Tamakasuga
| Tamakasuga Ryōji | |
|---|---|
| 玉春日 良二 | |
 |
|
| Personal information | |
| Born | Ryōji Matsumoto January 7, 1972 Seiyo, Ehime, Japan |
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Weight | 155 kg (342 lb) |
| Web presence | website |
| Career | |
| Stable | Kataonami |
| University | Chuo University |
| Record | 603-636-39 |
| Debut | January 1994 |
| Highest rank | Sekiwake (July, 1997) |
| Retired | September 2008 |
| Championships | 1 (Jūryō) |
| Special Prizes | Outstanding Performance (1) Fighting Spirit (2) Technique (2) |
| Gold Stars | 7 Takanohana II (3) Wakanohana III (2) Musashimaru Akebono |
| * Up to date as of Sept 2008. | |
Tamakasuga Ryōji (born January 7, 1972 as Ryōji Matsumoto) is a former sumo wrestler from Seiyo, Ehime Prefecture, Japan. A former amateur sumo champion, he made his professional debut in 1994 and reached a highest rank of sekiwake in 1997. He fought in the top makuuchi division for twelve years, won five special prizes and earned seven gold stars for defeating yokozuna. He retired in 2008 and is now a sumo coach. In February 2010 he took over the running of Kataonami stable.
He entered professional sumo in January 1994, after having practiced sumo at Chuo University. He joined Kataonami stable, adopting the shikona (fighting name) of Tamakasuga ("Tama", meaning "jewel", being a common prefix at his stable). Because of his achievements in amateur sumo he was allowed to enter at the bottom of the third makushita division, skipping the lower divisions. After steady but unspectacular progress he reached the jūryō division in March 1995 and was promoted to the top division five tournaments after that, in January 1996. He scored ten wins in his top division debut and was awarded the Fighting Spirit prize.
Tamakasuga had a long career in the top makuuchi division of sumo, earning seven gold stars for defeating yokozuna. He upset yokozuna Akebono, Wakanohana and Takanohana in three successive tournaments from September 1998 to January 1999. The highest rank he achieved was sekiwake, but he never achieved a kachi-koshi win/loss ratio as a san'yaku wrestler, managing only a 7-8 score in his sekiwake debut, and then a 6-9 as komusubi in the next tournament. Subsequently, he spent his career either as a rank and file maegashira, or fighting his way back into the top division, as he was demoted to jūryō a number of times.
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