Chiyonofuji Mitsugu
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Chiyonofuji Mitsugu (千代の富士貢, June 1, 1955-) is the 58th Yokozuna of sumo. He was born in Hokkaido, Japan.
Chiyonofuji was one of the greatest yokozuna of recent times, winning 31 tournament championships, second only to Taiho. He was particularly remarkable for his longevity in sumo's top rank. He won more tournaments in his thirties than any other wrestler and retired in his late thirties, in contrast to most recent yokozuna who have tended to retire around 30. He is the only professional sumo wrestler to have scored more than 1000 wins over his professional career, with over 800 of them coming in Makuuchi, sumo's top division.
In a sport where weight is often regarded as vital, Chiyonofuji was quite light at around 125 kg. He relied on a superior technique and muscle to defeat opponents. His nickname was "the wolf" due to the piercing stare he gave his opponents in the pre-bout rituals.
After his retirement, he assumed the position of head (oyakata) of the Kokonoe-beya, which is a heya ("stable") of wrestlers. His name is now Kokone-oyakata. Under his direction, the Kokonoe-beya has produced some fine wrestlers, including Chiyotaikai and Chiyotenzan, both (as of March 2005) in the top division of sumo.
External links
- Chiyonofuji (http://sumo.goo.ne.jp/eng/kiroku_daicho/mei_yokozuna/chiyonofuji.html)eo:Chiyonofuji Mitsugu