is a former Japanese professional sumo wrestler from

Kasugai, Aichi is a city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 306,764, and a population density of 3,306 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . The city is sometimes called Owarikasugai to avoid confusion with other mu ...

. An amateur sumo competitor while studying at

Nihon University , abbreviated as , is a private research university in Japan. Its predecessor, Nihon Law School (currently the Department of Law), was founded by Yamada Akiyoshi, the Minister of Justice, in 1889. The university's name is derived from the Ja ...

, he made his professional debut in January 2008. He has two lower-division championships in ''

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. Fo ...

'' and ''

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 ...

'', and reached the top ''

makuuchi , or , is the top division of Professional sumo divisions, 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 ...

'' division in March 2016. His highest rank was ''

maegashira , 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 ...

'' 12. He wrestled for Kise stable, where he now coaches under the name of Izutsu.

Early life and sumo background

Fukao started sumo at the ''Chukyo Sumo Club'' in elementary school, this is where he meet the future Kiyoseumi who was one year his senior. He had a deep respect and friendship with his senior. They trained and practiced together throughout their school years and both attended

. Eventually after university Akiseyama would choose to enter the same Kise stable.

Career

He made his debut exactly one year after Kiyoseumi in January, 2008, debuting with the likes of

Kyokutaisei is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Asahikawa, Hokkaido. His debut in ''maezumō'' was in January 2008, and his first ''makuuchi'' division ''honbasho'' was the Natsu tournament in May 2018. His highest rank has been ''maegas ...

and Homarefuji. He quickly rose up to the ''

'' division after spending just one tournament at each of the lower divisions. He finally broke through to the ''

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 fr ...

'' ranks after nearly three years in November 2010. To mark the occasion he changed his ''

shikona A is a sumo wrestler's ring name. The tradition of ring names in sumo dates back to the Muromachi period and established itself during the Edo period, where they were used as a means to hide the identities of the . Given by the master to his di ...

'' from his family name of Fukao to Akiseyama, with the "se" kanji taken from his stable. He was to last only four tournaments in before being demoted back down. During this period he was restricted by a

hernia A hernia (: hernias or herniae, from Latin, meaning 'rupture') is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ (anatomy), organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. The term is also used for the normal Devel ...

. He returned to ''

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 ...

'' at the end of 2012 and after over eight years after his debut he broke through to the top ''

'' division in March 2016. The 48 tournaments it took him to reach the top division from his professional debut was the fourth slowest by a former collegiate wrestler. He lasted just one tournament, scoring only four wins against eleven losses, and returned to ''

.'' After only managing one win against fourteen losses in the next tournament in May 2016 he was demoted straight to ''makushita'', where he remained for the next two years. He was promoted back to ''jūryō'' in March 2018 and produced a strong 11–4 record, taking part in a playoff for the

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 sys ...

. He reached ''jūryō'' 1 in July 2018, his highest rank since his single ''makuuchi'' appearance. However, seven consecutive losing scores saw him fall to the bottom of ''jūryō'' and then be relegated to the ''makushita'' division after the July 2019 tournament. He returned to ''jūryō'' after just one tournament away by recording a 4–3 score in September. He was demoted to ''makushita'' again in January 2020 but returned to the ''jūryō'' division in March and remained in ''jūryō'' for the rest of 2020. Akiseyama returned to the ''makuuchi'' division in January 2021 for the first time in 28 tournaments, the fourth slowest return in sumo history. In his ''makuuchi'' return Akiseyama began the tournament with six straight wins, before suffering five straight losses. Another run of three wins saw him enter Day 15 with a 9–5 record, and the knowledge that he would be 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.

if he won. Matched against

Kagayaki The is a high-speed ''shinkansen'' train service jointly operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR West) between and on the Hokuriku Shinkansen line in Japan. The shinkansen service was introduced ...

, he was called the winner by the ''

gyōji A is a referee employed by the Japan Sumo Association, responsible for a variety of activities which concern the organisation of the sport in general and the refereeing of matches, as well as the preservation of Sumo#Professional sumo, profess ...

'' after pulling off an '' amiuchi'' or fisherman's throw, but the

judges A judge is an official who presides over a court. Judge or Judges may also refer to: Roles *Judge, an alternative name for an adjudicator in a competition in theatre, music, sport, etc. *Judge, an alternative name/aviator call sign for a membe ...

called for a re-match, which he lost. He narrowly missed a winning record in the following March tournament, but remained in the top division. In May he withdrew from a tournament for the first time in his career, after suffering a jaw fracture in a bout against Chiyotairyū. He missed the next two tournaments causing him to fall to the ''

'' division.

Retirement from sumo

After Akiseyama spent two years in the ''makushita'' division, his retirement was announced by the

Japan Sumo Association The , officially the ; sometimes abbreviated JSA or NSK, and more usually called Sumo Kyōkai, is the governing body that operates and controls Professional sports, professional sumo wrestling, called , in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Min ...

on 10 August 2023. Akiseyama became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association, acquiring the vacant Izutsu elder stock upon retirement. Akiseyama's retirement ceremony was held on 2 June 2024 at the

Ryōgoku Kokugikan , also known as Ryōgoku Sumo Hall or Kokugikan Arena, is the name bestowed to two different indoor sporting arenas located in Tokyo. The first ''Ryōgoku Kokugikan'' opened its doors in 1909 and was located on the premises of the Ekōin temple i ...

, with about 300 people taking part in cutting his topknot.

Fighting style

Akiseyama lists his preferred techniques on his Japan Sumo Association profile as ''tsuki/oshi,'' pushing and thrusting his opponents rather 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 . ''Mawashi'' ''Sekitori'' During competition For top ranked profess ...

'' or belt. However his most common winning ''

kimarite is the technique used in sumo by a (wrestler) to win a match. It is officially decided or announced by the (referee) at the end of the match, though judge (sumo), judges can modify this decision. The records of are then kept for statistical ...

'' in his career was ''yori-kiri'', or force out, which usually involves a ''mawashi'' grip. This is because he made a deliberate decision to change his style of wrestling after his hernia problem, working with his stablemaster Kise to grab the ''mawashi'' with his right hand to speed up the attack and use his weight to his advantage. Former ''

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 o ...

'' Kitanoumi also encouraged him to go for a right hand grip when Akiseyama was temporarily a member of

Kitanoumi stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ''ichimon'' or group of stables. It was set up in 1985 as Kitanoumi stable by former ''yokozuna'' Kitanoumi, who branched off from Mihogaseki stable. It absorbed in 2006, following the dea ...

from 2010 until 2012.

Personal life

At his retirement ceremony, Akiseyama announced that he had gotten married in December 2020. The couple have a son, born in November 2021.

Career record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Akiseyama, Mitsuhiko 1985 births Living people Japanese sumo wrestlers Sumo people from Aichi Prefecture Nihon University alumni Sportspeople from Kasugai, Aichi