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Wikipedia / Fujizakura Yoshimori

Fujizakura Yoshimori (富士櫻栄守) (born 9 February 1948 as Yoshio Nakasawa) is a former sumo wrestler from Kōfu, Yamanashi, Japan. His highest rank was sekiwake. He wrestled for Takasago stable. He made his debut in 1963 and had one of the longest professional careers of any wrestler, fighting 1613 bouts in total, of which 1543 were consecutive. This latter record is second only to Aobajō. After his retirement in 1985 he was an elder of the Japan Sumo Association and the head coach of Nakamura stable.

Career

He was the eldest son of a farmer, and was enrolled in the judo club at junior high school. He made his professional debut in March 1963. He was given the shikona of Fujizakura, meaning "cherry of Fuji", a reference to the prefectural flower of Yamanashi, a small pale red and white flower that blooms only around Mount Fuji. He reached sekitori status in January 1970 and was promoted to the top makuuchi division in September 1971. He was a runner-up in only his second honbasho or tournament in the division and was awarded the Fighting Spirit Prize. He fought in makuuchi for 73 tournaments in total, winning eight special prizes, and nine gold stars for defeating yokozuna. His highest rank was sekiwake, which he reached in March 1974.

He was demoted to the jūryō division on two occasions in 1979 and 1980, but each time made an immediate comeback to makuuchi. His final top division tournament was in January 1984, where he had to withdraw through injury – coincidentally, his long-time stablemate Takamiyama withdrew from the same tournament and this was also his final makuuchi appearance. This brought to an end Fujizakura's run of 1543 consecutive appearances from his professional debut, which was the most in sumo history at the time. As of 2017 it is second only to Aobajō's 1630 consecutive bouts. In September 2023, his record was tied by Tamawashi.

He was a favourite of Emperor Shōwa, a noted fan of sumo. His May 1975 bout with Kirinji in which he thrust at his opponent over 50 times but lost, was named one of the "Best 10 All Time Battles in Ozumo" by the Nikkei newspaper.

Retirement from sumo

Fujizakura retired in March 1985, after facing demotion to the makushita division. He became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association, opening up Nakamura stable in 1986, taking four jonokuchi ranked wrestlers from Takasago stable. He had a policy of not accepting foreign-born wrestlers or makushita tsukedashi entrants with a college sumo background, and encouraged his wrestlers to obtain high school diplomas by correspondence courses over the internet. He produced a handful of jūryō ranked wrestlers but none reached the top division. He also served as a judge of tournament bouts for over 20 years, and held the post of deputy director of Judging. Nakamura stable closed at the end of 2012, and he retired from the Sumo Association upon turning 65 in February 2013.

Fighting style

Fujizakura was a pusher-thruster who preferred oshi-sumo techniques to fighting on the mawashi or belt (yotsu-sumo). His speciality was tsuppari, a series of rapid thrusts to the opponent's chest. He was small by sumo standards, but was such an enthusiastic trainer in his younger days that he even had to be warned by his stablemaster at the time, former yokozuna Maedayama, not to over-train.

Personal life

His eldest son , born in 1976, is a folk singer.

Career record

 1963
   
   MAEZUMOU
   jk25e43
   jo61w34
   jo73e25
   jo87e43
 
 1964
   jo60e43
   jo39e25
   jo56e34
   jo60e52
   jo18e52
   sa75w43
 
 1965
   sa56w34
   sa66w25
   sa89e34
   jo1w43
   sa83w16    
   jo13e52
 
 1966
   sa73w52
   sa45e52
   sa16w34
   sa22e52
   ma83w52
   ma58w34
 
 1967
   ma69e43
   ma58w34
   sa11w43
   ma59e34
   sa7w25
   sa22e34
 
 1968
   sa28w61
   ma54w61
   ma28e61
   ma11e34
   ma17e34
   ma22w34
 
 1969
   ma27w70Champion
   ma1e16
   ma15w43
   ma12e52
   ma3e34
   ma5w52
 
 1970
   j13w96
   j6w510
   j13e105
   j5w69
   j11e96
   j7w69
 
 1971
   j11w105
   j4e87
   j3e96
   j2w105
   m12e96
   m6w114jf
 
 1972
   m1e78
   m2w69
   m5w96
   m1w96
   k2e411
   m5w510
 
 1973
   m9w69
   m12e69
   m8w87
   m4w78
   m5e87*
   m2w105t
 
 1974
   k1e96t
   s1w213
   m8e87
   m3w510
   m8e87
   m6w69
 
 1975
   m10e105
   m3e87
   m1w78
   m2e105
   k1w78
   m1w96
 
 1976
   k2e312
   m7e87
   m2e78*
   m3e78
   m3w87*
   k1w69
 
 1977
   m2w510
   m7w87
   m4e96
   k1w510
   m4w78
   m4w96
 
 1978
   m1e69
   m4e87o
   m1w78
   m2w96o*
   s1w510
   m3e78
 
 1979
   m4w105t*
   k1w69
   m2e312
   m12e510
   j2w105PP
   m11w96
 
 1980
   m3w78**
   m3w312*
   m11e78
   m11w510
   j3e123PChampion
   m10e87
 
 1981
   m6w105f*
   k1w312
   m4w510
   m9w78
   m10w78
   m10w96
 
 1982
   m4w312
   m7w78
   m9e105
   m1w78
   m1w411
   m6e78
 
 1983
   m6w411
   m11e78
   m12e87
   m6e69
   m10e105f
   m1e411
 
 1984
   m10w0411
   KYUJOj5w
   j5w87
   j2e69
   j6e105
   j3w474
 
 1985
   KYUJOj9w
   INTAIj9w312

See also

References