Wajima Hiroshi

Wajima Hiroshi - 輪島 大士 (born January 11, 1948 - October 8, 2018) was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Nanao, Ishikawa. He made his debut in January 1970 and wrestled for Hanakago stable. He reached the makuuchi division in January 1971 and has five special prizes and 14 top division championships. He was the 54th yokozuna and he retired in March 1981.

## **Early Life**

Wajima attended Kanazawa High School where he was a member of the school's sumo club. He continued his career at Nihon University, where he won 14 amateur titles, including the student yokozuna title for two consecutive years in 1968 and 1969. His main college rival was Nagahama (future komusubi Yutakayama) of Tokyo University of Agriculture. After graduating Nihon University, he was recruited by Hanakago Oyakata (former maegashira Onoumi) for professional sumo.

## **Career**

### **Early Career**

He made his professional debut in January 1970 at the age of 22, joining Hanakago stable. He was given makushita tsukedashi status, meaning he could begin in the third highest makushita division. He was undefeated in his first 14 matches, winning two consecutive makushita yusho, and reached the juryo division after just two tournaments.

### **Juryo Career**

In his first tournament as a sekitori, Wajima finished with a solid 10-5 record. However, he followed with a 7-8 record, his first losing record. Nevertheless, in the September 1970 tournament, he produced a 13-2 record and won the juryo yusho. He then went on to finish with a 9-6 record in the following November tournament to earn a promotion to makuuchi in January 1971.

### **Makuuchi Career**

Wajima finished with a 9-6 record in his makuuchi debut. In may 1971, he finished with an 11-4 record and was awarded the Fighting Spirit prize. In November 1971, he was runner-up to Kitanofuji and was awarded his second Fighting Spirit prize. He was then promoted to komusubi where he posted another runner-up performance and was awarded his first Outstanding Performance prize; he was promoted to sekiwake in the following March 1972 tournament. He took his first championship whilst ranked as sekiwake in May 1972 and was promoted to ozeki in November 1972 after accumulating 33 wins in the previous three tournaments.

### **Ozeki Career**

In his first two tournaments as ozeki, Wajima finished with 11-4 records and was runner up to Kotozakura in both tournaments. In March 1973, he finished with a 13-2 record and was runner up for his fourth consecutive tournament. In the following May 1973 tournament, Wajima his second yusho with a perfect 15-0 record and was promoted to yokozuna.

### **Yokozuna Career**

He won his first championship as a yokozuna in September, and in November 1973 he became the first wrestler ever to withdraw from a tournament while still managing to win it. He had split the webbing between his fingers in his Day 12 win over Takanohana, and lost the next day with his hand bandaged. As his only challengers on Day 13 had a fourth loss, he was able to sit out the last two days and still win the championship with a 12–2–1 record.

Wajima won three championships in 1974 but then went into a slump, and did not take another title until March 1976. In the late 1970s he was somewhat overshadowed by fellow yokozuna Kitanoumi, five years his junior. While Wajima had had a good personal record against him, holding a 19–10 advantage up to the end of 1977, Kitanoumi began to win their later encounters and overtook him in terms of championships won. Wajima's final record against him was 23-21. He took his fourteenth and final championship in November 1980, and retired in March 1981. At the time, he held the third highest number of top division yusho in history, behind only Kitanoumi and Taiho.

Wajima was an unconventional wrestler in many ways, and was looked on as a contrast to the strong and silent Kitanoumi. He was the only man ever to reach yokozuna without adopting a traditional shikona, instead fighting under his own surname of Wajima throughout his entire career. He was the first and to date only former collegiate competitor to be promoted to yokozuna.He was nicknamed the "Sumo Genius" because of his college background. His other departures from sumo norms included having his hair permed before growing a topknot, staying in luxury hotels and driving a Lincoln Continental whilst on regional sumo tours (jungyo), and associating himself with outsiders such as the yakuza and going out on late-night drinking sessions.

