Sumo obituaries

[Kaiomitsuki 408]

Haru 1976 Day 13

Sekiwake Asahikuni wins against Yokozuna Kitanoumi by Yorikiri (from my YouTube channel )

With a 13-2 record (and the second Jun-Yusho in the row), Asahikuni is promoted Ozeki.

[Inside Sport Japan 762]

Former ozeki Asahikuni, also a trailblazing stablemaster, dies at age 77 - The Japan Times

 

[Akinomaki 41,179]

Today was the family funeral of Asahikuni, with former deshi attending as well (in the back Asahisho and Kyokutaisei), Kyokushuzan cam from Mongolia, he met with the shisho a month ago - also Asahisato/Nakagawa and Kyokudozan were there

o o o o

- the present Oshima-oyakata (Kyokutenho) took the real name of the shisho as his Japanese real name.

o

Yesterday after the condolence call

o

also by Kyokudozan and Hakuho

o

o

the NSK posted a memorial video

 

Edited October 25, 2024 by Akinomaki

[Akinomaki 41,179]

Not much sumo related, but all over the sumo related news today: Tsuneo Watanabe died today at the age of 98, 9th YDC top, former Yomiuri shimbun top (thus 99% baseball) ...

Member from 1991-2005, during the Waka-Taka boom, YDC top Jan 2001-Jan.2003, during the record kyujo of Taka, giving him the strict order to compete or retire after 7 basho kyujo

http://www.sankei.com/article/20241219-3K4RB5VP6ZCJ3P7H6F7CVVPG3Y/

at the keiko soken April 2004

o

Jan. 2004 with female member Uchidate

o

2003

o

o

first keiko soken as the new YDC top in Jan. 2003

o

inviting NSK members to a baseball game of his team in 1992, with Dewanoumi-rijicho (left)

o

Edited December 20, 2024 by Akinomaki

[Kintamayama 45,974]

Kuniazuma the Brazilian has died of a heart attack at the age of 49. Very eventful career, worth checking out- one of my favorite foreign rikishi in the day. 1.92/ 180 kilos. 5 yushos!! 1 in Jonokuchi, 1 in Sandanme, then Jonokuchi again, back to back next basho in Jonidan, and  later in Makushita. 10 bashos in Juryo. Injuries  galore. Missed 146 days in all, 45 of them during his tenure at Juryo. RIP.. After leaving sumo, he became a businessman, dividing his time between Japan and Brazil.

Edited February 4 by Kintamayama

[yorikiried by fate 2,035]

1 hour ago, Kintamayama said:

Kuniazuma the Brazilian has died of a heart attack at the age of 49. Very eventful career, worth checking out- one of my favorite foreign rikishi in the day. 1.92/ 180 kilos. 5 yushos!! 1 in Jonokuchi, 1 in Sandanme, then Jonokuchi again, back to back next basho in Jonidan, and  later in Makushita. 10 bashos in Juryo. Injuries  galore. Missed 146 days in all, 45 of them during his tenure at Juryo. RIP.. After leaving sumo, he became a businessman, dividing his time between Japan and Brazil.

Noooooo! Not the quasi-namesake of my erstwhile sumo games shikona!!

Never saw you fight bro, but peacefully RIP. I won't forget you.

[Akinomaki 41,179]

2 hours ago, Kintamayama said:

Kuniazuma the Brazilian has died of a heart attack at the age of 49

o

during his career height - as j5e in the yusho parade at the first yusho of Tochiazuma, Hatsu 2002

o

[Asashosakari 19,941]

Hmm, I can't find any trace of this having been mentioned on the forum until now. (I ran into it on ja.wiki.) On December 8, 2023, Lynn Matsuoka reported the passing of her ex-husband, former maegashira Iwatora. They had moved to the US following his active career, first to Hawaii and then to New York, where he eventually established a Japanese restaurant, nowadays run by their two sons.

Edit: A local paper reported the date of death as December 5.

Edited April 2 by Asashosakari

[Akinomaki 41,179]

Shikihide-beya's Wakatozakura has died yesterday 14:43h JST in a hospital in Ibaraki pref. at age 33 due to necrotizing fasciitis

o

The NSK announced it today https://www.sumo.or.jp/IrohaKyokaiInformation/detail?id=691

day 11 last basho

o o

Edited April 15 by Akinomaki

[Akinomaki 41,179]

Makimoto Eisuke, 牧本英輔, as sekitori also under the shikona Todoroki, has died on Apr. 3rd. at age 84. The local Kumanichi shimbun had posted an article, but it is restricted to Japan and in addition behind the paywall.  o 

o

[rokudenashi 336]

It took Makimoto just over 10 years to establish himself in sekitorihood following a brief stint in 1965, then following his final demotion from jūryō, he stuck around for a further decade in the lower ranks, therefore witnessing the yokozuna promotions of both Taihō and Chiyonofuji during his active career.

