Tamanofuji Shigeru (玉ノ富士茂, born Shigeru Akutsu, 24 November 1949 – 21 June 2021) was a Japanese sumo wrestler. He made his professional debut in 1967, reaching a highest rank of ''

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 ...

'' in 1978. He won three special prizes and earned two gold stars. He retired in 1981 and became an elder 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 ...

. He was the head coach of the

Kataonami stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Nishonoseki ''ichimon'' or group of stables. It was founded in 1961 by former ''sekiwake'' Tamanoumi Daitarō, who branched off from Nishonoseki stable. Former ''sekiwake'' Tamanofuji took over the r ...

from 1987 until 2010, when he changed his elder name to Tateyama. He reached 65 years of age in 2014, the normal age of retirement for an elder, but was re-hired for a further five years as a consultant.

Career

Shigeru was born in

Ogawa Ogawa (written: lit. "small river" or in hiragana) is the 30th most common Japanese surname. Less common variants are (also "small river") or ("tail river"). Notable people with the surname include: *, American poet *, Japanese footballer * ...

, Nasu District,

Tochigi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Tochigi Prefecture has a population of 1,943,886 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,408 km2 (2,474 sq mi). Tochigi Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the ...

. He played basketball in high school. He began his career in May 1967, joining

. However, he ran away from the stable shortly after fighting his first tournament in the lowest ''

jonokuchi 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, and joined the

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service b ...

. After being discharged, he returned to sumo in September 1970, winning two straight tournaments (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. ''Y� ...

'') in ''the jonokuchi'' and ''

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. Fo ...

'' division. He reached ''

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 fra ...

'' status in November 1973 upon promotion to 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. Fo ...

'' division. In September 1974 he 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 January 1978 he scored 11 wins against 4 losses at the rank of ''

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 ...

'', including wins over all four '' ōzeki,'' and was awarded the Fighting Spirit

prize A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.

He was promoted to ''

'' for the following tournament, which was to be his highest rank. He held the rank a further five times, and stayed in the ''

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

'' ranks for eight consecutive tournaments. In September 1979 he defeated the eventual tournament winner, ''

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 ...

Kitanoumi , born , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He was the dominant wrestler in the sport during the 1970s. Kitanoumi was promoted to '' yokozuna'' at the age of 21, becoming the youngest ever to achieve sumo's top rank. He won 24 tournament ...

to earn his first ''

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 bo ...

'' (he had defeated ''yokozuna'' Wajima on two previous occasions but had been ranked in ''san'yaku'' so was not eligible for a ''kinboshi''). The victory was remarkable as Tamanofuji had lost every one of his previous 19 matches with Kitanoumi. He was awarded the Outstanding Performance prize. He defeated Kitanoumi again in the next tournament in November 1979, but did not get a ''kinboshi'' as he was ranked as a ''komusubi'' (he also defeated Wajima for the third time in this tournament, and was awarded his second Fighting Spirit prize). However, he did pick up another ''kinboshi'' in November 1980 with a win over

Mienoumi is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Matsusaka, Mie. He was the 57th ''yokozuna'' of the sport. After retiring he founded the Musashigawa stable and was a chairman of the Japan Sumo Association. He was the first rikishi in hist ...

. In 1981 he fell back to the ''jūryō'' division and he retired in November of that year.

Retirement from sumo

Shigeru became an elder of the

under the name Minatogawa. In October 1987 he became head of the Kataonami stable following the death of the previous head, his old boss Tamanoumi Daitaro. As Kataonami Oyakata he produced several top division wrestlers including Tamakasuga,

Tamanoshima Tamanoshima Arata (born September 15, 1977, as Arata Okabe) is a former sumo wrestler from Izumizaki, Fukushima, Izumizaki, Fukushima Prefecture, Fukushima, Japan. A former amateur champion, he made his professional debut in 1998, reaching the to ...

, and Tamawashi. In February 2010 he handed over control of the stable to Tamakasuga and adopted the Tateyama name. In February 2012 he joined the board of Directors of the Sumo Association, and in November 2014 he reached the Sumo Association's mandatory retirement age of sixty-five. He no longer had full ''

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

'' status, but following a rule change he was rehired by the Sumo Association as a ''san'yo'' or consultant for a period of five years with reduced pay, the first example of this happening. The Sumo Association announced in April 2019 that he had left his position, around seven months ahead of schedule. He died of liver cancer on 21 June 2021 at the age of 71.

Personal life

His wife was the president of a company that trades in marine products.

Fighting style

Tamanofuji had a steady, unspectacular style, and has been described as a "dull and plodding grinder." 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 ''yorikiri'' or force out, followed by ''hatakikomi'', slap down. His favoured grip on 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 ...

'' was ''migiyotsu'', a left hand outside, right hand inside position.

Career record

References