He was a great friend and rival of Takanohana, whom he had known since his university days. The two were promoted to ozeki simultaneously in November 1972.

## **Retirement from Sumo**

Following his retirement Wajima took over as oyakata, or head coach, of Hanakago stable in 1981, having married the eldest daughter of the previous stablemaster (former maegashira Onoumi) who had reached the mandatory retirement age for elders of 65. However, his time there as oyakata was controversial. He lacked leadership qualities and most unusually did not even live in the stable, preferring to commute. Hanakago declined to the point when it did not have any top-division wrestlers left. In 1982 his wife attempted suicide and he was demoted from his position as a judge as a result. The marriage eventually ended in divorce. In 1985 he was pressured by fellow oyakata to resign from the Sumo Association after it emerged that he was heavily in debt due to the failure of his chankonabe restaurant and had put up his share in the Association as collateral on a loan, a practice strictly forbidden. The stable folded completely with all its wrestlers transferring to the affiliated Hanaregoma stable.

### **Professional Wrestling Career**

To pay off his debts, Wajima turned to pro wrestling. Shohei Baba, owner of All Japan Pro Wrestling, convinced him to join his promotion and train at their dojo. He debuted in 1986. Because of his status as a former yokozuna (the first since Kinichi Azumafuji to turn to pro wrestling), Wajima was pushed as a superstar, feuding with Stan Hansen over the PWF Heavyweight Championship. In the long run, however, accumulated injuries from his sumo years limited his potential as a professional wrestler, and he ended up retiring from the game altogether in 1988. His last recorded match was held December 16, as he and The Great Kabuki defeated Jerry Blackwell and Phil Hickerson. His wrestling career helped him with his debts, and soon he was in good terms with the Sumo Association.

### **Later Career**

After quitting as a wrestler Wajima coached the X-League American football team Gakusei-Engokai Rocbull and also worked with the Cuban national sumo team. He was also Ishikawa Prefecture's tourist ambassador. In January 2009 he returned to the Ryogoku Kokugikan for the first time since leaving the Sumo Association in 1985, and was a guest of NHK, commentating on the day's bouts with his close friend Demon Kogure. The previous year, Wajima played the father in the short film Kona Nishite Fu (コナ・ニシテ・フウ), which Demon wrote and directed.

### **Illness and Death**

In 2013, he was diagnosed with pharyngeal cancer and underwent surgery that December, which led to him losing his voice. He attended the wedding reception of Toyohibiki in February 2016 (whose stablemaster Sakaigawa Oyakata was a fellow Nihon University alumnus) and reported that while he had difficulty speaking, he was able to remain physically active, going for a 50-minute walk every day.

Wajima died at his home in Tokyo on 8 October 2018. He was 70 years old.

## **Fighting Style**

Wajima's preferred grip on the mawashi was hidari-yotsu (right hand outside, left hand inside), and he was famed for the power of his so-called "golden left arm" which he would use to down his opponents by shitatenage or inner-arm throw. His other favorite kimarite included yorikiri (force out) and tsuridashi (lift out).

## **Record**

### **Division Results**

* **Total:** 673-234-85/899 (68 basho)
* **Makuuchi:** 620-213-85/825 (62 basho)
* **Juryo:** 39-21/60 (4 basho)
* **Makushita:** 14-0/14 (2 basho)

### **Championships**

* 14 **Makuuchi** Championships
	+ 1st (May 1972)
	+ 2nd (May 1973)
	+ 3rd (September 1973)
	+ 4th (November 1973)
	+ 5th (March 1974)
	+ 6th (July 1974)
	+ 7th (September 1974)
	+ 8th (March 1976)
	+ 9th (July 1976)
	+ 10th (January 1977)
	+ 11th (July 1977)
	+ 12th (November 1977)
	+ 13th (July 1979)
	+ 14th (November 1980)
* 1 **Juryo** Championship (September 1970)
* 2 **Makushita** Championships
	+ 1st (January 1970)
	+ 2nd (March 1970)

