Okinoumi Ayumi

Okinoumi Ayumi - 隠岐の海 歩 (born July 29, 1985) is a former Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Okinoshima, Shimane. He made his debut in January 2005 and wrestled for Hakkaku stable. He reached the makuuchi division in March 2010 and has 5 special prizes as well as 4 kinboshi. His highest rank was sekiwake and he retired in January 2023.

## **Early Life**

Fukuoka began sumo wrestling in his fourth year of elementary school and continued his sumo career throughout junior high school. He partook in national competitions, however he at first had no interest in joining professional sumo. He later attended Oki Fisheries High School and continued to compete in national competitions. Whilst doing this, Fukuoka also had a dream of going to sea and taking examinations to become a licensed mariner. To become a licensed mariner, Fukuoka needed to take three months off and work as a navigator during a voyage, so he instead dropped out of high school. He was a bit anxious after dropping out of high school and when he was introduced by an acquaintance to Hakkaku-oyakata, the 61st yokozuna Hokutoumi, who persuaded him to join his Hakkaku stable.

## **Career**

### **Early Career**

Fukuoka made his professional debut in January 2005 and he had a relatively consistent debut. After eight consecutive winning records from his debut he was placed in the top half of makushita for the July 2006 tournament. Fukuoka remained in mid-level makushita for around three years and produced mainly a variety of mixed records.

In September 2009, Fukuoka produced 5-2 record and was promoted to makushita 1 west for the November 2009 tournament. In this tournament he produced a comfortable 5-2 record, however he was denied promotion due to the sheer competitiveness of the divison. In the following tournament, Fukuoka was ranked at makushita 1 east and won all seven matches to clinch the makushita yusho. He earned promotion to the juryo division for the March 2009 tournament.

### **Juryo Career**

He changed his shikona to Okinoumi, a reference to his birthplace of Okinoshima (a tiny and remote island in Western Japan) which had been suggested by his father. He became the first sekitori from the Oki Islands since 1960. Troubled by a shoulder injury, he was demoted from juryo after two losing records, but after reverting to the name Fukuoka he won immediate promotion back to juryo in July 2009. Fighting as Okinoumi once again, in January 2010 he won promotion to the top makuuchi division, becoming the first wrestler from Shimane Prefecture to do so in 88 years.

### **Makuuchi Career**

He came through with a kachi-koshi or winning record in his debut makuuchi tournament in March, winning his last three bouts to score 8–7. This saw him promoted to maegashira 10 for May.

He was suspended from the July 2010 tournament, along with several other wrestlers, after admitting involvement in illegal gambling on baseball. As a result, he dropped back to juryo for September. Ranked at juryo 8, a 10–5 record was enough to return him to the top division for the November tournament, where he secured his majority of wins on the final day. His best performance to date came in the January 2011 tournament where he finished runner-up to yokozuna Hakuho and received his first sansho award, for Fighting Spirit. This saw him promoted to a new highest rank of maegashira 4 for the May 2011 "technical examination tournament." There he fought all the top-ranked men for the first time and defeated three ozeki: Kaio, Harumafuji and Kotooshu. He lost his last two bouts, to komusubi Kakuryu and Toyonoshima, to fall to a make-koshi 7–8 but remained at the same rank for the next tournament. Securing his majority of wins on the final day of the July tournament, he reached a new highest rank of maegashira 1 in September. He achieved his first gold star win against Harumafuji in November 2012, and his second Fighting Spirit award at maegashira 7 in March 2013.

He managed two non-consecutive komusubi appearances in 2013, but he slid down the rankings after four consecutive losing tournaments in the following year. Following the January tournament in 2015 he was promoted to sekiwake from the relatively low rank of maegashira 6, benefiting from the failure of most of those ranked directly above him to get winning records. He was injured in his sekiwake debut and had to withdraw from the tournament. Nine win in May and eleven in July saw him promoted to the san'yaku ranks for the fourth time (three at komusubi, and one at sekiwake). He was unable to hold the rank, scoring 6–9, and he also had a losing record in his fourth attempt at komusubi in May 2016. He picked up a kinboshi from maegashira 2 in July 2016, and had a very successful start to the September tournament, defeating ozeki Kisenosato on opening day, Kakuryu on Day 2 and Harumafuji on Day 3. By the sixth day he had defeated two yokozuna and three ozeki and was the undefeated tournament co-leader. However he began losing in the second week of the tournament and finished on 9–6. He was rewarded for this efforts with his first Outstanding Performance Prize, and promotion back to sekiwake. The November 2016 tournament did not go well for Okinoumi who had a lingering injury that had caused him to miss the autumn tour. He ended the tournament with only a 5–10 record and fell back to the maegashira ranks. In the November 2017 tournament Okinoumi was a runner-up to Hakuho with an 11–4 record, and was awarded his third Fighting Spirit prize, shared with Aminishiki. In July 2020 Okinoumi returned to the komusubi rank for the first time since 2016, and secured his first winning record in sanyaku with a 9–6 score.

## **Retirement from Sumo**

Okinoumi withdrew from the January 2023 tournament after he was defeated in his first five matches. On the day of his withdrawal the Sanin Chuo Shimpo newspaper reported that Okinoumi had decided to retire. His retirement was confirmed by the Japan Sumo Association the next day, on 14 January 2023. At the time of his retirement he was the second-oldest active wrestler in the top two divisions behind Tamawashi. At his retirement press conference, Okinoumi said that for several years he had to rely on mental strength to overcome his inability to perform his style of sumo and that it had recently become too exhausting.

