
Shikoroyama stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tokitsukaze ichimon or group of stables. It was established in its current form in February 2004 by former sekiwake Terao, who branched off from Izutsu stable. He did not take any established rikishi with him, recruiting all his rikishi himself instead. As...
. He decided not to take any rikishi from Izutsu stable with him, recruiting all the new stable's rikishi himself. In January 2006 Hōmashō
Homasho Noriyuki
Hōmashō Noriyuki , is a sumo wrestler. He turned professional in March 2004 and reached the top makuuchi division in May 2006, without any losing scores on his record. The highest rank he has so far reached is komusubi...
became his first rikishi to reach sekitori status.
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
- List of sumo record holders