Daiju Hisateru (born 19 March 1950 as Toshiaki Sakaiya) is a former

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 from

Hokkaidō is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. His highest rank was '' ōzeki'', but he held the rank for only five tournaments, fewer than any ''ōzeki'' in the modern era. He won eleven '' sanshō'' or special prizes during his top division career which lasted from 1970 to 1977. He was the head coach of

Asahiyama stable was a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Isegahama '' ichimon'' or group of stables. It had a long history. It closed its doors in January 2015, and its staff and wrestlers transferred to other stables. History In its active period, Asahiya ...

from 1997 until 2015.

Career

Born in

Setana is a town located in Hiyama Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of September 2016, the town has an estimated population of 8,501, and a density of 13 persons per km². The total area is 638.67 km². Geography Setana is located on the northe ...

, he joined the small Takashima stable run by former ''ōzeki'' Mitsuneyama in March 1965. 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 May 1970 after winning 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 championship with a 14–1 record. He was awarded the Technique Prize in his first top division tournament. He was to win a total of eleven special prizes in his career, which at the time was second only to

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 ...

's fourteen. His six prizes for Technique put him in equal sixth place on the all-time list, as of 2009. In March 1971 he made his ''

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

'' debut at ''

sekiwake , 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 ...

'' and defeated his first ''

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 ...

'', Taihō. He earned promotion to ''ōzeki'' in 1973 after three consecutive double figure scores. He was a runner-up in the May 1973 tournament to Wajima with a score of 11–4 and defeated two more ''yokozuna'',

Kotozakura was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Kurayoshi, Tottori. He was the sport's 53rd ''yokozuna''. He made his professional debut in 1959, reaching the top division in 1963. After several years at the second highest rank of '' ōzeki'', ...

and

Kitanofuji is a former Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Asahikawa, Hokkaidō. He made his professional debut in 1957, reaching the top ''makuuchi'' division in 1964. He was the sport's 52nd ''yokozuna'', a rank he attained in 1970. He won ten tourn ...

(the latter for the first time in twelve attempts). He did even better in July, defeating Kitanofuji again and finishing in third place on 13–2. He had a clean sweep of all three special prizes, the first wrestler ever to achieve this, and ''ōzeki'' promotion was confirmed. However, he was unable to prove himself worthy of champion rank. He had to pull out injured from his debut ''ōzeki'' tournament and held the rank for only five tournaments before being demoted. He was never able to return, and though he remained at ''sekiwake'' for four tournaments he then fell back to the ''

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 ...

'' ranks. After a 4–11 score in March 1977 he finished his career back in the ''jūryō'' division, the first former ''ōzeki'' ever to compete at such a low rank. After three straight losses he pulled out of the May 1977 tournament and announced his retirement at the age of just 27.

Fighting style

Daiju was very much an ''oshi-sumo'' specialist, preferring pushes and thrusts to the opponent's chest rather than 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. His most common winning

technique Technique or techniques may refer to: Music * The Techniques, a Jamaican rocksteady vocal group of the 1960s *Technique (band), a British female synth pop band in the 1990s * ''Technique'' (album), by New Order, 1989 * ''Techniques'' (album), by M ...

by far was ''oshidashi'', a simple push out, which accounted for half his victories at ''

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 ...

'' level.

Retirement from sumo

After his retirement he became an elder of the

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 ...

under the name Tateyama, and worked as a coach at his old stable until it closed in 1982 due to the ill health of his old coach. He then worked at Kumagatani stable until it too shut down in 1996, upon which he was transferred to

Tatsunami stable Asahiyutaka Katsuteru (born 10 September 1968) is a former sumo wrestler from Kasugai, Aichi, Japan. His highest rank was ''komusubi''. He is now the head coach of Tatsunami stable. Career He joined Ōshima stable and made his professional debut ...

. After twenty years as an assistant coach, in May 1997 he was asked to become head coach of the

after the sudden death of the previous stablemaster, former ''komusubi'' Wakafutase, and he adopted the name Asahiyama.

Daimanazuru Daimanazuru Kenji (born January 16, 1977 as Kenji Omae) is a former sumo wrestler from Kawakami, Yoshino District, Nara, Japan. He began his professional career in 1992, and spent a total of 19 tournaments in the top two divisions, peaking at '' ...

briefly made the top division in 2006 and Tokusegawa was a member of the stable for a short time after it absorbed

Kiriyama stable was a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tatsunami ''ichimon'' or group of stables. It was set up in January 1995 by the former ''komusubi'' Kurosegawa, who branched out from the now defunct Isegahama stable and took with him the remaining mem ...

in 2011, but there were no more ''

'' after his retirement. Asahiyama also worked as a

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of tournament bouts. Asahiyama stable was shut down in January 2015 as Asahiyama approached the mandatory retirement age of 65, and he moved to

Asakayama stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers. Previous incarnations with this stable name have existed, with the last being headed by former ''yokozuna'' Nishinoumi, and which folded in 1933. The current incarnation is part of the Isegahama ''ichimon'' or group ...

. He left the Sumo Association in March 2015, opting not to be re-employed for five years for a consultancy role as allowed by a rule change in 2014. Instead the Asahiyama elder name was acquired by former ''sekiwake''

Kotonishiki Kotonishiki Katsuhiro (born June 8, 1968 as Hideyuki Matsuzawa) is a former sumo wrestler from Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, Japan. He began his career in 1984, reaching the top ''makuuchi'' division in 1989. He won two top division tournament tit ...

. He had a pronounced dome on his head, due to him injecting

silicone A silicone or polysiloxane is a polymer made up of siloxane (−R2Si−O−SiR2−, where R = organic group). They are typically colorless oils or rubber-like substances. Silicones are used in sealants, adhesives, lubricants, medicine, cooking ...

to meet the Sumo Association's height requirements when he was first recruited as a wrestler. It was removed in 2010.

Career

Fighting style

Retirement from sumo

Career record

References

See also