### **Achievements**

* **Special Prizes:** Outstanding Performance Prize (3), Fighting Spirit Prize (2)
* **Record:** **7th** most career championships (14 yusho)
* **Record:** Tied for **7th** most tournaments ranked at yokozuna (47 tournaments)
* **Record:** Tied for **10th** most championship playoffs (4 playoffs)

## **Gallery**

Wajima Hiroshi - (Retrieved from the Nihon Sumo Kyokai)Wajima's tegataWajima's successful college sumo career (c. 1968)Wajima gets recruited into Hanakago stable (c. 1969)Wajima's early career in the unsalaried ranks (c. 1970)Wajima after promotion to Juryo (c. 1970)Wajima's first tournament in Juryo (c. 1970)Wajima defeats college rival Nagahama in Juryo (c. 1970)Wajima wins the Juryo Yusho (c. 1970)Wajima wins his first of many sansho prizes (c. 1971)Wajima defeats Takamiyama to win his first Yusho (c. 1972)Wajima reacts to winning his first Yusho (c. 1972)Wajima wins his first Yusho (c. 1972)Wajima's first Yusho parade (c. 1972)Wajima gets promoted to Ozeki (c. 1972)Wajima gets promoted to Ozeki alongside Takanohana (c. 1972)Wajima after promotion to Ozeki (c. 1972)Wajima defeats Kiyokuni to win his second Yusho (c. 1973)Wajima wins his second Yusho (c. 1973)Wajima gets promoted to Yokozuna (c. 1973)Wajima practices the Yokozuna dohyo-iri (c. 1973)Wajima's first Yokozuna dohyo-iri as Yokozuna (c. 1973)Wajima defeats Kotozakura to win his third Yusho (c. 1973)Wajima wins his third Yusho (c. 1973)Wajima wins his fourth Yusho (c. 1973)Wajima wins his fifth Yusho (c. 1974)Wajima defeats Kitanoumi to win his sixth Yusho (c. 1974)Wajima defeats Kitanoumi to win his seventh Yusho (c. 1974)Wajima wins his seventh Yusho (c. 1974)Wajima defeats rival Yokozuna Kitanoumi (c. 1975)Wajima wins his eighth Yusho (c. 1976)Wajima poses with his kesho-mawashi (c. 1976)Wajima defeats Kitanoumi to win his ninth Yusho (c. 1976)Wajima wins his ninth Yusho (c. 1976)Wajima presented with one of his many Yusho portraits (c. 1976)Wajima defeats Kitanoumi to win his tenth Yusho (c. 1977)Wajima wins his tenth Yusho (c. 1977)Wajima with his famous gold mawashi (c. 1977)Wajima defeats Kitanoumi to win his 11th Yusho (c. 1977)Wajima wins his 11th Yusho (c. 1977)Wajima defeats Kitanoumi to win his 12th Yusho (c. 1977)Wajima wins his 12th Yusho (c. 1977)Wajima performs the Yokozuna dohyo-iri (c. 1978)Wajima wins his 13th Yusho (c. 1979)Wajima wins his 14th and final Yusho (c. 1980)Wajima's 14th and final Yusho parade (c. 1980)Wajima loses his final match to Kotokaze (c. 1981)Wajima announces his retirement (c. 1981)Wajima's retirement ceremony (c. 1981)Wajima after retirement as Hanakago Oyakata (c. 1985)Wajima forced to leave the Japan Sumo Association (c. 1985)Wajima announces professional wrestling debut (c. 1985)Wajima's brief professional wrestling career (c. 1986)Wajima with his distant relative Kagayaki (c. 2014)Wajima's funeral (c. 2018)A monument of Yokozuna Wajima
## **Sources**

* Wajima Hiroshi Japanese Wikipedia Article
* Wajima Hiroshi Rikishi Information