Kasugafuji Akihiro

Kasugafuji Akihiro
春日富士 晃大
Personal information
Born Shoki Iwanaga
(1966-02-20) February 20, 1966
Oshika, Miyagi, Japan
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Weight 139 kg (306 lb)
Career
Stable Kasugayama → Ajigawa
Record 518-542-15
Debut March, 1981
Highest rank Maegashira 1 (January, 1990)
Retired September, 1996
Special Prizes Fighting Spirit (1)
* Up to date as of Sep. 2012.

Kasugafuji Akihiro (born February 20, 1966 as Shoki Iwanaga[1]) is a former sumo wrestler and coach from Oshika, Miyagi, Japan. He was an active wrestler in professional sumo from 1981 until 1996, reaching a highest rank of maegashira 1. After his retirement he re-established the Kasugayama stable in 1997 and trained his own wrestlers. He left the Japan Sumo Association in 2012 after an expenses scandal.

Career

He made his professional debut in March 1981, joining Kasugayama stable. He rose slowly through the ranks, having to overcome the disadvantage of being much shorter than most of his competitors at just 1.77 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in).[1] He became a sekitori upon promotion to the second highest juryo division in January 1988. He reached the top makuuchi division in March 1989, reaching his highest rank of maegashira 1 in January 1990.[2] In the same year his stable closed when his stable-master, former maegashira Ōnobori, retired and he moved to Ajigawa stable. He earned a special prize for Fighting Spirit in July 1990. He fought in the top division for a total of 42 tournaments, making his final appearance in May 1996.

Retirement from sumo

He retired in September 1996 and became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association under the name of Kasugayama Oyakata. He re-established the Kasugayama stable in 1997 and coached the Korean born wrestler Kasugao to the top division in 2003. Kasugao was one of a number of wrestlers force to retire in 2011 because of a match-fixing scandal, and as a result his stable lost its only sekitori. In February 2012 he was elected to the Sumo Association's board of directors,[3] and as a result stood down from the day-to-day running of the stable. He passed control over to the former Hamanishiki and switched elder names with him, becoming Ikazuchi Oyakata.

He was forced to resign from the Sumo Association in September 2012 in a scandal involving a bogus expense claim to cover up an affair with a female employee of the Association.[4]

In October 2013 he sued Kasugayama Oyakata (ex-Hamanishiki) for not paying the rent of Kasugayama stable.[5] Kasugayama counter-sued over ex-Kasugafuji's failure to hand over control of the elder stock (toshiyori-kabu). The case went to trial in July 2014. Ex-Kasugafuji's legal team claimed that in 35 years as a coach (from his retirement as an active wrestler at age 30 to his mandatory retirement as a coach at age 65) he would have earned 430 million yen from the Sumo Association. The two sides settled the stable rent issue in June 2015, with the current Kasugayama agreeing to move to new premises.

Fighting style

Kasugafuji favoured pushing and thrusting (oshi-sumo)techniques and his most common winning kimarite was oshi-dashi.[1] Although not his preferred style he was also competent on the opponent's mawashi using grappling (yotsu-sumo) techniques.[1]

Career record

Kasugafuji Akihiro[2]
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
1981 x (Maezumo) East Jonokuchi #12
5–2
 		 East Jonidan #91
3–4
 		 West Jonidan #107
4–3
 		 West Jonidan #85
6–1
 
1982 East Jonidan #17
2–5
 		 East Jonidan #42
4–3
 		 West Jonidan #31
1–6
 		 East Jonidan #59
2–5
 		 East Jonidan #89
7–0–P
 		 East Sandanme #69
1–6
 
1983 East Jonidan #6
4–3
 		 West Sandanme #85
4–3
 		 West Sandanme #65
5–2
 		 East Sandanme #31
4–3
 		 West Sandanme #15
4–3
 		 West Sandanme #5
4–3
 
1984 West Makushita #51
2–5
 		 West Sandanme #16
4–3
 		 East Sandanme #3
1–6
 		 West Sandanme #31
4–3
 		 East Sandanme #18
5–2
 		 West Makushita #48
3–4
 
1985 West Sandanme #1
2–5
 		 East Sandanme #26
4–3
 		 East Sandanme #12
5–2
 		 East Makushita #44
4–3
 		 West Makushita #34
4–3
 		 East Makushita #25
2–5
 
1986 West Makushita #48
5–2
 		 East Makushita #30
4–3
 		 East Makushita #20
5–2
 		 West Makushita #12
3–4
 		 West Makushita #17
5–2
 		 East Makushita #10
3–4
 
1987 West Makushita #16
4–3
 		 East Makushita #12
4–3
 		 West Makushita #8
3–4
 		 West Makushita #13
4–3
 		 West Makushita #8
6–1
 		 West Makushita #1
5–2
 
1988 East Jūryō #11
8–7
 		 East Jūryō #7
5–10
 		 East Jūryō #12
8–7
 		 East Jūryō #11
7–8
 		 East Jūryō #12
9–6
 		 East Jūryō #7
10–5
 
1989 East Jūryō #1
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #10
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #4
4–11
 		 West Maegashira #11
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #12
9–6
 		 East Maegashira #6
8–7
 
1990 East Maegashira #1
3–12
 		 West Maegashira #11
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #3
4–11
 		 West Maegashira #12
10–5
F		 West Maegashira #4
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #8
8–7
 
1991 East Maegashira #5
5–10
 		 West Maegashira #12
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #11
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #4
5–10
 		 East Maegashira #11
9–6
 		 East Maegashira #6
6–9
 
1992 West Maegashira #10
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #5
4–11
 		 West Maegashira #11
4–11
 		 West Jūryō #3
8–7
 		 West Jūryō #1
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #13
9–6
 
1993 East Maegashira #11
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #15
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #8
5–10
 		 West Maegashira #14
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #6
7–8
 		 West Maegashira #9
6–9
 
1994 West Maegashira #13
9–6
 		 East Maegashira #7
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #9
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #3
5–10
 		 West Maegashira #6
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #12
8–7
 
1995 East Maegashira #9
7–8
 		 West Maegashira #11
7–8
 		 West Maegashira #14
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #11
7–8
 		 West Maegashira #13
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #12
8–7
 
1996 West Maegashira #10
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #14
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #10
2–13
 		 West Jūryō #6
5–10
 		 West Jūryō #11
Retired
0–0–15		 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

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Patmore, Angela (1990). The Giants of Sumo. MacDonald/Queen Anne Press. p. 104. ISBN 9780356181202.
  2. 1 2 "Kasugafuji Akihiro Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
  3. ↑ "Oyakata (Coaches) - goo Sumo". Japan Sumo Association. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  4. ↑ 相撲協会の雷理事が退職 週刊誌が不倫報道 (in Japanese). Sanspo Sports. 20 September 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  5. ↑ "Another mini-scandal-Kasugayama wants his kabu!". Sumo Forum. 4 October 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2016.

External links

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