Chikubayama Masakuni

Chikubayama Masakuni
竹葉山 真邦
Personal information
Born	Tazaki Makoto (1957-08-21) August 21, 1957 (age 66) Ukiha, Fukuoka, Japan
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	116 kg (256 lb; 18.3 st)
Career
Stable	Miyagino
Record	442-402-21
Debut	March, 1973
Highest rank	Maegashira 13 (September 1986)
Retired	January, 1989
Elder name	Miyagino → Magaki
Championships	1 (Jūryō)
* Up to date as of 28 July 2022.

Chikubayama Masakuni (born August 21, 1957 as Makoto Tazaki) is a former sumo wrestler from Ukiha, Fukuoka, Japan. He made his professional debut in 1973, breaking into the top makuuchi division thirteen years later in 1986. His highest rank was maegashira 13. After retiring in 1989 he became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association. He was the head coach of the Miyagino stable and his most successful wrestler is yokozuna Hakuhō.

Career

He did sumo from a young age but played baseball at junior high school as there was no sumo team available. He joined Miyagino stable after graduation. His ring name ( shikona ) was named after former yokozuna Yoshibayama, his stablemaster, ^[1] and it also references Chikugo, Fukuoka. His active career was relatively modest. He made his professional debut in March 1973 (alongside future sekiwake Kōbōyama), using his real name of Tazaki as his shikona. In March 1974 upon promotion to the sandanme division he became Chikubayama. He first reached sekitori status in November 1978 when he was promoted to the jūryō division but he lasted only one tournament, falling back to the unsalaried ranks. It took over four years, until January 1983, for him to win promotion back to jūryō and again he had a losing record and was demoted after only one tournament. After regular and intense training sessions with top division wrestler Kaiki of the Tomozuna stable he won promotion for the third time in March 1984, and finally established himself in jūryō. However he did not reach the top makuuchi division until September 1986, 81 tournaments after his professional debut – the second slowest ever at the time. He spent only two tournaments in the top division, peaking at maegashira 13. He was small compared to his contemporaries, at just 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) tall and weighing around 116 kg (256 lb; 18.3 st).

Retirement from sumo

He retired from being an active wrestler in January 1989 and became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association under the name Nakagawa. However, following the sudden death in June of the same year of the head of the Miyagino stable (the former Hirokawa) he became the Miyagino stablemaster. The first sekitori he produced was Kengaku in 1991, followed by Wakahayato in 1994 and Kōbō in 1999. In December 2000 he recruited future yokozuna Hakuhō, ^[2] after making a promise to then maegashira Kyokushūzan of the affiliated Ōshima stable, who had invited his fellow Mongolian to Japan for trials. ^[3] No other stable would take Hakuhō, as he weighed just 62 kg (137 lb; 9.8 st). at the time. ^[4] However, after making his debut in March 2001 at the age of 16, Hakuhō trained hard and gained weight and muscle, and reached jūryō in January 2004. ^[3]

He was forced to give up the Miyagino name and head coach position in August 2004 when it was acquired by the former Kanechika (he had apparently only been renting it from the widow of the previous coach), but he remained in the stable under the name Kumagatani, and was still regarded as Hakuhō's mentor. In December 2010 he regained the Miyagino name and status of head coach after Kanechika was demoted by the Japan Sumo Association for being caught on tape discussing alleged match-fixing. ^[5] Miyagino has also coached Ryūō, Daikihō  [ ja ], Ishiura and Enhō to the top division.

In April 2019 Miyagino was given a ten percent pay cut for three months by the Sumo Association, in response to Hakuhō's breach of etiquette on the final day of the March 2019 tournament, when he led a sanbon jime to mark the end of the Heisei era, despite the day's ceremonies not being completed. ^[6]

In July 2022 the Sumo Association announced that, in light of Miyagino reaching 65 years of age, Magaki-oyakata (former yokozuna Hakuhō) and Chikubayama would be exchanging elder-stocks, with Hakuhō becoming the 13th Miyagino and becoming the stablemaster at the stable and Chikubayama becoming the 22nd Magaki. ^{[7] [8]} He remained as a coach at Miyagino stable in a consultancy role until 1 June 2023. ^[9] Upon the retirement of former maegashira Ishiura Shikanosuke, it was announced that Chikubayama ceded his elder name to Ishiura and would leave the Sumo Association prior to completing his five-year role a consultant. ^[10]

Fighting style

Chikubayama was a tsuki-oshi specialist who preferred pushing and thrusting techniques and did not like to fight on the mawashi or belt. He won most of his bouts by a straightforward oshi-dashi or push out.

