, born September 21, 1983 as , 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 Hyōgo prefecture in Japan. 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 ...

'' 9. He was thrown out of the sport in February

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

after being arrested for

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternativel ...

possession. In 2010 he became a

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

Sumo career

Born in Kawanishi, his father ran a restaurant. He has a younger brother. He did baseball at elementary school. He was asked to join

Oshiogawa stable was a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Nishonoseki group of stables. In its modern form it dates from March 1975 when it was founded by Daikirin, a former Nishonoseki stable wrestler. It produced eleven ''sekitori'' in total, such as Masurao, E ...

while visiting the heya with a classmate of his father, and was contacted a number of times after that. He made his professional debut in March 1999. He is the fourth wrestler from that class to make the top division, following

Kotomitsuki is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Okazaki City. A former amateur champion, he turned professional in 1999. He reached the top ''makuuchi'' division in November 2000 and won one ''yūshō'' or tournament championship, in Septemb ...

, Takamisakari and Hamanishiki, but the first to do so after making his debut at the lowest level of sumo entry, ''mae-zumo''. He began competing under his own surname, but upon reaching the second highest

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 for the first time in July 2004 his stablemaster Oshiogawa Oyakata honoured him with the name of Wakakirin. The "Kirin" part of his name, meaning ''giraffe'' or ''

qilin The qilin (; ) is a legendary hooved chimerical creature that appears in Chinese mythology, and is said to appear with the imminent arrival or passing of a sage or illustrious ruler. Qilin are a specific type of the mythological family of o ...

'', had only been given to three previous wrestlers: his own stablemaster (former '' ōzeki''

Daikirin Daikirin Takayoshi (大麒麟將能) (20 June 1942 – 4 August 2010), born Masakatsu Tsutsumi, was a sumo wrestler from Saga Prefecture, Japan. He began his professional career in 1958 and reached his highest rank of '' ōzeki'' twelve years ...

), former ''

sekiwake , 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 ...

'' Kirinji, and Tamakirin, who quit sumo to become a professional wrestler. Wakakirin scored an impressive ten wins in his ''jūryō'' debut, but in January 2005 he suffered an

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...

injury that forced him to sit out two tournaments, resulting in demotion back to the unsalaried ''makushita'' division. The injury reduced the effectiveness of his favoured ''tsuppari'', or thrusting techniques, and although he returned to the second division in January 2006 he could manage only four wins and was immediately demoted once again. He slowly returned to full fitness and after a series of solid performances he took his second ''makushita'' championship in May 2007 with a perfect 7-0 record from the rank of ''makushita'' 3, to earn promotion back to ''jūryō''. After scores of 10-5 in July and 9-6 in September, he was promoted to 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 for the November 2007 tournament. In April 2005 Oshiogawa stable was absorbed into

Oguruma stable was a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Nishonoseki group of stables. In its modern form it existed from March 1987 when it was founded by Kotokaze, a former Sadogatake stable wrestler., until February 2022. The first wrestler from the stab ...

, in anticipation of Oshiogawa Oyakata's retirement the following year. Wakakirin is the third member of Oguruma stable to make his top division debut, following

Takekaze Takekaze Akira (born June 21, 1979 as Akira Narita) is a former professional sumo wrestler from Akita Prefecture, Japan. A former amateur sumo champion, he turned professional in 2002, reaching the top ''makuuchi'' division the following year. H ...

and

Yoshikaze Yoshikaze Masatsugu (born March 19, 1982 as Masatsugu Ōnishi) is a former sumo wrestler from Saiki, Oita Prefecture, Japan. His highest rank was ''sekiwake''. A former amateur sumo champion, he turned professional in 2004, reaching the top di ...

. Wakakirin achieved ten wins in his top division debut, a feat that normally wins the

Fighting Spirit Award The Japan Series ( , officially the Japan Championship Series, ), also the Nippon Series, :File:2014_JS_logo.png is the annual championship series in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top baseball league in Japan. It is a best-of-seven seri ...

, but he missed out, the prize going to

Baruto Kaido Höövelson, (known professionally as Baruto Kaito ; born 5 November 1984) is an Estonian politician and former professional sumo wrestler. Making his debut in May 2004, he reached the top division after just two years in sumo in May 2006 ...

instead. He was promoted to what was to be his highest rank of ''maegashira'' 9 for the January

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...

tournament, but disappointing scores of 4-11 there and 6-9 in March meant he was demoted back to the ''jūryō'' division. He missed out on a ''

kachi-koshi The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. A B C D E F G H ...

'' winning score on the final day in May 2008, falling to 7-8. He scored 7-8 once again in July. He remained in the top half of ''jūryō'' after that, but did not win promotion back to the top division. He produced a good 9-6 score at jūryō 3 in January 2009 but lost to Tamawashi on the final day when a win would have virtually guaranteed a return to ''makuuchi''.

Dismissal

On January 30, 2009 Wakakirin was arrested for possession of

, at a CD shop in

Roppongi is a district of Minato, Tokyo, Japan, famous for the affluent Roppongi Hills development area and popular night club scene. A few foreign embassies are located near Roppongi, and the night life is popular with locals and foreigners alike. It ...

that had been monitored by police for some time. The following day, Oguruma, his

stable master A stable master or head groom is the manager in charge of a stable. At large horse establishments there may be several grooms under the management of the stable master. In a professional establishment the head groom usually has complete responsibi ...

