Midorifuji Kazunari

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In this Japanese shikona name, the surname is Midorifuji.
Midorifuji Kazunari
翠富士 一成
Personal information
BornKazunari Ihara
(1996-08-30) August 30, 1996 (age 25)
Yaizu, Shizuoka, Japan
Height1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in)
Weight117 kg (258 lb; 18.4 st)
Career
StableIsegahama
UniversityKindai University
Current ranksee below
DebutSeptember, 2016
Highest rankMaegashira 10 (March, 2021)
Championships1 (Juryo)
Special Prizes1 (Technique)
* Up to date as of 10 September 2021.

Midorifuji Kazunari (翠富士 一成, born Kazunari Ihara (庵原 一成, Ihara Kazunari) on August 30, 1996) is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Yaizu, Shizuoka. He is a graduate of Kindai University. He debuted in sumo wrestling in September 2016 and made his makuuchi debut in January 2021. His highest rank has been maegashira 10. He wrestles for Isegahama stable.

Career[]

He began participating in sumo from elementary school, and was a member of the sumo club at junior high and at high school, competing in national competitions. He attended Kindai University, and was also a member of the sumo club there, but left during his second year, and eventually he returned to his hometown.[1] It was during a visit there by the head coach of Isegahama stable, the former yokozuna Asahifuji, that he was persuaded to join professional sumo. He joined at the same time as his stablemate  [ja], and the two met in playoffs for the jonokuchi and jonidan division yusho or championships in their first two official tournaments in November 2016 and January 2017, with Midorifuji losing both. In January 2020 ranked at makushita 2 he earned promotion to the sekitori ranks for the first time with a 5-2 record.[1] However, he still weighed barely 100 kg (220 lb) and turned in a losing 7-8 record in his jūryō division debut. He managed to remain in the division, and in September 2020 he produced an 11-4 record. In the following November 2020 tournament a 10-5 score was enough to earn him his first career championship (after a playoff win over Kyokushūhō), and also promotion to the top makuuchi division.

Midorifuji was the fifth top division wrestler from Shizuoka Prefecture since World War II and the first since Sagatsukasa in 2010.[2] Ahead of his debut he said he hoped to emulate fellow small wrestlers Enhō and Terutsuyoshi.[3] In his top division debut in January 2021 Midorifuji scored nine wins against six losses and won the ginosho or Technique prize, only the seventh wrestler to receive this award in his first makuuchi tournament and the first since Tochinohana in May 2000.[4] Five of his nine wins were by the kimarite of katasukashi, or under-shoulder swing down.[5] Midorifuji said he was happy to have received the award, but regretted that he had not managed ten wins.[6] This performance saw him promoted to his highest rank to date of maegasahira 10 for the March 2021 tournament, where he produced a 5–10 record. He withdrew from the May 2021 tournament due to a herniated disc in his back, requiring two months of treatment.[7] Upon his comeback in July 2021, ranked in the jūryō division, he could only manage a 6-9 record.

Fighting style[]

Midorifuji's Japan Sumo Association profile lists his favourite techniques as oshi (pushing) and katasukashi (under shoulder swing down). He has won 25 percent of his career matches to date with the latter technique, compared to an average among other wrestlers of just one percent.[8] In November 2020 he beat Jōkōryū with the rare technique of zubuneri, or head pivot throw, which had not been seen at sekitori level in 22 years.

Career record[]

Midorifuji Kazunari[9]
Year in sumo January
Hatsu basho, Tokyo		 March
Haru basho, Osaka		 May
Natsu basho, Tokyo		 July
Nagoya basho, Nagoya		 September
Aki basho, Tokyo		 November
Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
2016 x x x x (Maezumo) West Jonokuchi #21
7–0–P
 
2017 West Jonidan #10
7–0–P
 		 West Sandanme #19
5–2
 		 West Makushita #57
4–3
 		 West Makushita #46
3–4
 		 East Makushita #57
4–3
 		 East Makushita #46
4–3
 
2018 East Makushita #39
3–4
 		 West Makushita #48
6–1
 		 West Makushita #20
2–5
 		 East Makushita #36
5–2
 		 East Makushita #23
3–4
 		 West Makushita #32
4–3
 
2019 West Makushita #26
4–3
 		 East Makushita #19
4–3
 		 East Makushita #13
4–3
 		 West Makushita #11
5–2
 		 East Makushita #4
2–5
 		 East Makushita #12
6–1
 
2020 East Makushita #2
5–2
 		 West Jūryō #11
7–8
 		 East Jūryō #12
Tournament Cancelled
0–0–0		 East Jūryō #12
8–7
 		 West Jūryō #10
11–4
 		 Jūryō #2
10–5
Champion
 
2021 West Maegashira #14
9–6
T		 East Maegashira #10
5–10
 		 West Maegashira #15
Sat out due to injury
0–0–15		 West Jūryō #9
6–9
 		 West Jūryō #11
–
 		 x
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Top Division Runner-up Retired Lower Divisions

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[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "小兵の翠富士が新十両、炎鵬＆照強のいいとこ取りを (Small fighter Midorifuji makes juryo, will learn from Enho and Terutsuyoshi". Nikkan Sports. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  2. ^ "2021 January Grand Sumo Tournament Banzuke Topics". Japan Sumo Association. Archived from the original on 29 December 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  3. ^ "新入幕 翠富士が抱負「押しながら ちょっと技も入れる相撲を」 (New Makuuchi Midori Fuji's aspiration "Sumo wrestling with a little skill while pushing" )". NHK (in Japanese). 24 December 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  4. ^ "Query result". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  5. ^ "Midorifuji results by basho". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  6. ^ "翠富士５度目肩すかしで９勝「うれしい」初の技能賞 (Midorifuji wins ninth, happy with first Technique Award, five wins were by katasukashi". Nikkan Sports. 24 January 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  7. ^ "碧山は急性腰痛症で２週間安静加療、翠富士は腰椎ヘルニア手術で全治２カ月". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Wins oF Midorifuji". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  9. ^ "Midorifuji Kazunari Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""