Chikubayama
| Chikubayama Masakuni | |
|---|---|
| 竹葉山 真邦 | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | Tazaki Makoto August 21, 1957 Ukiha, Fukuoka, Japan |
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Weight | 116 kg (256 lb; 18.3 st) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Miyagino |
| Record | 442-402-21 |
| Debut | March, 1973 |
| Highest rank | Maegashira 13 (September 1986) |
| Retired | January, 1989 |
| Championships | 1 (Jūryō) |
| * Up to date as of July 2008. | |
Chikubayama Masakuni (born August 21, 1957 as Makoto Tazaki) is a former sumo wrestler from Ukiha, Fukuoka, Japan. He made his professional debut in 1973, breaking into the top makuuchi division thirteen years later in 1986. His highest rank was maegashira 13. After retiring in 1989 he became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association. He is the head coach of the Miyagino stable and his most successful wrestler is yokozuna Hakuhō.
He did sumo from a young age but played baseball at junior high school as there was no sumo team available. He joined Miyagino stable after graduation. His ring name (shikona) was named after former yokozuna Yoshibayama, his stablemaster, and it also references Chikugo, Fukuoka. His active career was relatively modest. He made his professional debut in March 1973 (alongside future sekiwake Koboyama), using his real name of Tazaki as his shikona. In March 1974 upon promotion to the sandanme division he became Chikubayama. He first reached sekitori status in November 1978 when he was promoted to the juryo division but he lasted only one tournament, falling back to the unpaid ranks. It took over four years, until January 1983, for him to win promotion back to juryo and again he had a losing record and was demoted after only one tournament. After regular and intense training sessions with top division wrestler Kaiki of the Tomozuna stable he won promotion for the third time in March 1984, and finally established himself in juryo. However he did not reach the top makuuchi division until September 1986, 81 tournaments after his professional debut – the second slowest ever at the time. He spent only two tournaments in the top division, peaking at maegashira 13. He was small compared to his contemporaries, at just 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) tall and weighing around 116 kg (256 lb; 18.3 st).
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