Wakanami Jun

Wakanami Jun (born Jun Tomiyama, 1 March 1941 – 17 April 2007) was a sumo wrestler from Iwai, Ibaraki, Japan. His highest rank was ''komusubi.'' He won a top division tournament championship in March 1968. He was also a sumo coach.

Career

He joined the Tatsunami stable in March 1957 and reached the top ''makuuchi'' division in May 1963. He was small, at just 178 cm and 103 kg, but he was very popular with sumo fans. In July 1964 he reached his highest rank of ''komusubi'', which he was to hold on three occasions with a combined record of only 10 wins against 35 losses. He was runner-up to Kashiwado in the July 1967 tournament.

In March 1968, ranked as a ''maegashira'', he won the championship ''(yūshō)'' in the top division with a 13–2 record, finishing ahead of '' ōzeki'' Yutakayama and Tamanoshima. ''Yokozuna'' Taihō was out through injury and Sadanoyama announced his retirement, and Wakanami did not have to face anyone ranked higher than ''sekiwake'' during the tournament. It was not a popular victory, as the public had wanted the well-liked Yutakayama to finally win his first ''yūshō'' (which he never managed to achieve), and it led to demands that low ranking ''maegashira'' challenging for the ''yūshō'' be matched against all the other contenders in the crucial final days of the tournament, now a standard practice. He was promoted to ''komusubi'' for the following tournament but could manage only two wins there.

He fought in the ''makuuchi'' division for 52 tournaments in total. He won four special prizes, two for Fighting Spirit and two for Technique. He earned three ''kinboshi'' or gold stars for defeating ''yokozuna''. He fell briefly to the ''jūryō'' division in 1969 and won the second division championship, becoming the first wrestler to do this ''after'' winning the top division championship. He retired in March 1972.

Fighting style

Although small by sumo standards, Wakanami was very strong in his arms and back, and liked to try ''tsuri'' (lifts) even on very heavy opponents like Takamiyama. He was also known for his agility, and his ability to spin on the edge of the ''dohyō.'' During his tournament victory he won five of his matches by ''utchari'' (ring edge throw). One of his chief rivals was ''sekiwake'' Myōbudani with whom he had several spirited matches.

Retirement from sumo

He stayed in the sumo world after retirement as a coach at his stable, and was known as Onaruto and then Tamagaki Oyakata. Wakanami left the Sumo Association upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 65 in March 2006, although he had been hospitalized since December 2004 after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. His nephew was also a sumo wrestler in the Tatsunami stable, and reached a highest rank of ''makushita'' 2 before retiring in March 2010. He was known as Wakainami for most of his career, but was told he could drop the "i" and use his uncle's ''shikona'' if he reached the ''jūryō'' division. He never did, but after visiting his uncle in hospital in September 2005, was given permission to use the Wakanami ''shikona'' before his uncle retired.

Wakanami died in a Tokyo hospital following complications from pneumonia on 17 April 2007.

Career record

*''The Nagoya tournament was first held in 1958.''

See also

*Glossary of sumo terms
*List of sumo tournament top division champions
*List of sumo tournament top division runners-up
*List of sumo tournament second division champions
*List of past sumo wrestlers
*List of komusubi

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wakanami, Jun
1941 births
2007 deaths
Japanese sumo wrestlers
Sumo people from Ibaraki Prefecture
Komusubi