Toyonoumi
| Toyonoumi Shinji | |
|---|---|
| 豊ノ海 真二 | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | Shinji Hamada September 22, 1965 Buzen, Fukuoka, Japan |
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 219 kg (483 lb) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Futagoyama → Fujishima → Futagoyama |
| Record | 655-661-0 |
| Debut | March, 1981 |
| Highest rank | Maegashira 1 (September, 1992) |
| Retired | March, 1999 |
| Championships | 2 (Jūryō) 1 (Makushita) |
| * Up to date as of Sep. 2012. | |
Toyonoumi Shinji (born 22 September 1965 as Shinji Hamada) is a former sumo wrestler from Buzen, Fukuoka, Japan. He made his professional debut in March 1981 and reached the top division in November 1988. He was known by the shikona Takanohama until 1990. His highest rank was maegashira 1. He did not miss a single bout in his 19-year professional career. Upon retirement from active competition he became an elder in the Japan Sumo Association, under the name Yamahibiki. He left the Sumo Association in June 2002.
Born Shinji Hamada in Buzen, Fukuoka, he was first spotted while at elementary school by ozeki Takanohana Kenshi, who was on a regional tour, and the youngster was promised a spot in Futagoyama stable. After graduating from junior high in March 1981, he made his professional debut alongside future sekiwake . In March 1982 he followed the now retired Takanohana to a new stable the former ozeki had founded, Fujishima. Having previously fought under his own surname of Hamada, to mark the occasion his shikona was modified to Takanohama. He rose steadily up the ranks, reaching the elite sekitori level in September 1987 when he was promoted to the juryo division. In November 1988 having won the juryo yusho or tournament championship he made his debut in the top makuuchi division alongside Saganobori. These two were the final new makuuchi wrestlers of the Showa era. He fell back to juryo in July 1989 but immediately returned. In July 1990 he switched to the shikona of Toyonoumi, which he was to use for the rest of his career. In January 1992 he took a second juryo division championship – in the same tournament that his stablemate Takahanada (the son of his stablemaster) won the makuuchi division title. In February 1993 he found himself back under the Futagoyama banner when his original stable and Fujishima merged following the retirement of Futagoyama Oyakata (former yokozuna Wakanohana Kanji I).
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