Wajima Hiroshi

Hiroshi Wajima
輪島大士
Personal information
Born Hiroshi Wajima
(1948-01-11) January 11, 1948
Ishikawa, Japan
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight 130 kg (290 lb)
Career
Stable Hanakago
Record 673-234-85
Debut January 1970
Highest rank Yokozuna (May, 1973)
Retired March 1981
Championships 14 (Makuuchi)
1 (Jūryō)
2 (Makushita)
Special Prizes Outstanding Performance (3)
Fighting Spirit (2)
* Up to date as of August 2007.

Hiroshi Wajima (輪島大士) (born January 11, 1948) is a former sumo wrestler and professional wrestler from Nanao, Ishikawa, Japan. He was sumo's 54th yokozuna. He won a total of 14 tournament championships or yūshō during his career and retired in March 1981. He was later head coach of Hanakago stable, but was forced to leave the sumo world and turned to professional wrestling.

Sumo career

After graduating from Nihon University where he was an amateur sumo champion he made his professional debut in January 1970 at the age of 22, joining Hanakago stable which was just a short distance from his university sumo club. He was given makushita tsukedashi status, meaning he could begin in the third highest makushita division. He was undefeated in his first 14 matches and reached the jūryō division after just two tournaments. He was promoted to the top makuuchi division in January 1971.

After finishing as runner-up in the November 1971 and January 1972 tournaments he was promoted to sekiwake and took his first top division championship or yūshō in May 1972. He was promoted to ōzeki shortly afterwards and after winning his second championship with a perfect 15-0 score in May 1973 he was promoted to yokozuna. He took his first yūshō as a yokozuna in September, and in November 1973 he became the first wrestler ever to withdraw from a tournament while still managing to win it. Wajima won three championships in 1974 but then went into a slump, and did not take another title until March 1976. In the late 1970s he was somewhat overshadowed by fellow yokozuna Kitanoumi, five years his junior. While Wajima had had a good personal record against him, holding a 19-10 advantage up to the end of 1977, Kitanoumi began to win their later encounters and overtook him in terms of championships won. Wajima took his fourteenth and final championship in November 1980, and retired in March 1981.

Wajima was an unconventional wrestler in many ways. He was the only man ever to go as far as yokozuna without adopting a traditional shikona, instead fighting under his own surname of Wajima throughout his entire career. He was the first and to date only former collegiate competitor to be promoted to yokozuna (he was nicknamed the "Sumo Genius" because of his college background). His other departures from sumo norms included having his hair permed before growing a topknot, staying in luxury hotels and driving a Lincoln Continental whilst on regional sumo tours (jungyo), and associating himself with outsiders such as the yakuza and going out on late night drinking sessions.[1]

He was a great friend of Takanohana, whom he had known since his university days. The two were promoted to ōzeki simultaneously in November 1972.

Fighting style

Wajima was not a particularly large wrestler but he had superb technique. His preferred grip on the mawashi was hidari yotsu (right hand outside, left hand inside), and he was famed for the power of his so-called "golden left arm" which he would use to down his opponents by shitatenage or inner-arm throw. His other favourite kimarite included yori-kiri (force out) and tsuri-dashi (lift out).

Retirement from sumo

Following his retirement Wajima took over as oyakata, or head coach, of Hanakago stable in 1981, having married the eldest daughter of the previous stablemaster. However, his time there as oyakata was controversial. He lacked leadership qualities and most unusually did not even live in the stable, preferring to commute.[2] Hanakago declined to the point when it did not have any top division wrestlers left. In 1982 his wife attempted suicide and he was demoted from his position as a judge as a result. The marriage eventually ended in divorce.[2] In 1985 he was pressured by fellow oyakata to resign from the Sumo Association after it emerged that he was heavily in debt due to the failure of his chankonabe restaurant and had put up his shares in the Association as collateral on a loan, a practice strictly forbidden.[2] The stable folded completely with all its wrestlers transferring to the affiliated Hanaregoma stable.[2]

Professional wrestling career

To pay off his debts, Wajima turned to pro wrestling. Shohei Baba, owner of All Japan Pro Wrestling, convinced him to join his promotion and train at their dojo.[3] He debuted in 1986. Because of his status as a former Yokozuna (the first since Kinichi Azumafuji to turn to pro wrestling), Wajima was pushed as a superstar, feuding with Stan Hansen over the PWF Heavyweight Championship. In the long run, however, accumulated injuries from his sumo years limited his potential as a professional wrestler, and he ended up retiring from the game altogether in December 1988; his last recorded match was held December 16, as he and The Great Kabuki defeated Jerry Blackwell and Phil Hickerson.

