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Tobizaru Masaya

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"Tobizaru" redirects here. For the mixed martial artist nicknamed Tobizaru, see Yosuke Saruta.
Tobizaru Masaya
翔しょう猿ざる 正也まさや
Tobizaru in January 2022
Personal information
BornMasaya Iwasaki
(1992-04-24) April 24, 1992 (age 32)
Edogawa, Tokyo, Japan
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight135 kg (298 lb; 21.3 st)
Career
StableOitekaze
UniversityNihon University
Current ranksee below
DebutJanuary 2015
Highest rankKomusubi (November, 2022)
Special PrizesFighting Spirit (1)
Outstanding Performance (1)
Gold Stars2
Terunofuji
* Up to date as of 24 September 2023.

Tobizaru Masaya (翔しょう猿ざる 正也まさや, born April 24, 1992, as Masaya Iwasaki (岩いわ﨑 正也まさや, Iwasaki Masaya)) is a professional sumo wrestler from Japan and wrestles for Oitekaze stable. He made his top division debut in September 2020 and his san'yaku debut in November 2022. As of August 2023, Tobizaru is also the smallest makuuchi wrestler and the third smallest sekitori-ranked wrestler overall.[1]

He is the brother of active wrestler Hidenoumi of the Kise stable; they became the 18th pair of sekitori brothers in sumo history.[2] Despite the fact that they are in different stables, Tobizaru will not face him in competition as Japan Sumo Association rules prevent close relatives from being matched against each other outside of playoff bouts.

Career

[edit]

Masaya Iwasaki followed his elder brother Takuya into sumo, joining the same sumo club in his first year of elementary school.[3] He was also interested in baseball, and had thoughts of becoming a professional baseball player, but gave up the game for sumo when he started junior high school. The future Hokutofuji was a contemporary of his at high school. He studied economics at Nihon University and was a member of their sumo team, but weighing only around 110 kg and having to sit out a year with an ankle injury he did not manage to win any major amateur titles. Deciding to turn professional, he opted not to join his brother who was already a sekitori at Kise stable, preferring the challenge of making his way on his own. Instead he joined Oitekaze stable, also home to Endō who was two years his senior at university.[4] He made his debut in January 2015, competing under his family name of Iwasaki. Upon reaching the jūryō division after the May 2017 tournament he changed his shikona to Tobizaru (literally "Flying Monkey") as he was born in the year of the monkey and he considers his darting movement in the sumo ring similar to a monkey.[4][3] He recorded only six wins and nine losses in his jūryō debut in July and was demoted back to makushita in September 2017. His 5–2 record at Makushita 2 in the September tournament would normally have been good enough for an immediate re-promotion, but there were only two openings and priority went to Takagenji and Takanoshō. Tobizaru had to wait until the March 2018 tournament to return to jūryō, but he has maintained his sekitori status ever since.

Tobizaru competing in the makushita division in November 2017

Tobizaru earned promotion to the top makuuchi division for the September 2020 tournament after a 9–6 record at Jūryō 2 in July. He and Hidenoumi became the 11th pair of brothers to both have reached makuuchi. Tobizaru said he hoped his brother would be able to earn promotion back to makuuchi. He was also the tenth member of Oitekaze stable to reach makuuchi since its founding, the last being Tsurugishō in September 2019.[5] In his makuuchi debut he came close to becoming the first wrestler since Ryōgoku Kajinosuke II in 1914 to win the championship in his first top division tournament, needing to beat Shōdai on the final day to force a playoff, but he was defeated and finished with a 11–4 record. He was awarded the Fighting Spirit prize.[6]

Tobizaru earned the first kinboshi of his career when he defeated yokozuna Terunofuji on the second day of the September 2022 tournament.[7] Due to his strong showing in the September 2022 tournament, finishing with ten wins, Tobizaru was promoted to komusubi for November, his debut in the junior san'yaku ranks.[8] At the November tournament he finished with a losing 7–8 record.[9]

In January 2023 rankings Tobizaru was demoted from komusubi and started the New Year tournament as maegashira 1.[10] In the January tournament he secured a winning record on the 15th day with a win over Kotoekō.[11] In the March rankings he was again promoted to komusubi.[12] Following a further demotion, Tobizaru continued to fight in the upper ranks of maegashira. At the July 2023 tournament, Tobizaru was involved in a controversial match against Sekiwake Hōshōryū, the latter being declared the winner of the match despite many spectators and journalists mentioning that his hand had touched the ring floor before Tobizaru had fallen.[13] In response to the growing criticism, Nikkan Sports commented in an editorial that the judges had probably awarded the victory to Hōshōryū because he had shown himself to be dominant in the match and Tobizaru was not in a position to continue fighting.[14] Tobizaru continued his tournament by winning his second kinboshi against Yokozuna Terunofuji. Commenting on this latest upset victory, he thanked sekiwake Daieishō for training him before the tournament.[15]

