is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from

Kasugai, Aichi is a city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 306,764, and a population density of 3,306 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . The city is sometimes called Owarikasugai to avoid confusion with other m ...

. An amateur sumo competitor while studying at

Nihon University , abbreviated as , is a private university, private research university in Japan. Its predecessor, Nihon Law School (currently the Department of Law), was founded by Yamada Akiyoshi, the Minister of Justice (Japan), Minister of Justice, in 1889. ...

, he made his professional debut in January 2008. He reached the top ''

makuuchi , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...

'' division in March 2016. His highest rank to date has been ''

maegashira , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...

'' 12. He has both a lower division ''

jonokuchi 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 ...

'' and a ''

makushita 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 championship. He wrestles for

Kise stable , also known as Kimura Sehei stable, was a heya (sumo), heya or stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tatsunami ''ichimon'' or affiliated group of stables. History The original Kise stable (which had no connection to the current incarnation found ...

Early life and sumo background

Fukao started sumo at the ''Chukyo Sumo Club'' in elementary school, this is where he meet the future

Kiyoseumi Kiyoseumi Takayuki (born Takayuki Ichihara, 16 August 1984) is a former sumo wrestler from Nagoya, Japan. An extremely successful amateur, his highest rank in the professional sport was ''maegashira'' 13. He was forced to retire in April 2011 af ...

who was one year his senior. He had a deep respect and friendship with his senior. They trained and practiced together throughout their school years and both attended

. Eventually after university Akiseyama would choose to enter the same

Career

He made his debut exactly one year after Kiyoseumi in January, 2008, debuting with the likes of

Kyokutaisei is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Asahikawa, Hokkaido. His debut in ''maezumō'' was in January 2008, and his first ''makuuchi'' division ''honbasho'' was the Natsu tournament in May 2018. His highest rank has been ''maegashira'' 8 ...

and

Homarefuji is a retired professional sumo wrestler from the town of Ajigasawa in Aomori prefecture, Japan. A former amateur champion, he made his professional debut in January 2008 and wrestled for Isegahama stable, one of the more successful stables in s ...

. He quickly rose up to the ''

'' division after spending just one tournament at each of the lower divisions. He finally broke though to the ''

sekitori A ''sekitori'' (関取) is a ''rikishi'' (力士, sumo wrestler) who is ranked in one of the top two professional divisions: ''makuuchi'' and ''jūryō''. The name literally translates to having taken the barrier, as only a relatively small fract ...

'' ranks after nearly three years in November 2010. To mark the occasion he changed his ''

shikona A is a sumo wrestler's ring name. The tradition of ring names in sumo dates back to the Edo period, where they were used as a means to attract customers and hide the identities of the ''rikishi''. Like standard Japanese names, a ''shikona'' co ...

'' from his family name of Fukao to Akiseyama, with the "se" kanji taken from his stable. He was to last only four tournaments in before being demoted back down. During this period he was restricted by a

hernia A hernia is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ (anatomy), organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. Various types of hernias can occur, most commonly involving the abdomen, and specifically the gr ...

. He returned to ''

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 ...

'' at the end of 2012 and after over eight years after his debut he broke though to the top ''

'' division in March 2016. The 48 tournaments it took him to reach the top division from his professional debut was the fourth slowest by a former collegiate wrestler. He lasted just one tournament, scoring only four wins against eleven losses, and returned to ''

.'' After only managing one win against fourteen losses in the next tournament in May 2016 he was demoted straight to ''makushita'', where he remained for the next two years. He was promoted back to ''jūryō'' in March 2018 and produced a strong 11–4 record, taking part in a playoff for the

championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

. He reached ''jūryō'' 1 in July 2018, his highest rank since his single ''makuuchi'' appearance. However, seven consecutive losing scores saw him fall to the bottom of ''jūryō'' and then be relegated to the ''makushita'' division after the July 2019 tournament. He returned to ''jūryō'' after just one tournament away by recording a 4–3 score in September. He was demoted to ''makushita'' again in January 2020 but returned to the ''jūryō'' division in March and remained in ''jūryō'' for the rest of 2020. Akiseyama returned to the ''makuuchi'' division in January 2021 for the first time in 28 tournaments, the fourth slowest return in sumo history. In his ''makuuchi'' return Akiseyama began the tournament with six straight wins, before suffering five straight losses. Another run of three wins saw him enter Day 15 with a 9–5 record, and the knowledge that he would be awarded the Fighting Spirit

prize A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.

if he won. Matched against

Kagayaki The is a high-speed ''shinkansen'' train service jointly operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR West) between and on the Hokuriku Shinkansen line in Japan. The shinkansen service was introduced o ...

, he was called the winner by the ''

gyōji A ''gyōji'' () is a referee in professional sumo wrestling in Japan. ''Gyōji'' usually enter the sumo world as teenagers and remain employees of the Sumo Association until they retire aged 65. There are currently a little over 40 active ''gy� ...

'' after pulling off an '' amiuchi'' or fisherman's throw, but the

judges A judge is an official who presides over a court. Judge or Judges may also refer to: Roles *Judge, an alternative name for an adjudicator in a competition in theatre, music, sport, etc. *Judge, an alternative name/aviator call sign for a membe ...

called for a re-match, which he lost. He narrowly missed a winning record in the following March tournament, but remained in the top division. In May he withdrew from a tournament for the first time in his career, after suffering a jaw fracture in a bout against Chiyotairyū. He missed the next two tournaments causing him to fall to the ''

'' division.

Fighting style

Akiseyama lists his preferred techniques on his

Japan Sumo Association The is the body that operates and controls professional sumo wrestling (called ''Ōzumō'', 大相撲) in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). ''Rikishi'' (active ...

profile as ''tsuki/oshi,'' pushing and thrusting his opponents rather fighting on the ''

mawashi In sumo, a is the loincloth that (sumo wrestlers) wear during training or in competition. Upper ranked professional wrestlers wear a as part of the ring entry ceremony or . For top ranked professional , it is made of silk and comes in a var ...

'' or belt. However his most common winning ''

kimarite ''Kimarite'' ( ja, 決まり手) is the technique used in sumo by a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) to win a match. It is officially decided or announced by the ''gyōji'' (referee) at the end of the match, though judges can modify this decision. The rec ...

'' in his career to date is ''yori-kiri'', or force out, which usually involves a ''mawashi'' grip. This is because he made a deliberate decision to change his style of wrestling after his hernia problem, working with his stablemaster Kise to grab the ''mawashi'' with his right hand to speed up the attack and use his weight to his advantage. Former ''

yokozuna , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...

Kitanoumi , born , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He was the dominant wrestler in the sport during the 1970s. Kitanoumi was promoted to ''yokozuna'' at the age of 21, becoming the youngest ever to achieve sumo's top rank. He won 24 tournament ...

also encouraged him to go for a right hand grip when Akiseyama was temporarily a member of

Kitanoumi stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ''ichimon'' or group of stables. It was set up in 1985 as Kitanoumi stable by former ''yokozuna'' Kitanoumi, who branched off from Mihogaseki stable. It absorbed Hatachiyama stable in 2006, f ...

from 2010 until 2012.

Career record

References

External links