Amuru Mitsuhiro

Amuru Mitsuhiro - 阿夢露 光大 (born August 25, 1983) is a former Russian professional sumo wrestler from Lesozavodsk, Primorsky Krai. He made his debut in May 2002 and wrestled for Onomatsu stable. He reached the makuuchi division in March 2015. His highest rank was maegashira 5 and he retired in May 2018.

## **Early Life**

Ivanov had no exposure to sumo in early life, though he was active in boxing during his student years. Later, his brother-in-law, who was Japanese, recommended he give sumo a try. With the help of the professional wrestler Akira Taue (former juryo wrestler Tamakirin), he was able to make a contact with former sekiwake Masurao, who was the owner of Onomatsu stable. He came to Japan and joined sumo together with the two Russian brothers who would join Kitanoumi stable and take the ring names Roho and Hakurozan. His ring name is derived from the Amur River in his region of Russia, and the three Chinese characters that comprise it are the first character in Onomatsu, the character for dream to represent Ivanov's dream of coming to Japan as a sumo wrestler, and the character used to represent Russia. The name was devised by the Japanese poet Daizaburo Nakayama.

## **Career**

### **Early Career**

Amuru began his career steadily rising through the jonokuchi and jonidan divisions. However due to his slender build of only 90 kilograms, he struggled in sandanme. It took him over two years to finally reach the makushita division. He would bounce back between sandanme and makushita. Roho and Hakurozan have already established themselves as makuuchi regulars and Amuru was still struggling to stay at the makushita division.

After January 2008, his weight began to increase and he established himself as a makushita regular. Two new Russians made their debuts Aran (in 2007) and Wakanoho (in 2005); they both also surpassed Amuru and reached the top division before he did. However this was also the year where three Russians (Roho, Hakurozan and Wakanoho) were expelled for cannabis use. This would leave Amuru and Aran as the only ethnic Russian sumo wrestlers left in sumo.
Amuru gradually began to rise slowly but steadily in the makushita division. He reached a career high of makushita 8 in July, 2010. However on day 4 Amuru lost a match against Masunoyama and seriously injured his knee (tore several ligaments). This was the beginning of several injury problems to come. He would sit out for the remainder of the tournament. He also missed the November 2010 and January 2011 tournaments due to the injury. He opted against surgery, fearing he would be out for so long that he would fall off the banzuke completely, and instead worked on rehabilitating his knee injury. He had fallen to the middle ranks of sandanme by the time he was able to return in May 2011, but managed a 6-1 record. In the following July 2011 tournament he won all seven of his bouts and a playoff to take the sandanme championship, the first of his career. This skyrocketed him back to his career best rank of makushita 8 for the September tournament where he achieved a 5-2 record. He followed this with a 6-1 record and a second chance at a championship before losing on the final day in a playoff against Shosei.

### **Juryo Career**

This record would allow him to finally be promoted to the professional ranks of juryo for the January 2012 tournament. This achievement took him 57 tournaments, the second slowest promotion for a foreign born wrestler to the sekitori ranks after the Brazilian Wakaazuma who took 58 tournaments. His juryo debut was impressive, as he only had one loss in the first 11 days. However, on the 12th day, in a loss to Kotoyuki, he seriously re-injured his right knee, and was out of the tournament. He had surgery on his knee in March of the same year, and then focused on rehabilitation. He would not return to the ring for the next five tournaments.

    He fell all the down to the jonidan division, but bounced back with a 7-0 record plus the championship. He had six consecutive kachi-koshi after his championship (all at least 5-2) and was re-promoted to juryo in March 2014. Amuru also breezed through juryo this time, achieving two consecutive 8-7 records, then a 10-5 record, then a 9-6 record. This record at juryo one guaranteed him a promotion to the makuuchi division (ever since returning from injury, Amuru never suffered a losing record and instead produced eleven straight winning records).

