Tochihikari Masayuki (29 August 1933 – 28 March 1977) was a
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
Kumamoto Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Kumamoto Prefecture has a population of 1,748,134 () and has a geographic area of . Kumamoto Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the north, Ōita Prefecture to ...
in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
who reached the second highest rank of ''
ōzeki'' in 1962. He joined
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 1952 and 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 1955. He never won a top division
championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
but was a tournament runner-up four times. He was promoted to ''ōzeki'' in May 1962 alongside his stablemate
Tochinoumi
was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Aomori. He was the sport's 49th '' yokozuna'', earning promotion in 1964. He was somewhat overshadowed by his ''yokozuna'' contemporaries Taihō and Kashiwado, but he was a noted technician and ear ...
. He fought as an ''ōzeki'' for 22 tournaments but lost the rank after recording three consecutive
losing scores and immediately announced his retirement in January 1966. He 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 ...
under the name Chiganoura. He was a
judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...
of tournament bouts and was involved in both the incorrect decision to award a win to
Toda that stopped
Taiho's 45 bout winning streak in March 1969 and the famous decision in January 1972 to declare
Kitanofuji
is a former Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Asahikawa, Hokkaidō. He made his professional debut in 1957, reaching the top '' makuuchi'' division in 1964. He was the sport's 52nd '' yokozuna'', a rank he attained in 1970. He won ten to ...
the winner over
Takanohana by ''
kabai-te.'' He died of
rectal cancer
Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...
at the age of 43. His ''
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'' ...
'' of Tochihikari was subsequently used by a later wrestler from Kasugano stable, also known as
Kaneshiro Kofuku
is a Japanese surname meaning "golden castle". The kanji used to write this surname may also be read Kinjō in ''on'yomi'' or Kanagusuku in the Okinawan language pronunciation. The former reading often indicates Okinawan origin, and the latter r ...
.
Pre-modern career record
*''In 1953 the New Year tournament was begun and the Spring tournament began to be held in Osaka.''
Modern career record
*''Since the addition of the Kyushu tournament in 1957 and the Nagoya tournament in 1958, the yearly schedule has remained unchanged.''
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 ...
*
List of sumo tournament top division runners-up
The table below lists the runners up ('' jun-yusho'') in the top '' makuuchi'' division at official sumo
is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a '' rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring ...
*
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 ōzeki
More than 50 sumo wrestlers have reached the second highest in the sport, the rank of '' ōzeki'', but have failed to rise to the top rank since the modern era of sumo began in 1927 with the merger of the Tokyo and Osaka organizations. By 2020, ov ...
References
1933 births
1977 deaths
Japanese sumo wrestlers
Sumo people from Kumamoto Prefecture
Ōzeki
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