Tochinowaka Michihiro (born Dae Won Lee on April 6, 1988) 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
Hyogo, Japan. His father is a
Zainichi Korean
comprise ethnic Koreans who have permanent residency status in Japan or who have become Japanese citizens, and whose immigration to Japan originated before 1945, or who are descendants of those immigrants. They are a group distinct from South ...
and his mother is a Korean immigrant. He made his professional debut in 2007 and steadily rose through the ranks. 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.
Early life and sumo background
Lee was active in judo and also began doing sumo in his second year of primary school. In his third year at
Hōtoku Gakuen High School
is a high school in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. The school has a sports program which has produced a number of professional baseball players. It was founded as the Hōtoku Business School in Mikage, Kobe, in 1911. The school was stron ...
he achieved the status of national high school ''
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 ...
''.
Career
He entered professional sumo as a wrestler for
Kasugano stable
is a Heya (sumo), stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ''Glossary of sumo terms#ichimon, ichimon'' or group of stables. As of January 2022 it had 18 wrestlers. It has been led by former ''sekiwake'' Tochinowaka Kiyotaka since 2003. It w ...
in the 2007 January tournament. After posting a strong 5-2 record in his first official tournament, he achieved a perfect 7-0 record to face fellow up and coming wrestler
Yamamotoyama to whom he lost the playoff bout for the ''
jonidan
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 ...
'' championship or ''
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. ''Yūs ...
''. Promoted to ''
sandanme
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 ...
'' in the following tournament, he posted a 6-1 record and a 5-1 record in the following tournament, garnering him promotion to ''
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 ...
''.
He continued fulfilling the expectations of a former high school ''yokozuna'' with four consecutive ''
kachi-koshi
The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan.
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'' or winning records. However, upon reaching upper ''makushita'' his progress slowed and he finally posted a
make-koshi
The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan.
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or losing record of 2-5, his first such record in nine tournaments in sumo. In the next tournament he only achieved a 3-4, marking the only time so far in his sumo career that he has had consecutive losing records. It was during this period of struggle that he changed to his current ''
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 ...
'' or ring name of Tochinowaka, which is the former ring name of his stable
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
,
Tochinowaka Kiyotaka
Tochinowaka Kiyotaka (born 22 May 1962 as Kiyotaka Kaseda) is a former sumo wrestler from Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. A former amateur champion, he turned professional in 1985, reaching the top ''makuuchi'' division in 1987. His highest rank was ...
. His
ring name
A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...
up to this time had been his simple one character Korean family name of 李 or Lee. This had apparently been somewhat of a challenge for the ''
yobidashi
A is an announcer who calls a professional sumo wrestler, or ''rikishi'', to the ''dohyō'' (wrestling ring) immediately prior to his bout. He does this by calling the name of each wrestler fighting in turn while holding a traditional folding fa ...
'' who are required to announce every wrestler's name in a drawn out singsong style of voice and very rarely, if ever, had to call out a ring name consisting of just one syllable.
His fortunes after his name change did not change right away, and after several tournaments alternating between winning and losing records, with an early withdrawal in the March 2009 tournament, he finally achieved two consecutive winning records in upper ''makushita'' to grant him promotion to ''
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, the second highest ''
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. In contrast to his struggles previously, he soared through ''jūryō'' in just three tournaments, narrowly losing the championship in playoffs in two consecutive tournaments.
![Shōhōzan vs Tochinowaka May 2014 001](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Sh%C5%8Dh%C5%8Dzan_vs_Tochinowaka_May_2014_001.jpg)
His promotion to 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 2011 was ill-timed as this tournament was cancelled, the first such cancellation in the history of sumo, due to the bout fixing scandal of that year. Though there was no tournament and no official ''
banzuke
A , officially called is a document listing the rankings of professional sumo wrestlers published before each official tournament (''honbasho''). The term can also refer to the rankings themselves. The document is normally released about two w ...
'', he and fellow ''makuuchi'' promotee
Kaisei did receive compensation as top division wrestlers for the period of that tournament. He only managed a 7-8 record in the following May "technical examination tournament" but in March 2012 he reached his highest rank to date, ''maegashira'' 1. In his first tournament facing all the top ranked men he managed to defeat ''
ōzeki''
Kisenosato
is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Ibaraki. He made his professional debut in 2002, and reached the top ''makuuchi'' division in 2004 at the age of just 18. After many years in the junior ''san'yaku'' ranks, he reached the sec ...
on the opening day, but his only other win over a ''
san'yaku
The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan.
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'' wrestler 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 ...
''
Aminishiki, and he finished on 5–10. Ranked at ''maegashira'' 4 in the May 2012 tournament he had a much easier schedule, facing only fellow ''maegashira'', but he performed well below expectations posting only a 2–13 record. He was demoted from the top division after winning only five bouts at ''maegashira'' 14 in July. He managed to fight back after two tournaments and was again promoted to ''makuuchi'' in January 2013. However, the following March tournament, he dropped out from injury after losing his first seven bouts. He again fell back to ''jūryō'' and was again repromoted after two tournaments. Since then he alternated winning and losing tournaments, moving him up and down the ''maegashira'' ranks with regularity.
Retirement from sumo
After the November 2014 tournament, with only a 3-12 record at a low ''maegashira'' rank, he faced demotion to ''jūryō''. Following the winter tour he told his stablemaster Kasugano Oyakata that he wished to retire. Kasugano was surprised and talked with him for four hours in an effort to change his mind, but in the end submitted the official retirement papers to the Sumo Association on December 15, 2014. Tochinowaka's name appeared on the January 2015 ''banzuke'' despite his retirement. In interviews Tochinowaka revealed that he had been contemplating retirement for two years and had consulted his parents. He did not give any physical injuries as a reason for his retirement but indicated that he suffered from a lack of mental toughness. His retirement ceremony was held on January 25, 2015 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Hotel.
Following his retirement, he joined the Hakuju Bioscience Research Institute, which handles healthcare equipment and food, and he currently provides healthcare guidance as the manager of Hakuju Plaza.
Family
Though his father is
Zainichi Korean
comprise ethnic Koreans who have permanent residency status in Japan or who have become Japanese citizens, and whose immigration to Japan originated before 1945, or who are descendants of those immigrants. They are a group distinct from South ...
and his mother is a Korean immigrant, Tochinowaka chose to take Japanese citizenship. This also enabled Kasugano stable to accept him despite already having a foreigner, Georgian
Tochinoshin
; ) is a Georgian professional sumo wrestler from Mtskheta. He is a member of the Kasugano stable and made his professional debut in March 2006. He reached the top ''makuuchi'' division just two years later in May 2008. After a long hiatus due t ...
.
Fighting style
Tochinowaka was a yotsu sumo wrestler who preferred techniques involving grabbing the opponent's ''
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 ...
''. His favourite grip was ''hidari-yotsu'', with his right hand outside and left hand inside his opponent's arms. Nearly half his career victories to date were achieved with just two ''
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, ''yori-kiri'' (force out) and ''oshi-dashi'' (push out), the two most common in sumo.
Career record
See also
*
*
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 ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tochinowaka, Michihiro
1988 births
Living people
Japanese sumo wrestlers
Sumo people from Hyōgo Prefecture
Sportspeople from Amagasaki