Asahifuji Seiya
| Asahifuji Seiya | |
|---|---|
| 旭富士 正也 | |
Asahifuji's handprint displayed on a monument in Ryōgoku, Tokyo
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| Personal information | |
| Born | Seiya Suginomori July 6, 1960 Tsugaru, Aomori |
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Weight | 148 kg (326 lb) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Ōshima |
| Record | 573-323-46 |
| Debut | January, 1981 |
| Highest rank | Yokozuna (July, 1990) |
| Retired | January, 1992 |
| Championships | 4 (Makuuchi) 1 (Makushita) 1 (Sandanme) 1 (Jonokuchi) |
| Special Prizes | Outstanding Performance (2) Fighting Spirit (2) Technique (5) |
| Gold Stars | 2 (Kitanoumi, Futahaguro) |
| * Up to date as of August 2007. | |
Asahifuji Seiya (Japanese: 旭富士 正也; born Seiya Suginomori on July 6, 1960) is a former sumo wrestler from Aomori, Japan. He joined professional sumo in 1981, reaching the top makuuchi division just two years later. He reached the second highest rank of ōzeki in 1987 and became the 63rd yokozuna in the history of the sport in 1990 at the age of 30. He won four tournaments and was a runner-up on nine other occasions. He retired in 1992 and is now the head coach of Isegahama stable.
He was born in the fishing town of Kizukuri in Nishitsugaru District. His father, who worked as an electrician, was a keen amateur sumo enthusiast and Vice President of the Prefectural Sumo Federation. He was determined to see his son succeed in sumo and even built a dohyō in the garden for him to practise. Asahifuji also did well at sumo at school, finishing third in a national schoolboy competition, and later winning the West Japan Student Newcomers tournament while studying at Kinki University. However, tiring of the never-ending training, he gave up sumo for a while and spent his time fishing. Eventually an acquaintance of his father introduced him to Ōshima-oyakata, former ōzeki Asahikuni, who had recently opened his own heya or stable of wrestlers, Ōshima stable.
Asahifuji made his professional debut in January 1981. He was already 20 years old, considerably older than most new recruits who tend to be 15 or 16. However, because of his amateur sumo experience he was able to work his way up the ranks very quickly and won tournament championships in the jonokuchi, sandanme and makushita divisions with perfect records. He reached the second highest jūryō division after only eight tournaments, a record that stood unbeaten until 2008. He was promoted to the top makuuchi division in March 1983. He won his first special prize for Fighting Spirit in the November 1984 tournament, where he finished runner-up. He reached sekiwake rank for the first time in January 1986. After regular training sessions at Takasago stable, where he knew Asashio from his university days, he began to develop a more rounded technique, and after three double figure scores he was promoted to sumo's second highest rank of ōzeki after the September 1987 tournament.
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