Asashōryū Akinori

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朝青龍 明徳
Asashōryū Akinori

Personal information
Birth name	Dolgorsürengiin Dagvadorj
Date of birth	September 27, 1980 (1980-09-27) (age 27)
Place of birth	Mongolia
Height	1.84 m (6 ft +1⁄2 in)
Weight	148 kg (330 lb/23.3 st)
Career*
Heya	Takasago
Current rank	Yokozuna
Record	565-141-47
Debut	January, 1999
Highest rank	Yokozuna (March, 2003)
Yusho	22 (Makuuchi) 1 (Makushita) 1 (Sandanme) 1 (Jonidan)
Special Prizes	Outstanding Performance (3) Fighting Spirit (3)
Gold stars	1 (Musashimaru)
* Career information is correct as of March 2008.

Asashōryū Akinori (朝青龍 明徳, Asashōryū Akinori^? born September 27, 1980 as Dolgorsürengiin Dagvadorj, Mongolian: Долгорсүрэнгийн Дагвадорж, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia) is the first Mongolian sumo wrestler (rikishi) to reach yokozuna, the highest rank. He is one of the most successful sumo wrestlers in history.^[1] In August 2007, he also became the first yokozuna in history to be suspended from competition.^[2]

Contents 1 Rise to the top 2 Yokozuna career 2.1 2003 2.2 2004 2.3 2005 2.4 2006 2.5 2007 2.6 2008 3 Suspension 3.1 Other controversies 4 Fighting Style 5 Family 6 Top Division Record 7 References 8 See also 9 External websites

[edit] Rise to the top

Asashōryū originally came to Japan as an exchange student at Meitoku Gijuku High School in Kochi Prefecture. He made his professional debut in January 1999, joining Wakamatsu stable (now Takasago stable). At that time fellow Mongolians Kyokushūzan and Kyokutenhō were in the top division and stars back in their home country, but Asashōryū was quick to overtake them both. He reached sekitori status in September 2000 by winning promotion to the jūryō division. He reached the top makuuchi division just two tournaments later in January 2001. In May 2001, he made his sanyaku debut at komusubi rank and earned his first sansho award, for Outstanding Performance. In 2002, he put together back to back records of 11-4, 11-4 and 12-3 and was promoted to sumo's second highest rank of ozeki. In November 2002, he took his first top division tournament championship with a 14-1 record. It took Asashōryū only 24 tournaments from his professional debut to win his first top division title. In January 2003 he won his second straight championship and on January 30, 2003 Asashōryū was granted the title of yokozuna, the highest rank in sumo.

[edit] Yokozuna career

While his first tournament as yokozuna ended in a disappointing 10-5 record, he has since won a total of twenty tournaments. Combined with his two yusho as an ozeki, he has twenty-two career championships in the top division. This already puts him in fourth place on the all time list, behind only Taihō, Chiyonofuji and Kitanoumi, and tied with Takanohana.^[3]

[edit] 2003

Asashōryū nominally shared the yokozuna rank with Musashimaru, but in fact his rival only fought a handful of bouts in 2003 due to injury. The two did not meet in competition all year. Asashōryū won his first championship as a yokozuna in May 2003 and came back from an injury sustained in the July tournament to win his third title of the year in September.

[edit] 2004

Asashōryū began 2004 with one of the highlights of his career to date-- two consecutive perfect 15-0 tournament wins (zensho yusho) in January and March with a streak of 35 unbeaten bouts in total. Nobody had attained zensho yusho since 1996; yet Asashōryū has gone on to add three more such titles since 2004, for an impressive career total of five. On November 27, 2004, Asashōryū became the first wrestler to win five tournaments in a year since Chiyonofuji achieved the feat in 1986, and won his ninth Emperor's Cup. It has been speculated that one reason for Asashōryū's relatively disappointing performance in the Autumn basho of 2004, the only one he did not win, was his marriage to his Mongolian fiancée for which the official ceremony was held in August 2004 (although he had actually married her in December 2002). The hectic social round that inevitably follows Japanese weddings may well have affected his pre-tournament preparations.

[edit] 2005

He continued to dominate sumo in 2005, winning all six honbasho (sumo tournaments) and losing only six bouts all year (0-1-0-2-2-1). One of those rare losses came on September 11, 2005 at the start of the Aki Basho when he dropped his first Shonichi (Day 1) bout during his tenure as yokozuna. On November 26, 2005 a visibly emotional Asashōryū wept after winning his eighty-third bout of the year (a new record) and clinching the tournament at the same time. The six victories of 2005 combined with his victory from the final tournament of 2004 has set a new record run of seven consecutive tournament victories, including two more 15-0 wins in January and May of 2005. The great yokozuna Taihō achieved the feat of six consecutive tournament victories twice, but never in a calendar year. Asashōryū now stands alone with seven, cementing his place as one of the best ever.

