Tobizaru Masaya (翔猿 正也, born April 24, 1992, as Masaya Iwasaki (岩﨑 正也, 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]
| Tobizaru Masaya | |
|---|---|
| 翔猿 正也 | |
 Tobizaru in January 2022 | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | Masaya Iwasaki April 24, 1992 Edogawa, Tokyo, Japan |
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
| Weight | 135 kg (298 lb; 21.3 st) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Oitekaze |
| University | Nihon University |
| Current rank | see below |
| Debut | January 2015 |
| Highest rank | Komusubi (November, 2022) |
| Special Prizes | Fighting Spirit (1) Outstanding Performance (1) |
| Gold Stars | 2 Terunofuji |
| * Up to date as of 24 September 2023. | |
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
editMasaya 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 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
editTobizaru 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| 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 5–10 |
East Maegashira #5 – |
| 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) |
||||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "関取衆の最新の身長体重発表…最重量は201キロ水戸龍 最軽量、最長身、最短身は？". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 31 August 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ "岩崎改め翔猿が新十両 １８組目の兄弟関取に" (in Japanese). Sponichi. 31 May 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "2020 September Grand Sumo Tournament Banzuke Topics". Japan Sumo Association. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
- ^ "Sumo: Shodai yet to take in reality of winning 1st title". The Mainichi. 28 September 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
- ^ "Sumo: Tobizaru pushes and thrusts to upset win over Terunofuji". Kyodo News. 12 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
- ^ "Sumo: Ageless September champ Tamawashi rejoins elite ranks". Kyodo News. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ Chifuri, Hiromitsu (2022-12-26). "2022 Kyushu Basho Results". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ Chifuri, Hiromitsu (2022-12-26). "Sumo Rankings". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ Chifuri, Hiromitsu (2023-02-20). "2023 New Year Basho Results". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ Chifuri, Hiromitsu (2023-02-27). "Sumo Rankings". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- ^ "Sumo: Terunofuji, 3 promotion-chasing sekiwake start with wins". Kyodo News. 9 July 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
- ^ "豊昇龍の手がついていた？翔猿との一番でネット上ではリクエスト制度の声も… 名古屋場所" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 9 July 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
- ^ "翔猿 照ノ富士下す金星「がむしゃらにいった」粘った58秒熱戦 今場所勝ち越しへ「一番一番集中」". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ "翔猿、三役定着へ意欲「勝ち越しを狙っていく」". Sankei Sports (in Japanese). 31 August 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
- ^ "新大関・豊昇龍、結びで翔猿に送り出されて連敗「これも勉強かなと思います」". Sports Hochi (in Japanese). 12 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "かど番の貴景勝、手痛い今場所初の連敗で３敗目 ４連敗中と合口の悪かった翔猿にまたも敗れる". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 17 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "Sumo: Upstart Atamifuji regains outright lead on penultimate day". Kyodo News. 23 September 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "吹き荒れる春の嵐なかなか止まず…大関と横綱またも敗れる 照ノ富士３日連続金星配給で２勝４敗に". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ "大関・霧島が苦しい６敗目 翔猿の寄りをこらえ切れず". Sports Hochi (in Japanese). 17 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
- ^ "幕内翔猿が休場、腸炎で 11日目から再出場の見込み ９日目を終えて２大関を破り５勝４敗". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 19 March 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ Morita, Hiroshi (2 October 2020). "Making Ozeki with a first title". NHK World Japan. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ "幕内最小兵・1メートル73の翔猿が最長身2メートル4の北青鵬に初対戦で「考えたとおり」作戦勝ち". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 25 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
- ^ "翔猿の"ゴリラ化"の達成具合は「全然です」基礎運動を増やして理想のゴリラの肉体目指す". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 12 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
- ^ "「大関去る御嶽海含め一層奮起を」横審委員長が大関陣に苦言「初代若乃花ほうふつ」若隆景に期待". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 26 September 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
- ^ "Tobizaru Masaya Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
- ^ Withdrew on Day 13 due to COVID protocols
External links
edit- Tobizaru Masaya's official biography (English) at the Grand Sumo Homepage