- Chiyonoyama Masanobu
-
千代の山 雅信
Chiyonoyama Masanobu
Personal information Born Masaharu Sugimura
June 2, 1926
Fukushima, Hokkaidō, JapanDied October 29, 1977 (aged 51) Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) Weight 122 kg (270 lb) Career Heya Dewanoumi Record 403-158-147 (2 draws) Debut January 1942 Highest rank Yokozuna (May 1951) Retired January 1959 Yūshō 6 (Makuuchi)
2 (Juryo)Sanshō Outstanding Performance (1)
Fighting Spirit (1)Kinboshi 3 (Haguroyama, Terukuni,
Maedayama)* Career information is correct as of July 2007. Chiyonoyama Masanobu (千代の山 雅信, June 2, 1926 - October 29, 1977) was a sumo wrestler from Fukushima, Hokkaidō, Japan. He was the sport's 41st Yokozuna. He was also the founder of Kokonoe stable.
Contents
Career
The son of a fisherman, he joined Dewanoumi stable in January 1942. He injured his knee in his first tournament, an injury that was to trouble him for the rest of his career.[1] He reached the second highest juryo division in November 1944 and made his debut in the top makuuchi division in November 1945. In his first tournament he won all ten of his bouts but was denied the championship as in the absence of any playoff system in the event of a tie, it was simply awarded to the wrestler higher in rank (in this case, Yokozuna Haguroyama).[2] In May 1949 he defeated three yokozuna, finishing with a 12-3 record, and was promoted to ozeki. He won two consecutive championships in October 1949 and January 1950 but was denied promotion to yokozuna as the Sumo Association felt he was rather young at twenty three and with his second championship being "only" a 12-3 they wanted to wait until they were sure he was ready.[1] He was eventually promoted in May 1951 after winning his third championship with a 14-1 record. He is the first yokozuna to be promoted without being awarded a licence by the house of Yoshida Tsukasa. During his yokozuna career he missed many bouts through injury and in 1953 even asked to be demoted back to ozeki so he could start over again. The Sumo Association refused this unprecedented request.[2] Chiyonoyama finally took his first championship as a yokozuna in January 1955 and won two more thereafter, in March 1955 and January 1957. He announced his retirement in January 1959.
Retirement from sumo
Chiyonoyama had expected to take over as head coach of Dewanoumi stable after the death of the former boss Tsunenohana Kan'ichi in 1960, but he lost a succession battle to former maegashira Dewanohana. After yokozuna Sadanoyama married Dewanohana's daughter, Chiyonoyama realised he had no chance to take over and so asked to leave and set up his own stable. This was allowed on the condition that he also leave the Dewanoumi ichimon (group of stables).[2] In March 1967 he set up Kokonoe stable, taking ozeki (later yokozuna) Kitanofuji and nine other recruits with him. In 1970 future yokozuna Chiyonofuji, also from Fukushima, Hokkaidō, joined the stable. Chiyonoyama died of liver cancer aged fifty one in 1977.
Top division record
*The different tables represent a change in the tournament system over the years
New Year Summer Autumn 1945 no tournament held x East Maegashira #10 (10-0) 1946 no tournament held no tournament held East Maegashira #1 (10-3) 1947 no tournament held Sat out due to injury West Maegashira #1 (8-3)☆ 1948 no tournament held West Sekiwake (4-6-1draw) West Maegashira #1 (8-3)F☆☆ 1949 West Sekiwake (8-5) East Sekiwake (12-3)O West Ōzeki (13-2) 1950 East Ōzeki (12-3) East Ōzeki (9-6) East Ōzeki (11-4) 1951 East Ōzeki (8-7) East Ōzeki (14-1) West Yokozuna (9-6) 1952 West Yokozuna (13-2) West Yokozuna (10-5) West Yokozuna (11-4) New Year March May September 1953 East Yokozuna (4-4-7) East Yokozuna (1-5-9) Sat out due to injury West Yokozuna (11-4) 1954 West Yokozuna (10-5) East Yokozuna (10-5) West Yokozuna (12-3) East Yokozuna (12-3) 1955 East Yokozuna (12-3-P) East Yokozuna (13-2) East Yokozuna (8-7) East Yokozuna (10-4-1draw) 1956 West Yokozuna (4-1-10) West Yokozuna (8-7) West Yokozuna (11-4) Sat out due to injury New Year March May July September November 1957 West Yokozuna (15-0) East Yokozuna (10-5) Sat out due to injury no tournament held West Yokozuna (5-8-2) Sat out due to injury 1958 West Yokozuna (12-3) East Yokozuna (12-3) East Yokozuna (12-3) Sat out due to injury East Yokozuna (1-4-10) Sat out due to injury 1959 East Yokozuna (3-3-9) (Retired) x x x x x - The wrestler's East/West designation, rank, and win/loss record are listed for each tournament.[3]
- A third figure in win-loss records represents matches sat-out during the tournament (usually due to injury)
- an X signifies the wrestler had yet to reach the top division at that point in his career
- "P" designates a win or loss of additional playoff bout(s) for the championship because two or more wrestlers finished with identical records
Green Box=Tournament Championship F= Fighting Spirit Prize O= Outstanding Performance Prize T= Technique Prize ☆= Number of Kinboshi. See also
References
- ^ a b Kuroda, Joe (December 2005). "Rikishi of Old". sumofanmag.com. http://www.sumofanmag.com/content/Issue_4/Rikishi_of_Old.htm. Retrieved 2007-07-04.
- ^ a b c Sharnoff, Lora (1993). Grand Sumo. Weatherhill. ISBN 0-8348-0283-X.
- ^ "Chiyonoyama Masanobu Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. http://sumodb.sumogames.com/Rikishi.aspx?shikona=chiyonoyama&heya=-1&shusshin=-1&b=-1&high=-1&hd=-1&entry=-1&intai=-1&sort=1. Retrieved 2008-06-22.
External links
- previous:
- Azumafuji Kin'ichi
- 41st Yokozuna
- 1951 - 1959
- next:
- Kagamisato Kiyoji
Yokozuna is not a successive rank, and more than one wrestler can share the title Categories:- 1926 births
- 1977 deaths
- Cancer deaths in Japan
- Deaths from liver cancer
- Japanese sumo wrestlers
- Sumo people from Hokkaidō
- Yokozuna
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