Wakafutase Tadayuki
若二瀬 唯之
Personal information
BornTadateru Tojima
(1942-02-20)February 20, 1942
Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
DiedMay 20, 1997(1997-05-20) (aged 55)
Height1.76 m (5 ft 9+12 in)
Weight140 kg (310 lb; 22 st)
Career
StableOnaruto → Asahiyama
Record571-566-0
DebutSeptember, 1960
Highest rankKomusubi (September, 1968)
RetiredMarch, 1975
Elder nameAsahiyama
Championships2 (Jūryō)
1 (Jonokuchi)
Special PrizesOutstanding Performance (1)
Gold Stars1 (Kashiwado)
* Up to date as of June 2020.

Wakafutase Tadayuki, born Tadateru Tojima (February 20, 1942 May 20, 1997), was a sumo wrestler and coach from Nagoya, Aichi, Japan. His highest rank was komusubi. He was the head coach of Asahiyama stable from 1975 until his death in 1997.

Career

He made his professional debut in September 1960, and reached the top division in March 1966. He won his only kinboshi in July 1968 when he defeated yokozuna Kashiwado on the opening day. This was also the only tournament in which he received a special prize, for Outstanding Performance. Following this performance he made his sanyaku debut at komusubi, a rank he was to hold three times in total. In January 1972 he was a tournament runner-up with a mere 10–5 record, as the yūshō was won by Tochiazuma with 11–4. (Wakafutase could have been involved in an eight-man playoff had ōzeki Kiyokuni defeated Tochiazuma on the final day.) Wakafutase did not miss a single bout in his career, making 1137 consecutive appearances.

Retirement from sumo

Upon retirement from active competition in March 1975 he became an elder in the Japan Sumo Association. He took over as head coach of Asahiyama stable in October 1975 after the sudden death of the former Futaseyama,[1] and was involved in a dispute with the previous head coach's widow, which led to six Tongan wrestlers at the stable running away and eventually being dismissed by the Sumo Association.[2] This became an international incident with questions in the National Diet and the Sumo Association visiting the King of Tonga to explain, and Asahiyama was punished with a ten percent salary reduction for six months for his poor supervision of the situation. Among the wrestlers he coached were juryo Iwatefuji and Genkai, and maegashira Daihishō. He died suddenly of an acute myocardial infarction while still an active oyakata in May 1997. Daihishō, who by then was the stable's only sekitori, was injured in a bout against Tochinonada the day after Asahiyama's death and was out for two months, unable to attend his funeral. Due to Asahiyama's unexpected death there was no obvious successor available, and former ōzeki Daiju of the affiliated Tatsunami stable was asked to take over.[3]

Career record

Wakafutase Tadayuki[4]
Year in sumo January
Hatsu basho, Tokyo
March
Haru basho, Osaka
May
Natsu basho, Tokyo
July
Nagoya basho, Nagoya
September
Aki basho, Tokyo
November
Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
1960 x x x x (Maezumo) East Jonokuchi #21
61P
Champion

 
1961 West Jonidan #68
43
 
West Jonidan #33
61
 
West Sandanme #86
43
 
East Sandanme #64
34
 
East Sandanme #73
52
 
West Sandanme #24
52
 
1962 East Makushita #83
43
 
West Makushita #73
70P
 
East Makushita #25
34
 
East Makushita #29
52
 
West Makushita #22
25
 
West Makushita #33
52
 
1963 East Makushita #24
61
 
West Makushita #12
43
 
West Makushita #8
25
 
West Makushita #15
52
 
East Makushita #8
43
 
West Makushita #6
52
 
1964 East Makushita #2
52
 
East Jūryō #17
87
 
East Jūryō #15
87
 
West Jūryō #12
69
 
East Jūryō #17
78
 
West Makushita #1
52
 
1965 West Jūryō #17
87
 
East Jūryō #16
96
 
East Jūryō #11
78
 
West Jūryō #13
87
 
East Jūryō #12
114
 
West Jūryō #3
87
 
1966 East Jūryō #3
105
 
West Maegashira #13
510
 
West Jūryō #4
87
 
West Jūryō #1
105
 
West Maegashira #13
78
 
East Maegashira #15
87
 
1967 East Maegashira #14
510
 
West Jūryō #5
87
 
West Jūryō #6
96
 
East Jūryō #3
123
Champion

 
West Maegashira #10
114
 
East Maegashira #3
69
 
1968 West Maegashira #6
96
 
West Maegashira #1
312
 
East Maegashira #10
96
 
East Maegashira #4
114
O
East Komusubi #2
87
 
West Komusubi #1
411
 
1969 East Maegashira #4
510
 
West Maegashira #7
87
 
West Maegashira #4
105
 
West Komusubi #1
312
 
East Maegashira #6
78
 
East Maegashira #7
78
 
1970 East Maegashira #9
96
 
East Maegashira #3
213
 
East Maegashira #12
105
 
East Maegashira #4
510
 
East Maegashira #7
96
 
East Maegashira #1
114
 
1971 West Maegashira #10
87
 
East Maegashira #7
96
 
East Maegashira #1
213
 
West Maegashira #10
96
 
East Maegashira #5
69
 
East Maegashira #8
69
 
1972 East Maegashira #10
105
 
East Maegashira #4
510
 
East Maegashira #10
510
 
West Jūryō #2
69
 
East Jūryō #5
87
 
West Jūryō #2
114P
Champion

 
1973 West Maegashira #10
96
 
East Maegashira #5
411
 
East Maegashira #12
312
 
West Jūryō #6
87
 
West Jūryō #4
87
 
East Jūryō #3
78
 
1974 West Jūryō #4
87
 
East Jūryō #2
78
 
West Jūryō #3
69
 
West Jūryō #10
96
 
East Jūryō #3
69
 
West Jūryō #8
87
 
1975 East Jūryō #5
411
 
East Jūryō #13
Retired
5100
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Top Division Runner-up Retired Lower Divisions

Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique     Also shown: =Kinboshi; P=Playoff(s)
Divisions: Makuuchi Jūryō Makushita Sandanme Jonidan Jonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna Ōzeki Sekiwake Komusubi Maegashira

See also

References

  1. Hirada, Hiroshi (25 September 2015). "Former Tongan sumo wrestler still sports the Asahiyama stable sign". Japan Times. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  2. Sharnoff, Lora (1993). Grand Sumo. Weatherhill. ISBN 0-8348-0283-X.
  3. "Asahiyama Kabu History". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
  4. "Wakafutase Tadayuki Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
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