Hananokuni Akihiro (born 15 October 1959 as Akihiro Noguchi) 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

Fujiidera 270px, The temple of Fujii-dera, after which the city is named is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 63,446 in 29501 households and a population density of 7100 persons per km². The total area ...

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

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 ...

Career

He made his professional debut in March 1975, joining

Hanakago stable , formerly known as Shibatayama stable from September 1952 to May 1953, was a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Nishonoseki '' ichimon'' or group of stables. Founded by former ''maegashira'' Ōnoumi Hisamitsu. It closed in 1985 with all wrestl ...

. He joined

Hanaregoma stable was a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Nishonoseki '' ichimon'' or group of stables. As of September 2010 it had eight active wrestlers. The stable was established in 1981 by former '' ōzeki'' Kaiketsu Masateru, as a breakaway from Hanakag ...

when Hanakago was wound up in 1985. After many years in the lower ranks he finally reached the ''

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 ...

'' or top division in March 1988 at the age of 28. His best result in a tournament came in September 1988 when he won eleven bouts, defeated '' ōzeki''

Konishiki Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e (born December 31, 1963), professionally known as is an American former sumo wrestler.Franz LidzMeat Bomb, 05.18.92 - ''Sports Illustrated'' He was the first non-Japanese-born wrestler to reach '' ōzeki'', the second- ...

and received the Fighting Spirit Award. He defeated ''

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 ...

Hokutoumi is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Hokkaidō. He was the sport's 61st ''yokozuna'' and won eight top division championships. He wrestled for Kokonoe stable, as did Chiyonofuji, and the two were the first ''yokozuna'' stablemat ...

in September 1989 to earn his only ''

kinboshi is a notation used in professional sumo wrestling to record a lower-ranked (''maegashira'') wrestler's victory over a ''yokozuna''. It is believed that the term stems from the usage of the terms ''shiroboshi'' (lit: white star) to designate a b ...

''.

Chiyonofuji , born , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler and the 58th ''yokozuna'' of the sport. Following his retirement as a wrestler, he was the stable master of Kokonoe stable until the time of his death. Chiyonofuji was considered one of the gr ...

defeated him in March 1990 to become the first wrestler to win 1000 career bouts. His highest rank was ''

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 ...

'' 1. His last appearance in the top division came in November 1992 and he spent the last two years of his career back in 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 ...

'' and ''

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 ...

'' divisions.

Retirement from sumo

Upon his retirement in November 1994 he was unable to obtain elder stock and become a member 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 ...

. However, he was able to remain in sumo by becoming a '' wakaimonogashira'', a kind of record keeper and odd job man which is a salaried role within the Sumo Association. He can often be seen assisting with the presentation of prizes to the ''

yūshō is the term for a championship in Japanese. This article focuses on championships in the sport of professional sumo. It is awarded in each of the six annual '' honbasho'' or official tournaments, to the wrestler who wins the most bouts. ''Y� ...

'' winner at the conclusion of tournaments. He is attached to

Shibatayama stable Shibatayama Stable (Japanese: 芝田山部屋, ''Shibatayama-beya'') is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Nishonoseki group of stables. It was founded in 1999 by former ''yokozuna'' Ōnokuni. Located in Suginami, it is the only stable to ...

Fighting style

Hananokuni′s favoured ''

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 ...

'' or techniques included ''yori taoshi'' (force out and down), ''uwatenage'' (overarm throw) and ''shitatedashinage'' (pulling inner arm throw. He used a ''migi yotsu'' grip 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 ...

'', with his left hand outside and right hand inside his opponent′s arms.

Career record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hananokuni, Akihiro 1959 births Living people Japanese sumo wrestlers Sumo people from Osaka Prefecture People from Fujiidera, Osaka

Career

Retirement from sumo

Fighting style

Career record

See also

References