Combining his victory over the yokozuna with a good score of 9–6, Tobizaru was promoted to komusubi for the third time for the September 2023 tournament. On this occasion he wished to establish himself as san'yaku for several tournaments in a row after losing this status with each previous promotion.[16] Eventually, Tobizaru had a good tournament, winning in the first half of the tournament against two of the then three ōzeki, defeating Hōshōryū and Takakeishō on days three and eight respectively.[17][18] Tobizaru however suffered an eighth defeat, when he lost his fourteenth match against former ōzeki Takayasu, effectively relegating him for the November tournament.[19]

During the 2024 March tournament, Tobizaru stood out by defeating ōzeki Hōshōryū (on Day 6) and Kirishima (on Day 8).[20][21] On Day 10, he withdrew from the competition due to symptoms of enteritis, though his stablemaster Oitekaze told the press that he should return to competition the following day.[22]

Fighting style

[edit]

Tobizaru is below the average size for an elite sumo wrestler, being the second lightest sekitori when he reached jūryō in 2017, and he stands just 175 cm (5 ft 9 in) tall.[23] He is an oshi-sumo specialist, preferring to push his opponents rather than grab the mawashi or belt. He likes to pull his opponents down at the edge of the ring, with a high percentage of his victories being by hataki-komi (slap down) and hiki-otoshi (pull down). He is also good at kicks and leg sweeps. Having become the smallest wrestler in the makuuchi division in August 2023, Tobizaru also studied lively sumo styles in order to defeat opponents much taller than him, drawing inspiration in particular from Ura's style.[24]

Tobizaru style is fast-paced, and he regularly sidestepped at the initial charge when in jūryō, but in his makuuchi debut made a conscious effort to fight more on the offensive.[3] Referring to this change in sumo style, sports commentators often refer to Tobizaru's style as "gorilla" when he uses a more offensive and serious style,[25] as opposed to a style associated to his flying monkey shikona, when Tobizaru uses a more trickery-based style, which has also been referred to as "circus sumo" by a member of the Yokozuna Deliberation Council.[26]

Career record

[edit]
Tobizaru Masaya[27]
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
2015 (Maezumo) West Jonokuchi #17
6–1
 		 West Jonidan #30
6–1
 		 West Sandanme #66
6–1
 		 Sandanme #11
6–1
 		 West Makushita #37
5–2
 
2016 East Makushita #24
4–3
 		 West Makushita #19
4–3
 		 West Makushita #13
4–3
 		 West Makushita #10
4–3
 		 West Makushita #7
5–2
 		 East Makushita #3
2–5
 
2017 East Makushita #10
6–1
 		 East Makushita #3
4–3
 		 West Makushita #2
6–1
 		 West Jūryō #14
6–9
 		 East Makushita #2
5–2
 		 West Makushita #1
3–4
 
2018 West Makushita #3
4–3
 		 East Jūryō #13
7–8
 		 West Jūryō #13
7–8
 		 West Jūryō #13
9–6
 		 East Jūryō #10
7–8
 		 West Jūryō #11
8–7
 
2019 West Jūryō #10
7–8
 		 East Jūryō #11
7–8
 		 West Jūryō #12
10–5
 		 West Jūryō #6
7–8
 		 West Jūryō #8
6–9
 		 East Jūryō #10
8–7
 
2020 West Jūryō #6
9–6
 		 East Jūryō #4
10–5
 		 East Jūryō #2
Tournament Cancelled
0–0–0		 East Jūryō #2
9–6
 		 East Maegashira #14
11–4
F		 West Maegashira #4
6–9
 
2021 West Maegashira #7
6–9
 		 West Maegashira #8
10–5
 		 West Maegashira #2
5–10
 		 West Maegashira #3
4–11
 		 West Maegashira #8
7–8
 		 West Maegashira #8
7–8
 
2022 West Maegashira #8
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #9
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #5
7–8
 		 West Maegashira #6
8–5–2[28]
 		 East Maegashira #1
10–5
O★		 East Komusubi #2
7–8
 
2023 East Maegashira #1
8–7
 		 West Komusubi #2
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #3
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #1
9–6
★		 West Komusubi #1
6–9
 		 West Maegashira #3
7–8
 
2024 East Maegashira #4
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #4
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #3
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #4
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #1
–
 		 x
Record given as wins–losses–absences    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

