Asashōryū Akinori

is a Mongolian former professional sumo wrestler ('' rikishi''). He was the 68th '' yokozuna'' in the history of the sport in Japan, and in January 2003 he became the first Mongolian to reach sumo's highest rank. He was one of the most successful ''yokozuna'' ever. In 2005, he became the first wrestler to win all six official tournaments ('' honbasho'') in a single year. Over his entire career, he won 25 top division tournament championships, placing him fourth on the all-time list.

From 2004 until 2007, Asashōryū was sumo's sole ''yokozuna'' between the retirement of Musashimaru and the promotion of fellow Mongolian Hakuhō, and was criticized at times by the media and the Japan Sumo Association for not upholding the standards of behaviour expected of a holder of such a prestigious rank. He became the first ''yokozuna'' in history to be suspended from competition in August 2007 when he participated in a charity football match in his home country despite having withdrawn from a regional sumo tour claiming injury. After a career filled with a multitude of other controversies, both on and off the '' dohyō'', his career was cut short when he retired from sumo in February 2010 after allegations that he assaulted a man outside a Tokyo nightclub.

Early life and sumo background

Asashōryū comes from an ethnic Mongol family with a strong background in Mongolian wrestling, with his father and two of his elder brothers all achieving high ranks in the sport. He also trained in judo in Mongolia. He originally came to Japan as an exchange student, together with his friend, the future Asasekiryū, where they attended Meitoku Gijuku High School in Kōchi Prefecture. They both trained together at the sumo club there.

Early career

He was recruited by the former '' ōzeki'' Asashio of the Wakamatsu stable (now Takasago stable), who gave him the ''shikona'' of Asashōryū, literally "morning blue dragon," Asa being a regular prefix in the Wakamatsu stable. The second part of the ''shikona'', Akinori, is an alternative reading of Meitoku, the name of his high school. He made his professional debut in January 1999. At that time, fellow Mongolians Kyokushūzan and Kyokutenhō were in the top division and stars back in their home country, but Asashōryū was quick to overtake them both. He attained elite ''sekitori'' status in September 2000 by winning promotion to the ''jūryō'' division, and reached the top ''makuuchi'' division just two tournaments later in January 2001. In May 2001, he made his '' san'yaku'' debut at ''komusubi'' rank and earned his first '' sanshō'' special prize, for Outstanding Performance.

In 2002, Asashōryū put together back-to-back records of 11–4, 11–4 and 12–3 and was promoted to sumo's second highest rank of ''ōzeki'' in July. In November 2002, he took his first top division tournament championship ''( yūshō'') with a 14–1 record. It took Asashōryū only 23 tournaments from his professional debut to win his first top division title, the fastest ever. In January 2003, he won his second straight championship. Shortly after the tournament, Asashōryū was granted the title of '' yokozuna'', the highest rank in sumo. His promotion coincided with the retirement of the injury-plagued Takanohana, the last active Japanese born ''yokozuna'' until Kisenosato in January 2017.

''Yokozuna'' career

While his first tournament as ''yokozuna'' ended in a disappointing 10–5 record, Asashōryū won a further twenty-three tournaments. Combined with his two ''yūshō'' as an ''ōzeki'', he had twenty-five career championships in the top division. This puts him in fourth place on the all-time list, behind only Hakuhō, Taihō, and Chiyonofuji.

2003

Asashōryū nominally shared the ''yokozuna'' rank with Musashimaru, but in fact his rival only fought a handful of bouts in 2003 due to injury. The two did not meet in competition all year. Asashōryū won his first championship as a ''yokozuna'' in May 2003 and came back from an injury sustained in the July tournament to win his third title of the year in September. Musashimaru announced his retirement in November, leaving Asashōryū as sumo's only ''yokozuna''.

