Ōhikari Sadayuki (September 24, 1927 – January 14, 1996, real name Sadayuki Shibata) was a

sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by thr ...

wrestler and coach from Kamiiso, Hokkaido, Japan. He made his professional debut in January 1944, reaching the top '' makuuchi'' division in 1950. His highest rank was '' komusubi.'' He was a runner-up in the May 1956 tournament and earned five '' kinboshi'' or gold stars for defeating '' yokozuna'' during his career. He retired in 1963 and became an

elder An elder is someone with a degree of seniority or authority. Elder or elders may refer to: Positions Administrative * Elder (administrative title), a position of authority Cultural * North American Indigenous elder, a person who has and tr ...

of the Japan Sumo Association under the name Ōnomatsu Oyakata, working as a coach at Dewanoumi stable. He died in 1996 at the age of 68.

Career

His first job after graduating from school was as a driver but he had a large physique which was well suited to sumo, and he was recruited by future '' yokozuna''

Chiyonoyama was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Fukushima, Hokkaidō. He was the sport's 41st ''yokozuna'' from 1951 until 1959. He is regarded as the first "modern" ''yokozuna'' in that he was promoted by the Japan Sumo Association itself and n ...

, who came from nearby

Fukushima may refer to: Japan * Fukushima Prefecture, Japanese prefecture ** Fukushima, Fukushima, capital city of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan ***Fukushima University, national university in Japan *** Fukushima Station (Fukushima) in Fukushima, Fukushim ...

. He joined Dewanoumi stable in January 1944. Originally fighting under his own surname of Shibata, he reached the ''

jūryō Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win–loss records in official tournaments. For ...

'' division in January 1949 and adopted the '' shikona'' of Ōhikari in January 1950. He reached the top '' makuuchi'' division in September of that year. In September 1952 he defeated his first ''yokozuna'', Azumafuji, although he finished the tournament with only four wins against eleven losses. His best result in a tournament was in May 1956 when he was runner-up to then '' ōzeki'' Wakanohana Kanji I, losing to him in a playoff for the '' yūshō'' or championship after both wrestlers finished with identical 12–3 records. He had fought only his fellow '' maegashira'' ranked wrestlers until the final day, when he defeated '' sekiwake''

Tsurugamine Tsurugamine Akio (26 April 1929 – 29 May 2006), real name Akio Fukuzono, was a sumo wrestler from Aira, Kagoshima, Japan. His highest rank was ''sekiwake.'' He was twice runner-up in a tournament and won 14 special prizes, including a record ...

. Ōhikari was awarded the Fighting Spirit '' sanshō'' or special prize, the only one of his career. He made his debut in the ''

sanyaku The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. A B C D E F G H ...

'' ranks at '' komusubi'' in July 1958, but fell just short of a majority of wins with a 7–8 record. He had one more appearance at ''komusubi'' in November 1958. Chiyonoyama 1951 Scan10059

He was known for his endurance and ability to avoid injury, and on the seventh day of the January 1963 tournament, he became the first wrestler to fight 1000 consecutive matches from his professional debut. He extended this record to 1068 matches, but a ruptured

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus (h ...

in November 1963 ended his streak, and he immediately announced his retirement. 945 of those bouts had been in the top division, which is the seventh longest consecutive run of ''makuuchi'' bouts as of 2017. He had fought in the top division for 13 years and 64 tournaments, with 455 wins against 489 losses, and one draw. He had five gold stars, his ''yokozuna'' wins coming against Azumafuji, Kagamisato, and Wakanohana I (three times). Despite fighting in 79 career tournaments, he never managed to win a championship in any division.

Retirement from sumo

Ōhikari stayed in sumo as an

of the Japan Sumo Association, working as a coach at Dewanoumi stable under the name of Ōnomatsu Oyakata until reaching the mandatory retirement age of 65 in September 1992. He sold his Ōnomatsu stock to former ''sekiwake'' Masurao, who went on to found Ōnomatsu stable. He died in January 1996 at the age of 68.

Fighting style

Ōhikari liked to push and thrust at his opponents, and was known for the power of his ''tsuppari'', a series of rapid thrusts to the chest. His most common winning '' kimarite'' or techniques were ''yori kiri'' (force out), ''utchari'' (ring edge throw) and ''oshi-dashi'' (push out).

Pre-modern top division record

*''The New Year tournament began and the Spring tournament returned to Osaka in 1953.''

Modern top division tournament record

*''Since the addition of the Kyushu tournament in 1957 and the Nagoya tournament in 1958, the yearly schedule has remained unchanged.''

References