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "関取せきとり衆しゅの最新さいしんの身長しんちょう体重たいじゅう発表はっぴょう…最さい重量じゅうりょうは201キロ水戸みと龍りゅう　最さい軽量けいりょう、最さい長身ちょうしん、最短さいたん身みは？". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 31 August 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  2. ^ "岩崎いわさき改あらため翔しょう猿ざるが新しん十じゅう両りょう １８組くみ目めの兄弟きょうだい関取せきとりに" (in Japanese). Sponichi. 31 May 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  3. ^ a b c "Sumo: Sumo's "flying monkey" ready to show he is no 1-hit wonder". Kyodo News. 15 October 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  4. ^ a b ""A fast sumo that can't be imitated" Tobizaru promoted to Juryo". The Mainichi (in Japanese). 9 June 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  5. ^ "2020 September Grand Sumo Tournament Banzuke Topics". Japan Sumo Association. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  6. ^ "Sumo: Shodai yet to take in reality of winning 1st title". The Mainichi. 28 September 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  7. ^ "Sumo: Tobizaru pushes and thrusts to upset win over Terunofuji". Kyodo News. 12 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  8. ^ "Sumo: Ageless September champ Tamawashi rejoins elite ranks". Kyodo News. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  9. ^ Chifuri, Hiromitsu (2022-12-26). "2022 Kyushu Basho Results". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  10. ^ Chifuri, Hiromitsu (2022-12-26). "Sumo Rankings". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  11. ^ Chifuri, Hiromitsu (2023-02-20). "2023 New Year Basho Results". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  12. ^ Chifuri, Hiromitsu (2023-02-27). "Sumo Rankings". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  13. ^ "Sumo: Terunofuji, 3 promotion-chasing sekiwake start with wins". Kyodo News. 9 July 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  14. ^ "豊ゆたか昇龍しょうりゅうの手てがついていた？翔しょう猿ざるとの一番いちばんでネット上じょうではリクエスト制度せいどの声こえも… 名古屋なごや場所ばしょ" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 9 July 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  15. ^ "翔しょう猿ざる　照あきらノ富士ふじ下くだす金星きんぼし「がむしゃらにいった」粘ねばった58秒びょう熱戦ねっせん　今こん場所ばしょ勝かち越こしへ「一番いちばん一番いちばん集中しゅうちゅう」". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  16. ^ "翔しょう猿ざる、三さん役やく定着ていちゃくへ意欲いよく「勝かち越こしを狙ねらっていく」". Sankei Sports (in Japanese). 31 August 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  17. ^ "新しん大関おおぜき・豊昇ほうしょう龍りゅう、結むすびで翔しょう猿ざるに送おくり出だされて連敗れんぱい「これも勉強べんきょうかなと思おもいます」". Sports Hochi (in Japanese). 12 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  18. ^ "かど番ばんの貴き景勝けいしょう、手痛ていたい今こん場所ばしょ初はつの連敗れんぱいで３敗はい目め　４連敗れんぱい中ちゅうと合口あいくちの悪わるかった翔しょう猿ざるにまたも敗やぶれる". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 17 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  19. ^ "Sumo: Upstart Atamifuji regains outright lead on penultimate day". Kyodo News. 23 September 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  20. ^ "吹ふき荒あれる春はるの嵐あらしなかなか止やまず…大関おおぜきと横綱よこづなまたも敗やぶれる　照あきらノ富士ふじ３日にち連続れんぞく金星きんぼし配給はいきゅうで２勝しょう４敗はいに". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  21. ^ "大関おおぜき・霧島きりしまが苦くるしい６敗はい目め　翔しょう猿ざるの寄よりをこらえ切きれず". Sports Hochi (in Japanese). 17 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  22. ^ "幕内まくうち翔しょう猿ざるが休場きゅうじょう、腸ちょう炎えんで　11日にち目めから再さい出場しゅつじょうの見込みこみ　９日にち目めを終おえて２大関おおぜきを破やぶり５勝しょう４敗はい". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 19 March 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  23. ^ Morita, Hiroshi (2 October 2020). "Making Ozeki with a first title". NHK World Japan. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  24. ^ "幕内まくうち最小さいしょう兵へい・1メートル73の翔しょう猿ざるが最さい長身ちょうしん2メートル4の北きた青あお鵬おおとりに初はつ対戦たいせんで「考かんがえたとおり」作戦さくせん勝がち". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 25 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  25. ^ "翔しょう猿ざるの"ゴリラ化か"の達成たっせい具合ぐあいは「全然ぜんぜんです」基礎きそ運動うんどうを増ふやして理想りそうのゴリラの肉体にくたい目指めざす". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 12 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  26. ^ "「大関おおぜき去さる御嶽おんたけ海うみ含ふくめ一いち層そう奮起ふんきを」横審よこしん委員いいん長ちょうが大関おおぜき陣じんに苦言くげん「初代しょだい若乃花わかのはなほうふつ」若わか隆景たかかげに期待きたい". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 26 September 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  27. ^ "Tobizaru Masaya Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  28. ^ Withdrew on Day 13 due to COVID protocols
[edit]
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