1. Terao Tsunefumi was born in Tokyo, but brought up in Kajiki, Aira District, Kagoshima, Japan.
21 Facts About Terao Tsunefumi
1. 2.
Terao Tsunefumi was the third son of former sekiwake Tsurugamine, and younger brother of Kakureizan and Sakahoko.
3.
Terao Tsunefumi's paternal grandfather was a cousin of Satsumanishiki.
4.
Terao Tsunefumi's father married the adopted daughter of former makushita Kaganishiki, who was adopted by Nishinoumi, the 25th yokozuna.
5.
Terao Tsunefumi took up sumo shortly after his mother died of cancer.
6.
Terao Tsunefumi joined Izutsu stable, which was run by his father, alongside his two brothers.
7.
Terao Tsunefumi started competing under the name Terao Setsuo after his mother's maiden name Setsuko Terao.
8.
Terao Tsunefumi first entered the second juryo division in July 1984.
9.
Terao Tsunefumi won the juryo division the next tournament and so reentered makuuchi in July 1985.
10.
Terao Tsunefumi changed his name to Terao Tsunefumi in November 1987, on the advice of a fortune-teller.
11.
Terao Tsunefumi defeated Chiyonofuji in the January 1989 tournament and won the Outstanding Performance Award.
12.
Terao Tsunefumi remained in makuuchi until May 2000 when he was finally demoted at age 37 after 90 consecutive top division tournaments.
13.
Terao Tsunefumi was referred to as the Tetsujin, or Iron Man, of sumo.
14.
Terao Tsunefumi's 110 tournaments ranked as a sekitori was an all-time record until it was broken by Kaio in 2010.
15.
Terao Tsunefumi was an oshi-sumo specialist, relying on pushing and thrusting techniques, keeping his opponent away from his mawashi.
16.
Terao Tsunefumi compensated by relying on his speed and agility, and was often able to use his quick reactions to outwit his heavier opponents.
17.
Terao Tsunefumi was well known for his rapid series of thrusts to the chest, enabling him to win many of his matches by hataki-komi, oshi-dashi and tsuki-dashi.
18.
Terao Tsunefumi was a toshiyori known as Shikoroyama Oyakata.
19.
Terao Tsunefumi decided not to take any wrestlers from Izutsu stable with him, recruiting all the new stable's wrestlers himself.
20.
Terao Tsunefumi was admitted to the hospital again in September 2023 with heart issues.
21.
Terao Tsunefumi's health had been improving, but on 16 December 2023 his condition took a sudden turn for the worse.