### **Makuuchi Career**

In his first makuuchi tournament, Amuru suffered a 5-10 record and was demoted back down to juryo. He would bounce back with an 8-7 record in juryo which was good enough for re-promotion to the makuuchi division. Amuru produced a lackluster 7-8 record in his return, but then produced three consecutive winning records which brought him to a career best maegashira 5 rank. This rank proved to be too high for him as he only produced a 4-11 record. After he suffered two consecutive 7-8 records and was demoted to the rank of maegashira 12. In the May 2016 Tournament, he withdrew on the second day due an injury, but returned on the seventh day. He finished with a 3-8-4 record and was demoted back to juryo. This would be the last time he would be ranked maegashira.

### **Later Career**

In his first tournament back at juryo, he achieved a 9-6 record but this wasn't good enough for a re-promotion to makuuchi as his rank was only juryo 5. He suffered three consecutive losing records causing him to lose sekitori status for the first time since January 2014. He would spend the next seven tournaments gradually going down the ranking in makushita.

## **Retirement from Sumo**

Amuru announced his retirement at a press conference at the beginning of the May 2018 tournament, citing a left shoulder injury that had reduced his power. He continued to attend Japanese-Language school after retirement, because he intends to stay in Japan and work as a sports trainer after retirement. His danpatsu-shiki was held on June 16th, 2018.

As of July 2020, Amuru founded the “Nikolai Online Sumo Dojo”, where he taught basic sumo elements and exercises through Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was also employed at the Flex Tsudanuma gym located in Chiba Prefecture.

## **Personal Life**

* Amuru's hobbies include reading, cooking and weight training. His favorite foods are sashimi, seared chicken and hotpot. He has a strong dislike for curry.

## **Fighting Style**

Amuru was a yotsu–sumo wrestler who preferred a hidari–yotsu, or right hand outside and left hand inside grip on his opponent's mawashi. His most common winning kimarite were yorikiri or force out (which accounted for over 40% of his wins), hatakikomi or slap down and okuridashi or rear push out.

## **Record**

### **Division Results**

* **Total:** 411-339-69/747 (96 basho)
* **Makuuchi:** 58-73-4/130 (9 basho)
* **Juryo:** 80-68-17/147 (11 basho)
* **Makushita:** 127-114-26/240 (39 basho)
* **Sandanme:** 103-64-22/167 (27 basho)
* **Jonidan:** 38-18/56 (8 basho)
* **Jonokuchi:** 5-2/7 (1 basho)'

### **Championships**

* 1 **Sandanme** Championship (July, 2011)
* 1 **Jonidan** Championship (January, 2013)

## **Gallery**

### **JSA Profile Pictures and Tegata**

Amuru Mitsuhiro - 2017 (Retrieved from the JSA)Amuru Mitsuhiro - 2016 (Retrieved from the JSA)Amuru Mitsuhiro - 2015 (Retrieved from the JSA)Amuru Mitsuhiro - 2014 (Retrieved from the JSA)Amuru Mitsuhiro - 2012 (Retrieved from the JSA)Amuru Mitsuhiro - 2012 (Retrieved from the JSA)Amuru Mitsuhiro - 2012 (Retrieved from the JSA)Amuru's tegata
### **Career Overview**

Amuru (right) joins alongside Roho and Hakurozan (c. 2002)Amuru graduates from sumo school (c. 2003)Amuru wins the Sandanme Yusho (c. 2011)Amuru after promotion to Juryo (c. 2011)Amuru (right) with his sekitori stablemates (c. 2011)Amuru injures his knee in match against Kotoyuki (c. 2012)Amuru wins his first Jonidan Yusho (c. 2013)Amuru prepares for his upcoming match (c. 2014)Amuru after promotion to Makuuchi (c. 2014)Amuru defeats Kotoyuki (c. 2015)Amuru defeats Endo (c. 2016)Amuru during the Juryo dohyo-iri (c. 2017)Amuru announces his retirement (c. 2018)Amuru's retirement ceremony (c. 2018)

## **Sources**

* Amuru Mitsuhiro Japanese Wikipedia Article
* Amuru Mitsuhiro Rikishi Information