was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

. He was the sport's 44th ''

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 ...

''. He won ten top division ''

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� ...

'' or tournament championships and was a rival of fellow ''yokozuna'' Wakanohana I. He became the head coach of

Kasugano stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi '' 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 was one of the most successful stables in 2 ...

in 1959 and was head 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 ...

from 1974 until 1988.

Early career

Born , he later changed his name to . One of few ''yokozuna'' to hail from the city rather than the country, he was born in what is now Koiwa, Edogawa. He was a fine all round athlete in elementary school, and although he had no family connections to sumo, he was introduced by a shop owner to Kasugano Oyakata, the former ''yokozuna''

Tochigiyama was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He was the sport's 27th ''yokozuna'' from 1918 until 1925. Generally he is considered one of the pioneers of modern sumo. He remains the lightest ''yokozuna'' in the history of the sport with a weight ...

. He made his professional debut in January 1939. He was of such small size that he had to drink copious amounts of water to meet the weight requirement at his physical exam. However, his stablemaster, to whom Tochinishiki served as an attendant or ''

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

'' and was a great influence on him in his early days, expected him to become strong. He began using the Tochinishiki ''

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'' ...

'' or ring name in May 1944.

Top division career and ''yokozuna'' career

Tochinishiki 1954 Sep Dohyo-iri from Mainichi Shinbun

Tochinishiki 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 o ...

'' division in June 1947. He made up for his lack of size by showing superb technique. He won no fewer than nine special prizes for Technique, and it was even suggested that the prize had been created especially for him. Tochinishiki was known as the ''Mamushi'' (

Viper The Viperidae (vipers) are a family of snakes found in most parts of the world, except for Antarctica, Australia, Hawaii, Madagascar, and various other isolated islands. They are venomous and have long (relative to non-vipers), hinged fangs tha ...

) due to his tenacity once he grabbed hold of his 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 v ...

.'' In January 1951, he lost 7 consecutive bouts, but bounced back to win eight in a row and clinched his majority of wins or ''

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

'' on the final day, despite the bout being interrupted by a drunken spectator. After this performance, Tochinishiki began to raise his rank on the ''

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 ...

'' rapidly, taking his first top division championship in September 1952 and earning promotion to '' ōzeki''. He finally reached ''yokozuna'' in October 1954 after winning two successive championships. There had been four ''yokozuna'' in the September 1954 tournament,

Kagamisato was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Aomori Prefecture. He was the sport's 42nd ''yokozuna''. Career He was born in a small fishing village in Sannohe District. He came from a poor family as his father had died when he was very you ...

Chiyonoyama was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Fukushima, Hokkaidō. He was the sport's 41st '' yokozuna'' from 1951 until 1959. He is regarded as the first "modern" ''yokozuna'' in that he was promoted by the Japan Sumo Association itself an ...

Yoshibayama , real name , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Atsuta District, Hokkaido. He was the sport's 43rd ''yokozuna''. He suffered a number of injuries and only won one tournament championship, but was a popular wrestler. He was a runner ...

and

Azumafuji was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Taitō, Tokyo. He was the sport's 40th '' yokozuna'', and later a professional wrestler. Sumo career His real name was . He made professional debut in January 1936, joining Takasago stable. He ...

, but Azumafuji announced his retirement so as not to hinder Tochinishiki's promotion. Tochinishiki VS Wakanohana I 1954-5b-12 Scan10006

When Tochinishiki was promoted to ''yokozuna'', he expected that his stablemaster Tochigiyama would commend him. However, his stablemaster told him, "From this day on, you should spend every day of your ''yokozuna'' life by thinking about the day you retire." At first, he struggled somewhat against heavier wrestlers, but he raised his weight to around 130 kg and became a wrestler able to use more orthodox methods. Between March 1959 and March 1960, he won 95 bouts and lost only 10. Tochinishiki had a great rivalry with ''yokozuna''

Wakanohana Kanji I was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He was the sport's 45th ''yokozuna''. He was a popular wrestler and was nicknamed the due to his great fighting spirit and endurance. Wakanohana's younger brother (by twenty-two years) was the late f ...

, who reached the top rank in January 1958. They were of a similar build, and each won ten top division tournament championships in their careers, with Tochinishiki coming out slightly ahead in their personal meetings with 19 wins out of 35 bouts. In July 1959 he defeated Wakanohana on the final day and won the championship with a perfect 15–0 score despite the fact that his father had been fatally hit by a truck the previous day. In October 1959 his stablemaster died suddenly and Tochinishiki became head coach of

whilst still an active wrestler (a practice no longer permitted). After losing to Wakanohana in a championship-deciding match on the final day of the March 1960 tournament, he decided to retire from active competition two days into the following tournament.

Later life

In addition to his position as stable boss, Tochinishiki was also the chairman (''rijichō'') of the

from 1974 to 1988, making him the longest serving chairman to date. Under his direction the new Ryōgoku Kokugikan was built in 1985. Suffering from diabetes, he stood down voluntarily, allowing his old rival Wakanohana to ascend to the position. During his tenure as head of the Association, in 1985, Tochinishiki performed his ''

kanreki dohyō-iri In sumo wrestling, a ''kanreki dohyō-iri'' (Japanese: 還暦土俵入り) is a ring-entering ceremony ('' dohyō-iri'') performed by a former ''yokozuna'' in celebration of his 60th birthday (called ''kanreki'' in Japanese). If he is a ''toshiyor ...

'' or '60th year ring entrance ceremony' to commemorate his years as ''yokozuna''. He died in January 1990, following a stroke. He had been due to retire from the Sumo Association the following month when he would have turned 65 years old.

Pre-Modern Top division record

*''Through most of the 1940s only two tournaments were held a year. In 1953 the New Year tournament began and the Spring tournament resumed in Osaka.''

Modern top division record

*''Since the addition of the Kyushu tournament in 1957 and the Nagoya tournament in 1958, the yearly schedule has remained unchanged.''

References

External links

Japan Sumo Association profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tochinishiki, Kiyotaka 1925 births 1990 deaths Japanese sumo wrestlers Sumo people from Tokyo Yokozuna