page_title: Toyonoshima Daiki
section_title: Early career and rise to sekiwake
hierarchical_section_title: Toyonoshima Daiki / Career / Early career and rise to sekiwake
caption_attribution_description: English: A sumo bout between Hakuho and Toyonoshima, Tokyo, October 2007
context_page_description: Toyonoshima Daiki is a former professional sumo wrestler from Sukumo, Kōchi, Japan. He made his professional debut in January 2002, reaching the top makuuchi division in September 2004. He was a runner-up in five tournaments, and earned ten special prizes. His highest rank was sekiwake, which he first reached in September 2008 and held for five tournaments in total. Following a suspension in July 2010 he was demoted to the jūryō division, but upon his return to makuuchi in November 2010 he took part in a playoff for the championship. He won four kinboshi or gold stars awarded for yokozuna upsets, three of them earned by defeating Harumafuji from 2013 to 2015. He wrestled for Tokitsukaze stable. He retired in 2020 and is now an elder of the Japan Sumo Association under the name of Izutsu Oyakata.
context_section_description: On entering the sumo world, Toyonoshima rose quickly through the lower ranks of sumo, winning two championships or yūshō in the jonokuchi and jonidan divisions with perfect 7–0 records. He reached sekitori status in March 2004 after a 5–2 result at the rank of makushita 2. He moved through the jūryō in just two tournaments with consecutive 11–4 records. Upon reaching the top makuuchi division he initially had little success and was demoted back to jūryō twice. However, after winning the jūryō championship in September 2005 with a strong 14–1 record, his fortunes began to turn and after some initial struggles, he rose steadily through the ranks of makuuchi.
  In May 2006 Toyonoshima recorded only his second kachi-koshi or winning score in the top division, in his ninth tournament there. His first big success came in January 2007 when ranked at maegashira 9 he finished as runner up to yokozuna Asashōryū with an outstanding 12–3 record and earned his first special prizes for Fighting Spirit and Technique. In March he defeated two ōzeki, Kotoōshū and Chiyotaikai, and earned promotion to komusubi for May. At just 168 cm, or 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) tall, he was the shortest wrestler to make komusubi in fifty years. However, before the tournament began he sprained his knee and ankle ligaments in a practice session with Asashōryū at his heya and could only manage four wins in his san'yaku (titled rank) debut.
  In September 2007 Toyonoshima became the first maegashira to defeat Hakuhō since his promotion to yokozuna, earning his first kinboshi. He also defeated ōzeki Kotoōshū and Kotomitsuki. He finished with an 8–7 score and was awarded the Outstanding Performance prize. He achieved another winning record in the next tournament but faltered slightly with two 6–9 scores in January and March 2008. In May, however, he was on the leaderboard for much of the tournament and finished with joint runner-up honours and a share of the Fighting Spirit prize. He was one of seven wrestlers who NHK commentator Shuhei Nagao (the former Mainoumi) in 2008 called the "Seven Samurai" and identified as "holding the key" to a Japanese resurgence in sumo, which was dominated by foreigners in the top ranks. (The others were Gōeidō, Kisenosato, Kotoshogiku, Homasho, Toyohibiki and Tochiozan).
  Toyonoshima returned to the san'yaku ranks at komusubi for the July 2008 tournament, where he defeated Asashōryū for the first time on the opening day. He finished with ten wins and another Outstanding Performance prize, and Kotoshogiku's losing record meant Toyonoshima was promoted to sekiwake for the September tournament, becoming the first wrestler from Tokitsukaze stable to reach the rank since Kurama in 1978. He fell short with a 6–9 score and was demoted to maegashira 1, but returned to komusubi for the January 2009 tournament.
  On the 7th day of the January 2009 tournament, Toyonoshima fell victim to ōzeki Kaiō's "kotenage" armbar throw.  Toyonoshima appeared to suffer a severely hyper-extended elbow during the throw.  Despite being doubled over in pain, Toyonoshima managed to bow to the ōzeki and left the dohyō unassisted, until he was safely back in the dressing area, where medical attention appeared to be prompt.  NHK English-language announcers later reported that Toyonoshima said he heard the elbow snap.  The online-edition of the Yomiuri Shimbun reported that Toyonoshima was diagnosed with left-elbow sprain" and he was forced to forfeit the next day's scheduled bout against Kotoshōgiku. Later news reports indicated that the Japan Sumo Association doctors told the 25-year-old rikishi to take a 6-week medical leave, and that Toyonoshima would bow out of the remainder of the 2009 Hatsu basho at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. This is the first occasion since his debut that he has missed any tournament bouts.
  Toyonoshima returned to action in the March tournament in Osaka with his elbow strapped, but secured a winning record of 8–7 on the final day. In May, ranked at maegashira 3, he could manage only two wins in the first twelve days before winning his last three 
caption: A bout between Toyonoshima and Hakuhō, 2007
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