Hayateumi Hidehito (born July 5, 1975 as Naohito Saitō) is a former
sumo wrestler from
Aomori,
Japan. 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 o ...
.'' He is now a
Liberal Democratic Party politician.
Career
Born in
Itayanagi,
Kitatsugaru District, Hayateumi was an amateur sumo champion 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. ...
where he held the "College ''
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 ...
''" title. Given ''
makushita tsukedashi
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'', or promising amateur status, he made his professional debut in the third ''
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. Fo ...
'' division in March 1998. He joined
Tomozuna stable, but soon after followed Oitekaze Oyakata (the former
Daishōyama) to the newly established
Oitekaze stable
The is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tokitsukaze ''ichimon'' or group of stables. It was established in its modern incarnation on 1 October 1998 by former ''maegashira'' Daishōyama, who is the stable's current head coach. He had marrie ...
.
He reached the second ''
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. Fo ...
'' division in January 1999 and made his debut in 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 o ...
'' division in March 2000. In September 2000 he scored nine wins, winning the ''
Gino-sho'' award and promotion to ''sekiwake''. He had to pull out of the November 2000 tournament with an injury and never made the ''
sanyaku
The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan.
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'' ranks again. He is one of the few wrestlers whose only tournament in ''sanyaku'' was at ''sekiwake'' rather than ''
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 o ...
'' (along with
Kotetsuyama and
Hokutoriki). Persistent injuries meant Hayateumi never realised his true potential, forcing him back down to the lower divisions. He announced his retirement in January 2006 at the rank of'' makushita'' 49. In all he had missed all or part of 12 of his 48 career tournaments through injury.
Retirement from sumo
Hayateumi had his ''
danpatsu-shiki
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'', or official retirement ceremony, in October 2006. He chose not to stay with the
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'' (activ ...
as an elder and has left the sumo world. He is now a
Liberal Democratic Party politician, and was elected to the
Aomori Prefectural Assembly representing
Kitatsugaru District in a
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
in September 2014, winning re-election in 2015 and 2019.
Personal life
He is married to Endo Ako, who already had three children of her own. They have since had another child together. Endo was previously engaged to
Mitoizumi
Mitoizumi Masayuki (born 2 September 1962 as Masato Koizumi) is a former sumo wrestler from Mito, Ibaraki, Japan. His professional career spanned 22 years, from 1978 until 2000. The highest rank he reached was ''sekiwake''. He won over 800 career ...
.
Fighting style
Hayateumi was a ''yotsu-sumo'' wrestler, who preferred 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 v ...
'' to pushing his opponents, and 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 r ...
'' was ''yori-kiri'', a simple force out. His favourite grip was ''migi-yotsu'', with his right hand inside and left hand outside his opponent's arms. He was known for occasionally leaping in the air at the ''
tachi-ai
The is the initial charge between two sumo wrestlers at the beginning of a bout. It is a combination of two Japanese words that mean “stand” and “meet”.
There are several common techniques that wrestlers use at the tachi-ai, with the ai ...
'' or initial charge, a very unconventional move.
Career record
See also
*
List of sumo tournament second division champions
This is a list of wrestlers who have won the sumo second division ''jūryō'' championship since 1909, when the current championship system was established. These official tournaments are held exclusively in Japan.
The wrestler who has won the ...
*
*
List of past sumo wrestlers
This is a list of prominent past wrestlers (either retired or deceased) in the sport of professional sumo. They are listed in order of the year and tournament month that they made their professional debuts. The information listed below was gleaned ...
*
List of sekiwake
This is a list of all sumo wrestlers whose pinnacle in the sport has been the third highest rank of ''sekiwake'' and who held the rank in the modern era of sumo since the 1927 merger of the Tokyo and Osaka organizations. There are usually two act ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayateumi Hidehito
1975 births
Living people
Japanese sportsperson-politicians
Japanese sumo wrestlers
Politicians from Aomori Prefecture
Sumo people from Aomori Prefecture
Members of the Aomori Prefectural Assembly
Sekiwake
Nihon University alumni