Tōki Susumu is a former sumo wrestler from Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. His highest rank was komusubi. Wrestling for Takasago stable, he was a sumo coach at two other stables until his retirement in 2023.
Takasago stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Takasago group of stables. It is correctly written in Japanese as "髙砂部屋", but the first of these kanji is rare, and is more commonly written as "高砂部屋".
Miyabiyama Tetsushi is a former sumo wrestler from Mito, Ibaraki, Japan. A former amateur champion, he turned professional in 1998. With the exception of two tournaments, he was ranked in the top division of professional sumo from 1999 until the end of his career in 2013, holding the second highest rank of ōzeki from 2000 to 2001. He won eight special prizes and was runner-up in four top division tournaments. He wrestled for Fujishima stable, where he worked as a coach until opening his own Futagoyama stable.
Dejima Takeharu is a former sumo wrestler from Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan. A former amateur champion, he made his professional debut in 1996, reaching the top makuuchi division the following year. In July 1999 he won the yūshō or tournament championship and earned promotion to the second highest rank of ōzeki. He lost the rank in 2001 and, for the most part, remained a maegashira until his retirement in 2009. He won ten special prizes and six gold stars over his long career. He wrestled for Musashigawa stable. He is now an elder of the Japan Sumo Association under the name Ōnaruto Oyakata.
Asasekiryū Tarō is a former sumo wrestler. He made his debut in January 2000, reaching the top makuuchi division in March 2003. He won four special prizes, and spent a total of five tournaments in the titled san'yaku ranks. The highest rank was sekiwake. He was a runner-up in two tournaments in 2004 and 2007. After 2013 he was mainly ranked in the lower jūryō and makushita divisions. He acquired Japanese citizenship in April 2017 and retired from active competition the following month. He became a coach at Takasago stable under the elder name Nishikijima Oyakata. In November 2020 he became head coach of Takasago stable.
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 was an elder of the Japan Sumo Association under the name of Izutsu-oyakata until his departure from the association in January 2023.
Tamanoshima Arata is a former sumo wrestler from Izumizaki, Fukushima, Japan. A former amateur champion, he made his professional debut in 1998, reaching the top makuuchi division at the end of 2000. He was twice runner-up in a tournament, and earned six special prizes and two gold stars during his career. His highest rank was sekiwake. He wrestled for Kataonami stable. He retired in November 2011 to become an elder of the Japan Sumo Association and is now known as Hanaregoma Oyakata. In December 2021 he became head coach of Hanaregoma stable.
Mitoizumi Masayuki is a former sumo wrestler from Mito, Ibaraki, Japan. His professional career spanned 22 years, from 1978 until 2000. The highest rank he reached was sekiwake. He won over 800 career bouts and took the yūshō or championship in the top makuuchi division in 1992. Mitoizumi was nicknamed the "Salt Shaker", due to his habit of throwing enormous quantities of purifying salt onto the ring (dohyō) during the pre-match preliminaries. He is now a coach, and is known as Nishikido Oyakata.
Takekaze Akira is a former professional sumo wrestler from Akita Prefecture, Japan. A former amateur sumo champion, he turned professional in 2002, reaching the top makuuchi division the following year. He was a runner-up in one tournament, earned two special prizes for Fighting Spirit, and one gold star for defeating a yokozuna. Takekaze is in first place for the slowest promotion from makuuchi debut to the third highest sekiwake rank in history. Aged 35 years and two months, he is in first place for the eldest to make his sekiwake debut post World War II. He was a member of Oguruma stable. He retired in January 2019 to become an elder of the Japan Sumo Association under the name Oshiogawa-oyakata.
Jūmonji Tomokazu is a former sumo wrestler from Aomori, Japan. Joining the professional ranks in 1992, he reached the top division in 2000 and was ranked there for 34 tournaments until 2007. His highest rank was maegashira 6. He was forced to retire in April 2011 after an investigation by the Japan Sumo Association found him guilty of match-fixing.
Asashio Tarō IV was a Japanese sumo wrestler from Muroto, Kōchi, Japan. His highest rank was ōzeki. A former amateur champion, he turned professional in 1978. He won one top division tournament championship and was a runner-up on four other occasions. He won fourteen special prizes, including a record ten Outstanding Performance Awards, and five gold stars for defeating yokozuna. He retired in 1989 and became head coach of the Wakamatsu stable, which in 2002 merged with Takasago stable. As a coach, he raised yokozuna Asashōryū and ōzeki Asanoyama. He stood down as an elder in 2020.
Tagaryū Shōji is a former sumo wrestler from Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. The highest rank he reached was sekiwake. In 1984 he won a top division yūshō or tournament championship from the maegashira ranking. He is now a sumo coach and head of the Kagamiyama stable as well as a director of the Japan Sumo Association.
Daimanazuru Kenji is a former sumo wrestler from Kawakami, Yoshino District, Nara, Japan. He began his professional career in 1992, and spent a total of 19 tournaments in the top two divisions, peaking at maegashira 16 in 2006. He retired at the end of the January 2010 tournament and has chosen to work outside of the Sumo Association.
The following are the events in professional sumo during 2002.
Ōzutsu Takeshi is a former sumo wrestler from Mie, Japan. Beginning his professional career in May 1971, he was ranked in the top makuuchi division continuously from March 1979 to January 1992, and his record of 1170 consecutive bouts there is the second best in history after Takamiyama. His highest rank was sekiwake. He was runner-up in one tournament and earned ten kinboshi or gold stars for defeating yokozuna. He also won four sanshō or special prizes. He wrestled for Taihō stable and after his retirement in May 1992 he worked there as a coach before leaving the Japan Sumo Association in 2008.
Gojōrō Katsuhiro is a former sumo wrestler from Aoba-ku, Sendai, Japan. Making his professional debut in 1989, he spent a total of 53 tournaments as an elite sekitori ranked wrestler, reaching a highest rank of maegashira 3 in 1998. After a number of injury problems he retired in 2005 at the age of 32. He is now a sumo coach under the name Hamakaze-oyakata.
Kōbōyama Daizō is a former sumo wrestler from Tsukidate, Kurihara, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. He made his professional debut in 1973 and reached the top makuuchi division in 1981. His highest rank was sekiwake. He earned two special prizes for Technique and was a runner-up in one tournament. He retired in 1990. He is now a sumo coach and ran the Takashima stable from 1993 until 2011. He was elected to the Japan Sumo Association's board of directors in 2018.
Naminohana Kazutaka is a former sumo wrestler from Namioka, Aomori, Japan. He was active from 1984 until 1997 and his highest rank was komusubi. He fought for Futagoyama stable and won one special prize for Fighting Spirit. After retiring at age 28 because of injury he went into the restaurant business.
Tamaryū Daizō is a former sumo wrestler from Nagasaki, Japan. He made his debut in 1970, retiring in 1992. He was one of the lighter sekitori wrestlers. His highest rank was komusubi. He was a member of Kataonami stable.
Asanosho Hajime is a former sumo wrestler from Odawara, Kanagawa, Japan. He made his professional debut in March 1992, and reached the top division in March 1995. His highest rank was maegashira 2. He defeated yokozuna Akebono in their first meeting in March 1997 to earn his only kinboshi. A back injury sent him down to the sandanme division, and he decided to retire in January 2002, after suffering a detached retina. He became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association, but left in January 2008.