Some are calling the Kyushu November 2005 Basho the "Triple Crown" of sumo, for the three records set.^[4]

• Seven straight tournaments entered, seven tournaments won.
• 90 regulation bouts contested in one year, 84 won.
• Grand Slam - winning all six tournaments in a calendar year.

[edit] 2006

Asashōryū's consecutive basho streak came to an end in January 2006, when ozeki Tochiazuma took the first tournament championship of the year. Asashōryū's performance in January was a surprisingly poor 11-4 but he successfully rebounded by winning the March tournament. However, his six losses in those tournaments matched his loss total for all of 2005. In the May tournament, he sustained an injury to the ligaments in his elbow on the second day falling off of the dohyo in a surprising loss to Wakanosato and was visibly slow to rise from the ground. He was absent from the tournament the next day and later released a statement confirming he was withdrawing from the tournament. Doctors told him he would not be able to compete for two months, which meant he would miss the July tournament as well. ^[5] However, Asashōryū was ready by the start of the July tournament and won with a 14-1 record. In the following tournament, Asashōryū won his eighteenth career title with a 13-2 record, along with his 400th career bout in the top division. He also won the final tournament of 2006 for his nineteenth career title, the fifth he has won with a perfect 15-0 record.

[edit] 2007

In January 2007, Asashōryū posted a 14-1 record, capturing his 20th career title, and fourth straight since returning from injury. In March, he dropped his first two bouts but then won thirteen in a row for a 13-2 score. However, this was not enough to win the title-- he lost a playoff for the first time in his career, to fellow Mongolian Hakuhō. In May he turned in a below par 10-5 record, losing to all four ōzeki and maegashira Aminishiki (although he appeared to be carrying an injury). Hakuhō won this tournament as well and has now joined Asashōryū at the rank of yokozuna. Asashōryū had been the sole yokozuna for a total of 21 tournaments since the retirement of Musashimaru in November 2003 - the longest period of time in sumo history. In July he lost to Aminishiki once again on the opening day but rallied to win the next fourteen bouts, taking his 21st title with a 14-1 record.^[6]

[edit] 2008

Asashoryu returned to tournaments in January 2008. On the final day, he faced Hakuho in a battle of 13-1 Yokozunas, but was defeated, giving him a final record of 13-2. In March the two Yokozuna faced off for the title again on the last day, marking only the fourth time in modern sumo that two Yokozuna with identical records fought for the title on the last day of two consecutive tournaments. In this rematch, Asashoryu was the victor, winning his 22nd title, thus equalling Takanohana's haul of 22 tournament wins.

[edit] Suspension

After his latest tournament victory, Asashōryū decided to skip the regional summer tour of Tohoku and Hokkaidō beginning on 3rd August 2007 because of injury. The medical forms submitted to the Japan Sumo Association indicated that injuries to his left elbow and a stress fracture in his lower back would require six weeks of rest to heal.^[7] However, he was then seen on television participating in a soccer match for charity with Hidetoshi Nakata in his homeland of Mongolia. He was reported to have done so at the request of the Japanese Foreign Ministry and the Mongolian government.^[8] However, the suggestion that he had exaggerated the extent of his injuries to avoid his duties on the exhibition tour caused a media storm in Japan. The chairman of the Sumo Association, Kitanoumi, expressed his bewilderment at the situation^[8] and on July 30th Asashōryū was ordered to return from Mongolia to explain his actions. He apologised, saying he would "reflect on what he had done" and do his best in the upcoming September tournament.^[9]

However, on August 1st 2007, the Sumo Association suspended Asashōryū for that tournament as well as the next one in November, the first time in the sport's history that an active yokozuna has been suspended from a main tournament. They also announced that Asashōryū and his stablemaster Takasago would have their salaries cut by 30% for the next four months.^[10] Isenoumi, a Director of the Sumo Association, called Asashōryū's behaviour "a serious indiscretion. Given that a yokozuna should act as a good example for the other wrestlers, this punishment for his action is appropriate."^[11] Asashōryū responded by saying he would get his injuries treated and prepare for the winter regional tour and the January 2008 tournament.^[12] He was instructed to restrict his movements to his home, his stable, and the hospital.^[13] His stablemaster reported that Asashōryū was finding the severity of the punishment difficult to deal with.^[13] Doctors from the Sumo Association first diagnosed Asashōryū as suffering from acute stress disorder,^[14] and then dissociative disorder.^[15] On August 28th 2007 he was allowed to return to Mongolia for treatment.^[16][17] After recuperation and onsen treatment, he returned to Japan on November 30, apologising for his actions at a press conference.^[18]