2004

Asashōryū began 2004 with two consecutive perfect 15–0 tournament wins (''zensho-yūshō'') in January and March. Nobody had attained a ''zensho-yūshō'' since 1996; yet Asashōryū went on to add three more such titles after 2004, for a career total of five. At that time only Taihō, with eight, and Chiyonofuji and Kitanoumi with seven, had recorded more 15–0 scores. His unbeaten run continued into the first five days of the May 2004 tournament, giving him a winning streak of 35 bouts in total, the longest run since Chiyonofuji's 53 in 1988. Although he was then upset by '' maegashira'' Hokutōriki, he gained revenge by defeating Hokutōriki in a playoff on the final day to claim the championship. On 27 November 2004, Asashōryū became the first wrestler to win five tournaments in a year since Chiyonofuji achieved the feat in 1986, and won his ninth Emperor's Cup. Asashōryū's below average 9–6 score in the September ''basho'' of 2004, the only one he did not win, was attributed in part to the official ceremony for his marriage, which was held in August 2004 (although he had actually married in December 2002). The hectic social round that inevitably follows Japanese weddings affected his pre-tournament preparations, as it prevented him from doing any training.

2005

He continued to dominate sumo in 2005, becoming the first wrestler ever to win all six '' honbasho'' (sumo tournaments) in the same year. The great ''yokozuna'' Taihō achieved the feat of six consecutive tournament victories twice, but never in a calendar year. Asashōryū lost only six bouts all year (0–1–0–2–2–1). One of those rare losses came on 11 September 2005, at the start of the September tournament when he dropped his first Day 1 bout during his tenure as ''yokozuna''. On 26 November 2005, a visibly emotional Asashōryū wept after winning his eighty-third bout of the year, (surpassing Kitanoumi's record set in 1978) and clinching the tournament at the same time. The six championships of 2005 (including two more 15–0 wins in January and May) combined with his victory from the final tournament of 2004, meant Asashōryū became the first man in sumo history to win seven consecutive tournament championships.

2006

Asashōryū's consecutive ''basho'' streak came to an end in January 2006, when ''ōzeki'' Tochiazuma took the first tournament championship of the year. Asashōryū's performance in January was a surprisingly poor 11–4 but he successfully rebounded by winning the March tournament. However, his six losses in those tournaments matched his loss total for all of 2005. In the May tournament, he sustained an injury to the ligaments in his elbow on the second day falling out of the ring in a surprising loss to Wakanosato and was visibly slow to rise from the ground. He was absent from the tournament the next day and later released a statement confirming he was withdrawing from the tournament. Doctors told him he would not be able to compete for two months, which meant he would miss the July tournament as well. However, Asashōryū was ready by the start of the July tournament and won with a 14–1 record. In the following tournament, Asashōryū won his eighteenth career title with a 13–2 record. He also won the final tournament of 2006 for his nineteenth career title, the fifth he has won with a perfect 15–0 record.

2007

In January 2007, Asashōryū posted a 14–1 record, his fourth straight championship since returning from injury, and became the fifth man to win twenty career championships. In March, he dropped his first two bouts but then won thirteen in a row for a 13–2 score. However, this was not enough to win the title—he lost a playoff for the first time in his career, to fellow Mongolian Hakuhō. In May he turned in a below par 10–5 record, losing to all four ''ōzeki'' and ''maegashira'' Aminishiki (although he appeared to be carrying an injury). Hakuhō won this tournament as well and was promoted to ''yokozuna'' immediately afterwards. Asashōryū had been the sole ''yokozuna'' for a total of 21 tournaments since the retirement of Musashimaru in November 2003 – the longest period of time in sumo history. In July he lost to Aminishiki once again on the opening day but rallied to win the next fourteen bouts, taking his 21st title with a 14–1 record. He was suspended by the Sumo Association from the next two tournaments (see below).

2008

Asashōryū returned to tournaments in January 2008. On the final day, he faced Hakuhō in a battle of 13–1 ''yokozuna'', but was defeated, giving him a final record of 13–2. In March the two ''yokozuna'' faced off for the title again on the last day, marking only the fifth time in the last 30 years that two ''yokozuna'' have contested the championship on the last day of two consecutive tournaments. In this rematch, Asashōryū was the victor, winning his 22nd title, thus equalling Takanohana's haul of tournament championships.

In the May tournament he lost to Kisenosato on the opening day. He injured his back in this match and subsequent losses to Kotoōshū (the eventual winner of the tournament) and Chiyotaikai put him out of contention.

Asashōryū got off to a bad start in the July tournament by losing to Toyonoshima on the first day. After a second loss to ''maegashira'' Tochinonada on day five, he pulled out of the tournament on the sixth day citing pain in his elbow. The September tournament unfolded in a similarly poor fashion. After compiling a lacklustre 5–4 record through the first nine days, Asashōryū forfeited his tenth-day match to ''maegashira''