21 Facts About Kirishima Kazuhiro

Kirishima Kazuhiro is a former sumo wrestler from Makizono, Kagoshima, Japan, who held the second highest rank of ozeki from 1990 to 1992 and won one top division tournament championship, and was runner up in seven others.

Kirishima Kazuhiro retired in March 1996, and from December 1997 until April 2024 was the head coach of Michinoku stable under the elder name of Michinoku.

Kirishima Kazuhiro was given the sumo name Kirishima, which came from the national park in his native Kagoshima Prefecture.

Kirishima Kazuhiro reached the juryo division by May 1982, but only lasted one tournament there.

Kirishima Kazuhiro reached the top makuuchi division for the first time in July 1984, and won a sansho in his very first tournament.

Kirishima Kazuhiro was a fitness fanatic who started out running several kilometres before morning training started at 6am.

One of the lightest wrestlers in the division, Kirishima earned a reputation as a giant-killer, defeating heavyweights such as Onokuni and Konishiki several times.

Kirishima Kazuhiro had reached sumo's second highest rank at the age of nearly 31, and the 91 tournaments it took him is the slowest ever promotion to ozeki.

Kirishima Kazuhiro defeated three yokozuna on three consecutive days in this tournament, a feat not achieved again by a non-yokozuna until Kotoshogiku did it in January 2016.

Kirishima Kazuhiro was only the second non-yokozuna after Wakashimazu in 1984 to do so.

Kirishima Kazuhiro was runner-up in the tournaments of September 1991, March 1992 and July 1992.

Rather than retire, Kirishima Kazuhiro chose to carry on fighting in the maegashira ranks.

Kirishima Kazuhiro was the oldest wrestler in any of the professional sumo divisions at the time of his retirement, and was the last active wrestler born in the 1950s.

Kirishima Kazuhiro has produced several wrestlers with top division experience, including Jumonji, Toyozakura and Hakuba.

Kirishima Kazuhiro resigned his post as Operations director in the Sumo Association.

Kirishima Kazuhiro manages a chanko restaurant, Chanko Kirishima Kazuhiro, on Kokugikan Street in Ryogoku, which is one of the more successful restaurants run by former wrestlers.

Kirishima Kazuhiro was a yotsu sumo wrestler who preferred grappling techniques to pushing and thrusting.

Kirishima Kazuhiro's favoured grip on the opponent's mawashi was hidari-yotsu, a right hand outside, left hand inside position.

Kirishima Kazuhiro's trademark was tsuri-dashi, a technique requiring tremendous strength and seldom seen today due to the increasing weight of wrestlers and the risk of back injury.

Kirishima Kazuhiro used tsuri-dashi 29 times in the 15-year period from January 1990, more than any other wrestler.

Kirishima Kazuhiro used it to defeat Chiyonofuji on the sixth day of the March 1990 tournament, leaving Chiyonofuji stuck on 999 wins and delaying the celebrations in the stadium of what would have been the yokozuna's 1000th career victory.