Tochinoumi Teruyoshi
Encyclopedia
Tochinoumi Teruyoshi is a former sumo
wrestler from Aomori
, Japan
. He was the sport's 49th Yokozuna. After his retirement he was the head coach of Kasugano stable
.
, Minamitsugaru District
, he made his professional debut in September 1955. He joined Kasugano stable
, a prestigious heya
that had previously produced yokozuna Tochigiyama and Tochinishiki
. He initially fought under his own surname, Hanada. After about three years in the lower ranks he reached the second juryo division in January 1959 and was promoted to the top makuuchi
division in March 1960. After two make-koshi or losing scores he was demoted to juryo but immediately won the second division championship with a 14-1 record and was promoted back. He then adopted the shikona
Tochinoumi. He captured his first top division tournament championship in May 1962 at sekiwake rank and was promoted to ozeki. After his second championship in November 1963 and a 13-2 record in January 1964, he was promoted to sumo's highest rank of yokozuna. He was only able to win one further championship, in May 1964, and achieved only three double figure scores after that. After an injury plagued 1966 he retired at the end of the year at the age of 28.
He was somewhat overshadowed by his yokozuna contemporaries Taihō
and Kashiwado, but he was a noted technician and earlier in his career won six special prizes
for Technique. He was one of the lightest yokozuna ever at just 110 kg.
His first marriage ended in divorce. His second wife was, like his first, from the world of show business as she was a former member of the Takarazuka Revue
troupe.
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...
. He was the sport's 49th Yokozuna. After his retirement he was the head coach of Kasugano stable
Kasugano stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi group of stables. As of November 2007 it had 24 wrestlers. It is currently one of the most successful stables, with five sekitori wrestlers, including the Georgian Tochinoshin and the Korean born Tochinowaka, who uses the current head coach's...
.
Career
Born in InakdateInakadate, Aomori
is a village located in the Minamitsugaru District of east-central Aomori Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of Japan. As of 2009, the village had an estimated population of 8,421 and a density of 369 persons per km². Its total area was 22.31 km².-Geography:...
, Minamitsugaru District
Minamitsugaru District, Aomori
is a district located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 93,748 and a density of 133.76 persons per km²...
, he made his professional debut in September 1955. He joined Kasugano stable
Kasugano stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi group of stables. As of November 2007 it had 24 wrestlers. It is currently one of the most successful stables, with five sekitori wrestlers, including the Georgian Tochinoshin and the Korean born Tochinowaka, who uses the current head coach's...
, a prestigious heya
Heya
In sumo wrestling, a heya , usually translated into English as stable, is an organization of sumo wrestlers where they train and live. All wrestlers in professional sumo must belong to one. There are currently 49 heya , all but four of which belong to one of five ichimon...
that had previously produced yokozuna Tochigiyama and Tochinishiki
Tochinishiki Kiyotaka
Tochinishiki Kiyotaka was a sumo wrestler from Tokyo, Japan. He was the sport's 44th Yokozuna. He won ten top division yusho or tournament championships and was a rival of fellow yokozuna Wakanohana I...
. He initially fought under his own surname, Hanada. After about three years in the lower ranks he reached the second juryo division in January 1959 and was promoted to 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 March 1960. After two make-koshi or losing scores he was demoted to juryo but immediately won the second division championship with a 14-1 record and was promoted back. He then adopted 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...
Tochinoumi. He captured his first top division tournament championship in May 1962 at sekiwake rank and was promoted to ozeki. After his second championship in November 1963 and a 13-2 record in January 1964, he was promoted to sumo's highest rank of yokozuna. He was only able to win one further championship, in May 1964, and achieved only three double figure scores after that. After an injury plagued 1966 he retired at the end of the year at the age of 28.
He was somewhat overshadowed by his yokozuna contemporaries Taihō
Taiho Koki
Taihō Kōki is the 48th Yokozuna in the Japanese sport of sumo wrestling. He is generally regarded as the greatest sumo wrestler of the post-war period. He became a yokozuna in 1961 at the age of 21, the youngest ever at the time, and he won a record 32 tournaments between 1960 and 1971...
and Kashiwado, but he was a noted technician and earlier in his career won six 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:...
for Technique. He was one of the lightest yokozuna ever at just 110 kg.
Retirement from sumo
Tochinoumi stayed in the sumo world as an elder of the Sumo Association, under the name Nakadachi. Somewhat unusually for an ex yokozuna, he did not immediately take charge of a stable, instead working as an assistant coach. However, in January 1990 he did become head coach of Kasugano stable after the death of the previous stablemaster, the former Tochinishiki. He stood down in 2003, handing control of the stable over to former sekiwake Tochinowaka.His first marriage ended in divorce. His second wife was, like his first, from the world of show business as she was a former member of the Takarazuka Revue
Takarazuka Revue
The Takarazuka Revue is a Japanese all-female musical theater troupe based in Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Women play all roles in lavish, Broadway-style productions of Western-style musicals, and sometimes stories adapted from shōjo manga and Japanese folktales. The troupe takes its name...
troupe.
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 winners
- List of sumo tournament second division winners
- List of past sumo wrestlers
- List of yokozuna