Toyozakura Toshiaki (born March 12, 1974 as Toshiaki Mukō) is a former

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 ...

wrestler from Hiroshima, Japan. He made his debut in 1989, and after many years in the lower ranks he reached the top division for the first time in 2003. 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 ...

'' 5. He was a runner-up in one tournament and earned one special prize for Fighting Spirit. He is the younger brother of

Kitazakura , born December 15, 1971 as is a former sumo wrestler from Asakita ward, Hiroshima City, Japan. His highest rank was ''maegashira'' 9. He is the elder brother of Toyozakura, also a top division wrestler. He was a popular figure with sumo fans ...

. He was forced to retire in April 2011 after an investigation by 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'' (activ ...

found him guilty of

match-fixing In organized sports, match fixing is the act of playing or officiating a match with the intention of achieving a pre-determined result, violating the rules of the game and often the law. There are many reasons why match fixing might take place, ...

Career

Toyozakura's father was also a sumo wrestler, who fought under the same ''

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'' ...

'' or sumo name, but he never climbed higher than the fourth ''

sandanme 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. He encouraged his son to join a different stable than Kitakazura, so Toyozakura joined

Tatsutagawa stable Tatsutagawa stable (立田川部屋, ''Tatsutagawa beya'') was a '' heya'' (stable) of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tokitsukaze ''ichimon'' or group of stables. It was active from 1971 until 2000. History The stable was founded in 1971 by the former ...

. This stable folded in 2000 upon the stablemaster's retirement and Toyozakura moved to Michinoku stable. He made his professional debut in March 1989. He first reached elite ''

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 ...

'' status in September 1998 upon promotion to the second ''

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 but he could not maintain that rank. It took him another five years to reach the top division, which he finally achieved in November 2003 after re-entering the second division in September 2002. The 88 tournaments it took him to get there is the sixth-slowest ever—even longer than Kitazakura, who took 86 tournaments to reach ''makuuchi'' (in 2001). Though Toyozakura is lesser known than his brother Kitazakura, he spent 17 tournaments in 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, which was five more than his brother, and he also reached a higher rank, ''

'' 5. He achieved this after a strong 12-3 record in July 2004, where he finished runner-up to ''

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 ...

'' Asashōryū, winning 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 peaked with this performance, however, as he only managed a majority of wins against losses on two further occasions in ''makuuchi'', and spent more time back in ''jūryō'' than in the top division. In May 2008 it emerged that the previous January, Toyozakura had beaten a junior wrestler in his stable up to ten times with a ladle, so badly that he required eight stitches. Coming in the wake of the death of trainee Takeshi Saito, he was severely criticised for such actions and issued an apology. Both he and his stablemaster Michinoku-''oyakata'' were docked 30 percent of their salary by the

for three months. His 10-5 performance at the rank of ''jūryō'' 4 in January 2009 was enough for a surprise return to the top division for the first time in over two years at ''maegashira'' 16. However, he could win only five bouts in the March 2009 tournament. Following the suspension and subsequent demotion of six wrestlers to the ''jūryō'' division in September 2010, he returned to ''makuuchi'' once again at the age of 36 despite only barely making his majority of wins at the rank of ''jūryō'' 11 in the July tournament. His tenth promotion to the top division for the January 2011 tournament put him in fourth place on the all-time list behind Ōshio, Ōnishiki and Ōtsukasa for most promotions to ''makuuchi''.

Retirement from sumo

Toyozakura was one of 23 wrestlers found guilty of fixing the result of bouts after an investigation by the

, and he was forced to retire in April 2011.

Fighting style

Toyozakura's favourite techniques were open-handed thrusts known as ''tsuppari'', and simple pushes to the opponent's chest, ''oshi-dashi''. When he chose to fight 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 . For top ranked professional , it is made of silk and comes in a var ...

'' his preferred grip was ''migi-yotsu'', a left-hand outside, right-hand inside position. He also frequently employed ''hiki-otoshi'', the pull down, and the similar ''hataki-komi'', or slap down.

Career record

References

External links