Later career

After quitting as a wrestler Wajima coached the X-League American football team ROCBULL and also worked with the Cuban national sumo team. He was also Ishikawa Prefecture's tourist ambassador. In January 2009 he returned to the Ryōgoku Kokugikan for the first time since leaving the Sumo Association in 1985, and was a guest of NHK, commentating on the day's bouts with Demon Kogure.[4]

Career record

Wajima Hiroshi[5]
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
1970 Makushita tsukedashi #60
7–0
Champion
 		 East Makushita #8
7–0
Champion
 		 East Jūryō #8
10–5
 		 East Jūryō #4
7–8
 		 West Jūryō #6
13–2
Champion
 		 East Jūryō #1
9–6
 
1971 West Maegashira #11
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #5
5–10
 		 East Maegashira #12
11–4
F		 West Maegashira #2
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #6
10–5
 		 East Maegashira #1
11–4
F
1972 East Komusubi #1
10–5
O		 West Sekiwake #1
9–6
 		 West Sekiwake #1
12–3
O		 East Sekiwake #1
8–7
 		 East Sekiwake #2
13–2
O		 East Ōzeki #1
11–4
 
1973 West Ōzeki #1
11–4
 		 East Ōzeki #1
13–2
 		 East Ōzeki #1
15–0
 		 East Yokozuna #1
11–4
 		 East Yokozuna #2
15–0
 		 East Yokozuna
12–2–1
 
1974 East Yokozuna #1
12–3
 		 East Yokozuna #1
12–3
 		 East Yokozuna #1
10–5
 		 East Yokozuna #1
13–2–P
 		 East Yokozuna #1
14–1
 		 East Yokozuna #1
9–6
 
1975 West Yokozuna #1
10–5
 		 West Yokozuna #1
0–4–11
 		 West Yokozuna #1
0–3–12
 		 West Yokozuna #1
Sat out due to injury
0–0–15		 West Yokozuna #1
10–5
 		 West Yokozuna #1
11–4
 
1976 West Yokozuna #1
12–3
 		 West Yokozuna #1
13–2–P
 		 East Yokozuna #1
13–2–P
 		 East Yokozuna #1
14–1
 		 East Yokozuna #1
12–3
 		 East Yokozuna #1
13–2
 
1977 West Yokozuna #1
13–2
 		 East Yokozuna #1
12–3
 		 West Yokozuna #1
11–4
 		 West Yokozuna #1
15–0
 		 East Yokozuna #1
10–5
 		 West Yokozuna #1
14–1
 
1978 East Yokozuna #1
10–5
 		 West Yokozuna #1
1–1–13
 		 West Yokozuna #1
9–6
 		 East Yokozuna #2
14–1
 		 West Yokozuna #1
1–3–11
 		 East Yokozuna #2
13–2
 
1979 West Yokozuna #1
10–5
 		 East Yokozuna #2
12–3
 		 East Yokozuna #2
12–3
 		 East Yokozuna #2
14–1–P
 		 East Yokozuna #1
10–5
 		 West Yokozuna #2
10–5
 
1980 West Yokozuna #2
0–3–12
 		 West Yokozuna #2
11–4
 		 East Yokozuna #2
11–4
 		 East Yokozuna #2
1–4–10
 		 West Yokozuna #2
11–4
 		 East Yokozuna #2
14–1
 
1981 East Yokozuna #1
10–5
 		 West Yokozuna #1
Retired
1–2		 x x x x
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Retired Lower Divisions

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

Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna — Ōzeki — Sekiwake — Komusubi — Maegashira

See also

References

  1. ↑ West, Mark D. (2005). Law in Everyday Japan: Sex, Sumo, Suicide, and Statutes. University of Chicago Press. p. 83. ISBN 0226894029.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Sharnoff, Lora (1993). Grand Sumo. Weatherhill. ISBN 0-8348-0283-X.
  3. ↑ Shapiro, Michael (1988-03-07). "Down From Sumo's Summit". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
  4. ↑ 輪島さん デーモン閣下と「ドキドキ」解説 (in Japanese). Sports Nippon. 19 January 2009.
  5. ↑ "Wajima Hiroshi Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2012-12-27.
Previous:
Kotozakura Masakatsu		 54th Yokozuna
July 1973 - March 1981		 Next:
Kitanoumi Toshimitsu
Yokozuna is not a successive rank, and more than one wrestler can share the title
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