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

'', 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. A B C D E F G H ...

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

'', 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

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