, declared his intention to dismiss him as a professional sumo wrestler in the wake of the scandal and submitted his letter of resignation to

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 ...

by proxy. The Sumo Association fired him on February 2, deciding on dismissal rather than the heavier penalty of expulsion that would have deprived him of a 5.3 million yen retirement bonus. This decision split the Association and was criticized by some as being too lenient. However, Wakakirin subsequently apologized and said he would not accept the severance pay. An editorial in the ''

Asahi Shimbun is one of the four largest newspapers in Japan. Founded in 1879, it is also one of the oldest newspapers in Japan and Asia, and is considered a newspaper of record for Japan. Its circulation, which was 4.57 million for its morning edition an ...

'' said the newspaper was "appalled by his utter folly" in taking the drug. After being in jail for a month, Wakakirin was released on bail on February 27. He appeared at the

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of ...

District Court on April 13 and pleaded guilty to cannabis possession. On April 22 he was given a ten-month prison sentence, suspended for three years. He was believed to be working for a time at his father's restaurant business. Wakakirin is the fourth wrestler to be dismissed because of cannabis use, following Wakanohō, Rohō and Hakurozan, but the first Japanese. In the same tests in September 2008 that led to Rohō and Hakurozan being dismissed, it was reported that Wakakirin's result was borderline, which put the wrestler under suspicion. The March 2009 ''

banzuke A , officially called is a document listing the rankings of professional sumo wrestlers published before each official tournament ('' honbasho''). The term can also refer to the rankings themselves. The document is normally released about two ...

'' or ranking list had a blank space where Wakakirin's name should have been (jūryō 1 West). This previously occurred with Wakanohō and

Tokitsuumi Tokitsuumi Masahiro (born November 8, 1973 as Masahiro Sakamoto) is a former professional sumo wrestler from Fukue, Nagasaki, Japan. A former amateur sumo champion, he turned professional in 1996. His highest rank was ''maegashira'' 3. He became ...

, who retired between tournaments after the expulsion of his stablemaster.

Fighting style

Wakakirin was a oshi-sumo wrestler whose favourite technique was ''tsuppari'', or a series of rapid thrusts to the opponent's chest. His most common winning ''

kimarite ''Kimarite'' ( ja, 決まり手) is the technique used in sumo by a '' rikishi'' (wrestler) to win a match. It is officially decided or announced by the '' gyōji'' (referee) at the end of the match, though judges can modify this decision. The ...

'' were oshidashi (push out) and tsuki dashi (thrust out).

Professional wrestling career

In 2010, Wakakirin, still using his sumo name returned to the ring as a professional wrestler, training in

Antonio Inoki Muhammad Hussain Inoki (born ; February 20, 1943 – October 1, 2022) was a Japanese professional wrestler, martial artist, politician, and promoter of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. He was best known by the ring name , a homage ...

Inoki Genome Federation (IGF) was a Japanese professional wrestling and mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact c ...

(IGF) stable. His first match was on the IGF-13 card in December, when he defeated

Mark Coleman Mark Daniel Coleman (born December 20, 1964) is an American retired mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and amateur wrestler. Coleman was the UFC 10 and UFC 11 tournament champion, the first UFC Heavyweight Champion, and the Pride ...

by referee stop. The match was controversial, and Coleman's colleague,

Phil Baroni Philip George Baroni (April 16, 1976) is a retired American mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and former kickboxer. A professional MMA competitor since 2000, Baroni has competed for the UFC, PRIDE, Strikeforce, Cage Rage, DREAM, Eli ...

accused Wakakirin of

shooting Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missiles c ...

on Coleman in what was supposed to be a worked match. He made his comments on this on the Nightmare of Battle website. Wakakirin's next fight was scheduled for December 31, 2010 against

Bob Sapp Robert Malcolm Sapp (born September 22, 1973) is an American mixed martial artist, kickboxer, professional wrestler, actor, and former American football player. He is currently under contract with Rizin Fighting Federation. Sapp has a combined ...

, but the match never took place as Sapp refused to leave his dressing room. He was also scheduled to face Kimbo Slice on February 5, 2011 in

Fukuoka is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center ...

, but that fight never took place as Kimbo went down with an injury. In 2011 he was named the sport's rookie of the year by ''

Tokyo Sports is a Japanese daily sports newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of ...

''. His first MMA fight was in December 2012 when he lost to

Mirko Cro Cop Mirko Filipović (; born 10 September 1974), better known by his ring name Mirko Cro Cop, is a retired Croatian professional mixed martial artist, kickboxer and amateur boxer. He is mostly known for his time in Pride Fighting Championships. Cro C ...

. In April 2014 he was defeated by

Bob Armstrong Joseph Melton James (October 3, 1939 – August 27, 2020) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Bullet" Bob Armstrong. In the course of his career, which spanned five decades, Armstrong held numerous championship ...

at Inoki Genome Fight. In October 2013 he formed a

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

with fellow ex-sumo wrestler Kirinowaka. He left the IGF in 2017 and participated in a martial arts event run by the ISM, Inoki's new company. In March 2021 he was arrested again on suspicion of possessing cannabis.

Sumo career record

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 2-4 ,

Chris Barnett Christopher James Barnett (born June 14, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Barnett was born in Zaragoza, Spain, where his father was ...

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, TKO (punches) , Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2014 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:57 ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1–2 ,

Ikuhisa Minowa is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler currently competing in IGF as . A professional MMA competitor since 1996, he was a longtime veteran of PRIDE and Pancrase and has also competed in other mixed martial arts promotions s ...

, TKO (corner stoppage) , Inoki Genome Fight 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:59 ,

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, Japan ,

Championships and accomplishments

*''

'' ** Newcomer Award (2011)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wakakirin, Shinichi 1983 births Living people Japanese sumo wrestlers Japanese male professional wrestlers Sumo people from Hyōgo Prefecture Mixed martial artists utilizing Sumo Sportspeople banned for life