Fukunohana Koichi (born 1 July 1940 as Koichi Fukushima) 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 Kōshi,

Kumamoto is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2. had a population of 1,461,000, ...

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 ...

. He made his professional debut in January 1958 and reached the top division in September 1965. His highest rank was ''

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 ...

''. He retired in November 1975. He had been scheduled to fight

Kashiwado was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Yamagata Prefecture. He was the sport's 47th yokozuna, fighting at the sport's highest rank from 1961 to 1969. After his retirement he became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association and ran his o ...

in July 1969 and Taihō in May 1971, but on both occasions received a ''fusensho'' or win by default because the ''yokozuna'' both announced their retirements. Fukunohana had never beaten Taihō in the

ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

, losing to him ten straight times. He made his only appearance at ''

'' in January 1971, by which time he was already over 30, unusually old for a ''sekiwake'' debut at that time. He was three times a tournament runner-up, earned seven special prizes for Fighting Spirit and five gold stars for defeating ''yokozuna''. In January 1970 he knocked out ōzeki

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 ...

with a ''harite'' or strike with the open hand, a legitimate sumo move, and acquired the nickname "flower of the

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

," a play on 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 ...

'' Fukunohana. He became a mentor to

Mienoumi is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Matsusaka, Mie. He was the 57th ''yokozuna'' of the sport. After retiring he founded the Musashigawa stable and was a chairman of the Japan Sumo Association. He was the first rikishi in histo ...

, who was a fellow member of

Dewanoumi stable is a heya (sumo), stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ''Glossary of sumo terms#ichimon, ichimon'' or group of stables. It has a long, prestigious history. Its current head coach is former ''maegashira'' Oginohana Akikazu, Oginohana. A ...

, and said that he would not retire until Mienoumi reached the rank of ''ōzeki''. After six straight ''

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

'' or losing scores in the top division, he announced his retirement after the November 1975 tournament, when Mienoumi's promotion to ''ōzeki'' was confirmed. 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 Sekinoto, working as a coach at Dewanoumi stable. His wife was the daughter of a previous owner of the Sekinoto elder name, former ''

komusubi , 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 ...

'' Wakashima. He became a special executive in 2000. He left the Sumo Association in 2005 upon turning 65 years of age. From 2009 until 2011 a junior wrestler at Dewanoumi stable, whose real name was Fukumoto, was given permission to use the Fukunohana shikona.

Career record

References

1940 births Living people Japanese sumo wrestlers Sumo people from Kumamoto Prefecture Sekiwake {{sumo-bio-stub

Career record

See also

References