Okinoumi finished his career with a total of 75 tournaments ranked in the top division, eight of them in san'yaku. He had acquired toshiyori kabu, or elder stock, in the Sumo Association prior to his retirement. He is now a coach under the name of Kimigahama-oyakata.

Okinoumi opened his own Twitter account on the day of his retirement, as he was no longer subject to the Sumo Association's SNS ban. His danpatsu-shiki (retirement ceremony) was held on 30 September 2023 at the Ryogoku Kokugikan, his final bouts were held in the traditional style of sumo from the Oki Islands, his opponent was fellow Okinoshima-born Okinofuji.

## **Controversy**

### **Gambling Scandal**

Okinoumi was suspended from the July 2010 tournament, along with several other wrestlers, after admitting involvement in illegal gambling on baseball. As a result, he dropped back to juryo for September. This was a major scandal which involved 29 other wrestlers he admitted involvements and some were also given suspensions as well.

## **Personal Life**

* Okinoumi is known for his good looks. His stablemaster joked at a press conference after Okinoumi's promotion to juryo that this made him envious.
* As of 2020, Okinoumi's record was 7-7 on 14 different occasions and he won the final match 12 out of the 14 times which shows that Okinoumi performs well under pressure.
* Okinoumi appeared in a video called "Cool Japan Tokyo for Olympics 2020" which was promoting the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
* Okinoumi announced his marriage with a dietician on October 28, 2014.

## **Fighting Style**

Okinoumi is a yotsu-sumo fighter, preferring grappling techniques to pushing or thrusting. His most common winning kimarite is yori-kiri or force out, and he favors a migi-yotsu grip on the mawashi, with his left hand outside and right hand inside his opponent's arms. He also regularly uses uwatenage, or overarm throw.

## **Record**

### **Division Results**

* **Total:** 674-675-32/1344 (107 basho)
* **Makuuchi:** 517-567-32/1079 (75 basho)
* **Juryo:** 47-43/90 (6 basho)
* **Makushita:** 80-53/133 (19 basho)
* **Sandanme:** 15-6/21 (3 basho)
* **Jonidan:** 11-3/14 (2 basho)
* **Jonokuchi:** 4-3/7 (1 basho)

### **Championships**

* 1 **Makushita** Championship (January 2009)

### **Achievements**

* **Special Prizes:** Fighting Spirit Prize (4), Outstanding Performance Prize (1)
* **Kinboshi:** 4: (3) Harumafuji, (1) Kakuryu

## **Shikona History**

* Fukuoka Ayumi (2005.01 - 2009.01)
* Okinoumi Ayumi (2009.03 - 2009.05)
* Fukuoka Ayumi (2009.07 - 2009.07)
* Okinoumi Ayumi (2009.09 - 2023.01)

## **Gallery**

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

Okinoumi Ayumi - 2022 (Retrieved from the JSA)Okinoumi Ayumi - 2019 (Retrieved from the JSA)Okinoumi Ayumi - 2018 (Retrieved from the JSA)Okinoumi Ayumi - 2017 (Retrieved from the JSA)Okinoumi Ayumi - 2016 (Retrieved from the JSA)Okinoumi Ayumi - 2015 (Retrieved from the JSA)Okinoumi Ayumi - 2014 (Retrieved from the JSA)Okinoumi Ayumi - 2013 (Retrieved from the JSA)Okinoumi Ayumi - 2012 (Retrieved from the JSA)Okinoumi Ayumi - 2012 (Retrieved from the JSA)Okinoumi Ayumi - 2011 (Retrieved from the JSA)Okinoumi's tegata
### **Career Overview**

Fukuoka ensures promotion to Juryo (c. 2009)Fukuoka reveals his new shikona, Okinoumi (c. 2009)Okinoumi after promotion to Juryo (c. 2009)Okinoumi celebrates promotion to Juryo (c. 2009)Okinoumi defeats Yamamotoyama (c. 2009)Okinoumi after promotion to Makuuchi (c. 2010)Okinoumi defeats Takarafuji (c. 2010)Okinoumi defeats Hakuba (c. 2011)Okinoumi with his first of many sansho prizes (c. 2011)Okinoumi throws Yokozuna Okinoumi (c. 2012)Okinoumi after promotion to Komusubi (c. 2013)Okinoumi defeats Ozeki Kotooshu (c. 2013)Okinoumi defeats future Yokozuna Kakuryu (c. 2014)Okinoumi after promotion to Sekiwake (c. 2015)Okinoumi defeats Yokozuna Hakuho (c. 2015)Okinoumi defeats Yokozuna Harumafuji (c. 2016)Okinoumi pushes out Kagayaki (c. 2017)Okinoumi defeats Shohozan (c. 2018)Okinoumi pushes out Ozeki Goeido (c. 2019)Okinoumi defeats Takanosho (c. 2020)Okinoumi pushes out Tobizaru (c. 2021)Okinoumi defeats Ozeki Shodai (c. 2022)Okinoumi prepares for his upcoming match (c. 2023)Okinoumi loses his final match to Azumaryu (c. 2023)Okinoumi announces his retirement (c. 2023)Okinoumi has his hair-cutting ceremony (c. 2023)
## **Sources**

* Okinoumi Ayumi Japanese Wikipedia Article
* Okinoumi Ayumi Rikishi Information