[edit] Other controversies

Before this incident, Asashōryū had been criticized for other infractions of the strict code of conduct expected of top sumo wrestlers. In July 2003 he pulled on Kyokushūzan's mage (traditional Japanese top knot) during their bout on Day 5 of the tournament, resulting in an immediate hansoku-make, or disqualification.^[19] He was the first yokozuna to be disqualified from a bout. This caused a furor among Japanese fans, who already had a distaste for the foreign yokozuna.^[19] His other divergences from the norm include being photographed in a suit (instead of a traditional Japanese costume), complaining to judges after losing a decision, and refusing to adopt Japanese citizenship.^[20] He has also been accused of breaking the mirror of a rival's car.^[21]

Asashōryū was criticized for injuring Toyonoshima.^[22] He suffered notable injuries at the hands of some intense practice (keiko) with Asashōryū just before May 2007 tournament. Since Asashōryū is known to occasionally injure other wrestlers during practice, some other high-profile wrestlers avoid training with him to avoid injury.^[23]

[edit] Fighting Style

Unlike his Hawaiian predecessors Akebono and Musashimaru, Asashōryū was a relative lightweight earlier in his career. He was just 129 kg in 2001, but he began bulking up to 131 kg in 2002, 140 kg by 2004, and is now about 148 kg (326 pounds), right on average. He has successfully relied on speed and technique to compete against his often much heavier opponents, though lately he has begun confronting those opponents head on with the intention of out-muscling them. His lightning speed has suffered somewhat with the extra weight though he is still much faster than most of his opponents. He famously dumped the 158 kg Kotomitsuki with a "lifting body slam" (tsuriotoshi), a feat of tremendous strength, normally accomplished on much smaller and weaker opponents. In training, he is reported to do multiple repetitions of biceps curls with 30 kg dumb-bells. While gym training in 2008 with NHK commentator Hiro Morita, he reportedly bench pressed 200kg.

[edit] Family

Asashōryū's brothers are also active in combat sports: Dolgorsürengiin Sumiyaabazar is a mixed martial arts fighter, and Dolgorsürengiin Serjbüdee, a professional wrestler, competes in New Japan Pro Wrestling under the name Blue Wolf (after the Mongolian Blue Wolf legend). All Dolgorsüren brothers have strong backgrounds in Mongolian wrestling.

Asashōryū first met his wife in high school when they were both 15 years old.^[24] They have two children.

[edit] Top Division Record

Asashōryū Akinori^[25]

	January Hatsu basho, Tokyo	March Haru basho, Osaka	May Natsu basho, Tokyo	July Nagoya basho, Nagoya	September Aki basho, Tokyo	November Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
2001	West Maegashira #12 9–6	East Maegashira #6 9–6	West Komusubi 8–7 O	East Komusubi 7–8	West Maegashira #1 10–5 F★	East Komusubi 10–5 F
2002	West Sekiwake #1 8–7	West Sekiwake 11–4 O	West Sekiwake 11–4 F	East Sekiwake 12–3 O	East Ōzeki #3 10–5	East Ōzeki #2 14–1
2003	East Ōzeki #1 14–1	West Yokozuna 10–5	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 5–5–5	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 12–3
2004	East Yokozuna 15–0	East Yokozuna 15–0	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 9–6	East Yokozuna 13–2
2005	East Yokozuna 15–0	East Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 15–0	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 14–1
2006	East Yokozuna 11–4	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 1–2–12	East Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 15–0
2007	East Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 10–5	East Yokozuna 14–1	Suspended 0–0–15	Suspended 0–0–15
2008	West Yokozuna 13–2	West Yokozuna 13–2	x	x	x	x
Record given as win-loss-absent    Championship Retired Demoted from makuuchi Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique     Also shown: ★=Kinboshi Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna — Ōzeki — Sekiwake — Komusubi — Maegashira

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Glossary of sumo terms
• List of active sumo wrestlers
• List of yokozuna

[edit] External websites

• Nihon Sumo Kyokai - Biography
• Special report on the rise of Mongolians in Japan's national, indigenous sport.

previous: Musashimaru Kōyō

68th Yokozuna 2003 - present

next: Hakuho Sho

Preceded by Hideki Matsui

Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize Winner 2004-2005

Succeeded by Japan national baseball team