Makimoto was viewed as so much of a prospect during his high school days that ex-Kagamisato would routinely travel down to Kumamoto by plane to visit him, eventually coercing the young wrestler to join Tokitsukaze stable.

However, following Futabayama’s passing and the ensuing battle over who would inherit the stable, Makimoto opted not to follow the man who brought him into ōzumō to the newly-established Tatsutagawa stable, instead remaining at Tokitsukaze until retirement.

Edited April 24 by rokudenashi
Forgot he spent a couple of tournaments in jūryō in 1965

[Akinomaki 41,179]

Active top class tokoyama Tokoasa of Yamahibki-beya https://www.sumo.or.jp/Profile/tokoyama/2022/ has died on the 29th at age 62 due to hemopericardium. Till lately he was fit. The funeral services will be with close relatives only.

From Kyoto he started in 1978 at Mihogaseki-beya, after closing went to Kitanoumi-beya, which is Yamahibiki-beya now. He did the mage of the heya's ozeki Baruto and sekiwake Aran in the past.

http://www.daily.co.jp/general/2025/05/31/0019050434.shtml

[Kintamayama 45,974]

Ex- Fujiמokawa ( Hattori Yuuji) is dead at 64. Died of liver cancer at his home. Professor at Tokai Gakuen University. Hattori was born on August 20, 1960 in Obu City, Aichi Prefecture. He went on to Doshisha University after graduating from Tokai High School. In high school, he won the National Inter-High Championships, and in college, he won 17 major titles, including student Yokozuna and amateur Yokozuna, and was known as the strongest amateur. In 1983, he joined Isenoumi beya. He made his debut in the March 1983 and was promoted to Makuuchi in 1985, but he retired in 1987 at the age of 26 due to injury. His highest rank was Maegashira 3. He did not remain in the world of professional sumo, but instead aimed to become an amateur sumo coach, and obtained a master's degree in physical education from the graduate school of the University of Tsukuba. He founded the sumo club at Tokai Gakuen University, and after serving as a coach, he was currently a professor in the Department of Business Administration at the university's Faculty of Business Administration. He also worked hard to popularize sumo as a council member of the Japan Sumo Federation.

[Chiyozakura 157]

That is sad to hear. He seems to have been a man of great character. When he decided to join Ozumo he could basicaly choose the heya as he was expected to have a great career. He chose Isenoumi because the Oyakata guaranteed him a kabu. After he joined he was not nearly as successful as expected and only rose the ranks slowly. He even got the Oyakata's shikona of Fujinokawa. After being injured he realized he would never make Sanyaku and decided to leave sumo altogether despite having a kabu ready for him because he did not want to just be a rank and file Oyakata.

[Akinomaki 41,179]

Fujinokawa career pics

ooo

msTD debut Haru 1983

ooo

Natsu

ooo o

Nagoya

o o

juryu debut for Aki

o o o

 

o o  o

new makuuchi for Haru 1985

o

intai Nagoya 1987 - due to a herniated disk

oo

as coach

oo o

[Akinomaki 41,179]

Today was the tsuya for ex-Fujinokawa (tomorrow the funeral service)

o

Kabutoyama-oyakata (Oikari) attended - same university, same heya

[Kintamayama 45,974]

Ex- Ozeki Masuiyama is dead. Liver failure. 76 years old. Was part of the music industry.

Edited June 17 by Kintamayama

[Yamanashi 3,988]

7 hours ago, Kintamayama said:

Ex- Ozeki Masuiyama is dead. Liver failure. 76 years old. Was part of the music industry.

Quite a life story.

[Washuyama 648]

He was a very exciting guy to watch.  Extremely skillful on the belt! He will be missed!

 

[Akinomaki 41,179]

Masuiyama memorial special from the NSK

 

[Akinomaki 41,179]

Funny - embedding a Forum thread triggers the blacklist error, let's see if it gets though as a link

Masuiyama activities the last 10 years  http://www.sumoforum.net/forums/topic/35803-masuiyama-activities/

Most videos are still there, and links to his songs

[Yamanashi 3,988]

5 hours ago, Akinomaki said:

Masuiyama memorial special from the NSK

At his Ozeki ceremony, the NSK reps wore business suits.  Is/was that typical?

[John Gunning 3,698]

From 2016, for about 5 years, we shot Grand Sumo Preview at his old Mihogaseki stable.

 

Photo I took in 2006.  Chiyonofuji, Masuiyama, Kaiketsu, Kitanoumi, Hakuho, Asashoryu.

 

[John Gunning 3,698]

Music star Masuiyama, a former ōzeki who died Sunday at 76, blazed unique trail