Career record

Chikubayama Masakuni ^[11]

Year	January Hatsu basho, Tokyo	March Haru basho, Osaka	May Natsu basho, Tokyo	July Nagoya basho, Nagoya	September Aki basho, Tokyo	November Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
1973	x	(Maezumo)	WestJonokuchi#6 5–2	WestJonidan#54 5–2	WestJonidan#9 3–4	WestJonidan#25 3–4
1974	EastJonidan#36 6–1	EastSandanme#76 5–2	EastSandanme#49 3–4	WestSandanme#58 3–4	EastSandanme#69 5–2	WestSandanme#36 3–4
1975	EastSandanme#46 3–4	EastSandanme#55 1–6	EastJonidan#5 4–3	EastSandanme#68 3–4	WestJonidan#1 4–3	WestSandanme#62 3–4
1976	WestJonidan#1 4–3	WestSandanme#64 4–3	WestSandanme#47 6–1	WestSandanme#7 2–5	EastSandanme#31 4–3	WestSandanme#18 6–1
1977	Makushita#41 2–5	WestSandanme#3 4–3	EastMakushita#52 4–3	EastMakushita#40 3–4	EastMakushita#47 5–2	WestMakushita#30 4–3
1978	WestMakushita#25 3–4	EastMakushita#32 4–3	WestMakushita#24 5–2	WestMakushita#12 6–1	WestMakushita#2 4–3	EastJūryō#13 6–9
1979	EastMakushita#4 3–4	EastMakushita#10 4–3	EastMakushita#6 3–4	EastMakushita#12 1–6	EastMakushita#38 5–2	EastMakushita#23 5–2
1980	EastMakushita#12 4–3	WestMakushita#9 2–5	WestMakushita#24 4–3	WestMakushita#16 3–4	WestMakushita#25 3–4	WestMakushita#37 6–1
1981	WestMakushita#14 4–3	WestMakushita#10 3–4	WestMakushita#17 4–3	WestMakushita#9 4–3	WestMakushita#7 3–4	WestMakushita#11 5–2
1982	WestMakushita#4 2–5	WestMakushita#17 3–4	EastMakushita#28 6–1–P	WestMakushita#8 4–3	EastMakushita#6 4–3	EastMakushita#4 4–3
1983	WestJūryō#13 7–8	WestMakushita#3 1–6	WestMakushita#26 2–5	WestMakushita#41 5–2	WestMakushita#23 5–2	WestMakushita#10 5–2
1984	WestMakushita#2 4–3	EastJūryō#13 8–7	WestJūryō#9 9–6	EastJūryō#4 8–7	EastJūryō#2 7–8	EastJūryō#4 5–10
1985	EastJūryō#9 4–5–6	EastMakushita#2 Sat out due to injury 0–0–7	EastMakushita#2 5–2	WestJūryō#10 8–7	WestJūryō#9 8–7	EastJūryō#8 9–6
1986	EastJūryō#3 4–4–7	EastJūryō#12 9–6	WestJūryō#8 11–4 Champion	EastJūryō#1 8–7	EastMaegashira#13 6–9	WestJūryō#4 10–5–P
1987	EastMaegashira#14 5–10	WestJūryō#4 8–7	EastJūryō#4 8–7	EastJūryō#2 7–8	WestJūryō#4 7–8	WestJūryō#5 6–9
1988	WestJūryō#10 7–8	EastJūryō#12 6–9	WestMakushita#2 4–3	EastMakushita#1 3–4	EastMakushita#6 2–5	EastMakushita#22 5–2
1989	EastMakushita#10 Retired 2–4–1	x	x	x	x	x
Record given as wins–losses–absencies    Top division champion Top division runner-up Retired Lower divisions Non-participation Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique     Also shown: ★=Kinboshi; P=Playoff(s) Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi Makuuchi ranks:  Yokozuna — Ōzeki — Sekiwake — Komusubi — Maegashira

See also

• Glossary of sumo terms
• List of past sumo wrestlers
• List of sumo elders
• List of sumo tournament second division champions

References

1. 竹葉山 真邦 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2008-07-14.
2. "Hakuho wrestles his way into the history books". The Japan Times. 2007-05-29. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
3. Perran, Thierry (May 2006). "Hakuho: The white phoenix flies towards the summit". Le Monde Du Sumo. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
4. "GRAND MILESTONE / Hakuho becomes fastest wrestler to join 1,000-win club". Yomiuri Shimbun. November 23, 2016. Archived from the original on 24 November 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
5. "Stablemaster bout-rigging claim hit". Japan Times. 25 December 2010. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
6. "Sumo Yokozuna Hakuho punished over impromptu cheer following tournament win". The Mainichi. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
7. "Sumo: Ex-grand champ Hakuho to lead Miyagino stable". The Manichi. 28 July 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
8. Gunning, John. "Former yokozuna Hakuho faces new challenges as Miyagino stablemaster". Japan Times. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
9. "Miyagino Beya". Japan Sumo Association. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
10. "元幕内・石浦が引退　間垣襲名へ　昨年春場所で首に大ケガ". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 1 June 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
11. "Chikubayama Masakuni Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2012-09-06.