Tadao Yasuda

Takanofuji Tadao
孝乃富士 忠雄
Yasuda Tadao
安田 忠夫
Personal information
Born Tadao Yasuda
(1963-10-09) October 9, 1963
Tokyo, Japan
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Weight 150 kg (330 lb)
Career
Stable Kokonoe
Record 418-459-4
Debut March, 1979
Highest rank Komusubi (July, 1990)
Retired May, 1992
Special Prizes Fighting Spirit (1)
Gold Stars 2 (Futahaguro)
* Up to date as of August 2007.

Tadao Yasuda (born 9 October 1963) is a retired sumo and professional wrestler from Ōta, Tokyo, Japan. He competed in sumo from 1979 to 1992, under the shikona of Takanofuji, achieving the rank of komusubi, and afterwards turned to professional wrestling, in which he competed from 1994 to 2011.

Sumo career

He made his professional sumo debut in March 1979 at the age of 15, after leaving junior high school. He was recruited by Kokonoe stable. In 1980 he adopted the shikona of Fujinomori, before switching to Takanofuji in 1984. He first reached sekitori status in March 1985 upon promotion to the second highest jūryō division, but could manage only 4 wins against 11 losses and was demoted back to the unsalaried makushita division. After winning promotion back to jūryō in January 1986 he made his debut in the top makuuchi division only two tournaments later in May 1986.

Takanofuji was ranked in the top division for 33 tournaments, winning one special prize for Fighting Spirit. His two gold stars for defeating yokozuna were both earned against Futahaguro (who, as Koji Kitao, also turned to professional wrestling). Takanofuji had the advantage of belonging to a stable that included two yokozuna, Chiyonofuji and Hokutoumi, which under sumo regulations meant he never had to face them in tournament play. However, his height of 1.92 m (6 ft 3 12 in) meant he had a higher centre of gravity than was ideal for a sumo wrestler,[1] and he seemed to struggle when promoted above the mid maegashira ranks. Though he managed to reach the fourth highest komusubi ranking in July 1990 he could not maintain the rank, winning only two bouts there. He was demoted from the top division after the September 1991 tournament and announced his retirement in May 1992. His career coincided exactly with that of his stablemate Hokutoumi, who made his debut alongside him in March 1979 and also retired in May 1992.

After sumo

Reverting to his real name, he joined the New Japan Pro Wrestling promotion, making his debut in February 1994. He also gained some fame in the mixed martial arts world. After defeating Masaaki Satake in a PRIDE event in March 2001, he choked out K-1 kickboxer Jerome Le Banner at an Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye event in December 2001, which was the biggest win of his MMA career. In August 2002 he and Kantaro Hoshino formed a breakaway faction from New Japan called the Makai Club. In late 2004 he started working with the ZERO-ONE and Hustle promotions.

Yasuda has earned the nickname of "Borrowing Money King" due to claims that he borrows money from various sources (including the yakuza) to try to pay off his gambling debts.

In October 2007 he reportedly attempted to commit suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. A friend however, interrupted the alleged attempt. He was hospitalized, with fears of possible brain damage. This proved not to be the case and he has made a return to wrestling.[2] On January 11, 2011, Yasuda announced his retirement from professional wrestling. He wrestled his final match on February 4, 2011, in which he was defeated by Genichiro Tenryu.[3]

In wrestling

Championships and accomplishments

  • PWI ranked him #150 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 2002[7]

Sumo career record

Takanofuji Tadao[8]
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
1979 x (Maezumo) West Jonokuchi #7
322
 
West Jonokuchi #8
52
 
West Jonidan #87
34
 
East Jonidan #99
52
 
1980 East Jonidan #64
34
 
West Jonidan #83
43
 
East Jonidan #56
52
 
West Jonidan #17
16
 
West Jonidan #49
34
 
West Jonidan #59
52
 
1981 West Jonidan #17
52
 
West Sandanme #73
34
 
West Sandanme #86
70P
 
East Makushita #58
16
 
West Sandanme #21
34
 
West Sandanme #32
43
 
1982 East Sandanme #18
52
 
East Makushita #53
34
 
East Sandanme #6
43
 
West Makushita #53
34
 
West Sandanme #12
61
 
West Makushita #38
43
 
1983 West Makushita #31
52
 
East Makushita #18
34
 
East Makushita #31
43
 
West Makushita #21
43
 
West Makushita #16
34
 
East Makushita #27
25
 
1984 West Makushita #43
61
 
East Makushita #19
52
 
East Makushita #9
43
 
West Makushita #5
25
 
East Makushita #20
61
 
West Makushita #6
52
 
1985 West Makushita #1
52
 
West Jūryō #10
411
 
West Makushita #6
52
 
West Jūryō #13
69
 
West Makushita #4
43
 
West Makushita #2
61
 
1986 West Jūryō #9
96
 
West Jūryō #2
96
 
East Maegashira #14
87
 
East Maegashira #10
87
 
West Maegashira #3
411
West Maegashira #9
87
 
1987 West Maegashira #5
69
 
East Maegashira #9
87
 
East Maegashira #5
510
 
West Maegashira #9
96
 
West Maegashira #1
312
East Maegashira #9
87
 
1988 West Maegashira #2
312
 
West Maegashira #9
852
 
East Maegashira #5
78
 
West Maegashira #6
87
 
West Maegashira #1
213
 
West Maegashira #12
96
 
1989 East Maegashira #6
87
 
East Maegashira #3
312
 
East Maegashira #10
87
 
West Maegashira #7
69
 
East Maegashira #11
96
 
West Maegashira #4
78
 
1990 East Maegashira #5
96
 
West Maegashira #1
213
 
East Maegashira #9
114
F
East Komusubi #1
213
 
West Maegashira #9
87
 
East Maegashira #4
69
 
1991 East Maegashira #7
87
 
West Maegashira #2
114
 
East Maegashira #15
87
 
East Maegashira #11
510
 
East Maegashira #15
78
 
East Jūryō #3
87
 
1992 West Jūryō #2
69
 
East Jūryō #6
69
 
East Jūryō #10
Retired
411
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

Mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 2-4 Rene Rooze TKO (punches) Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003 December 31, 2003 1 0:50 Kobe, Japan
Loss 2-3 Jan Nortje TKO (injury) Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2002 December 31, 2002 2 0:57 Saitama, Japan
Loss 2-2 Kazuyuki Fujita Submission (arm triangle choke) Universal Fighting-Arts Organization: Legend August 8, 2002 1 2:46 Tokyo, Japan
Win 2-1 Jérôme Le Banner Submission (forearm choke) Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2001 December 31, 2001 2 2:50 Saitama, Japan
Loss 1-1 Rene Rooze KO (kick) K-1 Andy Memorial 2001 Japan GP Final August 19, 2001 3 0:09 Saitama, Japan
Win 1-0 Masaaki Satake Decision (split) Pride 13 - Collision Course March 25, 2001 3 5:00 Saitama, Japan

References

See also

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