Hagurohana Toji

Hagurohana Toji - 羽黒花 統司 (born March 28, 1936 - June 3, 1984) was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Nishiokoppe, Hokkaido. He made his debut in September 1955 and wrestled for Tatsunami stable. He reached the makuuchi division in September 1960 and has one special prize as well as three kinboshi. His highest rank was sekiwake and he retired in November 1965.

## **Early Life**

He was born in the village of Nishiokoppe in Hokkaido on March 28, 1936. Upon graduating from high school he worked in agriculture but was advised to move to Tokyo by a relative of Annenyama (later Haguroyama) of the Tatsunami stable.

## **Career**

### **Early Career**

He joined the stable in September 1955, making his debut at the age of 19. He originally fought under his own surname of Chiba. Due to his strong performance in his professional debut in shinjo he was allowed to skip the jonokuchi division and progress to jonidan. In July 1959 he won the makushita division championship or yusho with a 7–1 record. Another championship in January 1960 with a perfect 8–0 record saw him promoted to the juryo division.

### **Juryo Career**

In his first tournament as a sekitori, he finished with a solid 9-6 record. He followed with another 9-6 record in May 1960. In July 1960, while ranked at juryo 3, he posted an 11-4 record and was promoted to makuuchi for the September 1960 tournament after only three tournaments in juryo.

### **Makuuchi Career**

He scored 11–4 in just his second top division tournament in November 1960, and was awarded the Fighting Spirit prize. In May 1961 he finished runner-up to Sadanoyama with another 11–4 record. Following his runner-up performance he was promoted to komusubi and then straight to sekiwake. In November 1961 he was back in the maegashira ranks but defeated two yokozuna, Wakanohana and Asashio, to earn his first two kinboshi. In March 1964 he changed his shikona from Hagurohana to Hagurogawa and won his third kinboshi with a defeat of Tochinoumi. He returned to sekiwake in July 1964, but missed the November 1964 tournament with a dislocated right shoulder. In January 1965 he managed an 8–7 record but injured his right knee before the March 1965 tournament, forcing him to sit out two tournaments and fall to the bottom of the juryo division. He was still not fully healed in July but entered the tournament in an attempt to prevent demotion to makushita. He aggravated the injury in a second day loss to Ogiyama, but after at first insisting he could fight on with one good leg, he decided to withdraw from the tournament the next day.

### **Later Career**

Back in makushita for the first time since January 1960, he reverted to the name Hagurohana. He attempted rehabilitation of his knee but after breaking down three more times, he decided to retire in November 1965 without competing again. It was thought that Hagurohana could have made ozeki if it had not been for his shoulder and knee injuries, but he was unable to regularly beat the top wrestlers when ranked in sanyaku, recording only one win against Taiho and none against Kashiwado. He was ranked in sanyaku 11 times from July 1961 to November 1964, and had an even top division record of 195 wins against 195 losses.

## **Retirement from Sumo**

He remained the Japan Sumo Association as an elder, initially as Onaruto Oyakata and from 1968 as Tamagaki Oyakata, and worked as a coach at Tatsunami and as a judge of tournament bouts. However, he left the sumo world in 1972, later running a sumo themed restaurant in Narashino.

### **Death**

He died of liver cancer in 1984 at the age of 48.

## **Fighting Style**

Hagurohana was a yotsu-sumo wrestler, preferring fighting on the mawashi to slapping or pushing his opponents. His most common winning kimarite was yorikiri (force out), but he was also well-known for tsuridashi (lift out), famously defeating yokozuna Wakanohana this way in November 1961.

## **Record**

### **Division Results**

* **Total:** 347-255-71/601 (58 basho)
* **Makuuchi:** 195-195-30/390 (28 basho)
* **Juryo:** 29-19-12/47 (5 basho)
* **Makushita:** 78-27-29/105 (17 basho)
* **Sandanme:** 29-11/40 (5 basho)
* **Jonidan:** 13-3/16 (2 basho)
* **Shinjo:** 3-0/3 (1 basho)

### **Championships**

* 2 **Makushita** Championships
	+ 1st (July 1959)
	+ 2nd (January 1969)
* 1 **Sandanme** Championship (September 1956)
* 1 **Jonidan** Championship (March 1956)

### **Achievements**

* **Special Prizes:** Fighting Spirit Prize (1)
* **Kinboshi:** 3: (1) Wakanohana I, Asashio, Tochinoumi

## **Shikona History**

* Chiba Susumu (1955.09 - 1959.05)
* Hagurohana Toji (1959.07 - 1964.01)
* Hagurogawa Nobumitsu (1964.03 - 1965.07)
* Hagurohana (1965.09 - 1965.11)

## **Gallery**

Hagurohana poses with his kesho-mawashiHagurohana's retirement ceremony (c. 1965)Hagurohana's grave
## **Sources**

* Hagurohana Toji Japanese Wikipedia Article
* Hagurohana Toji Rikishi Information