Toyozakura
| Toyozakura Toshiaki | |
|---|---|
| 豊桜 俊昭 | |
 |
|
| Personal information | |
| Born | Toshiaki Mukō March 12, 1974 Hiroshima, Japan |
| Height | 1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 137 kg (302 lb; 21.6 st) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Michinoku, formerly Tatsutagawa |
| Record | 683-671-20 |
| Debut | March, 1989 |
| Highest rank | Maegashira 5 (September, 2004) |
| Retired | April 2011 |
| Championships | 1 (Jūryō) 2 (Makushita) 1 (Sandanme) |
| Special Prizes | Fighting Spirit (1) |
| * Up to date as of Jan 2011. | |
Toyozakura Toshiaki (born March 12, 1974 as Toshiaki Mukō) is a former sumo wrestler from Hiroshima, Japan. He made his debut in 1989, and after many years in the lower ranks he reached the top division for the first time in 2003. His highest rank was maegashira 5. He was a runner-up in one tournament and earned one special prize for Fighting Spirit. He is the younger brother of Kitazakura. He was forced to retire in April 2011 after an investigation by the Japan Sumo Association found him guilty of match-fixing.
Toyozakura's father was also a sumo wrestler, who fought under the same shikona or sumo name, but he never climbed higher than the fourth sandanme division. He encouraged his son to join a different stable than Kitakazura, so Toyozakura joined Tatsutagawa stable. This stable folded in 2000 upon the stablemaster's retirement and Toyozakura moved to Michinoku stable. He made his professional debut in March 1989. He first reached elite sekitori status in September 1998 upon promotion to the second jūryō division but he could not maintain that rank. It took him another five years to reach the top division, which he finally achieved in November 2003 after re-entering the second division in September 2002. The 88 tournaments it took him to get there is the sixth slowest ever - even longer than Kitazakura, who took 86 tournaments to reach makuuchi (in 2001).
Though Toyozakura is lesser known than his brother Kitazakura, he spent 17 tournaments in the top makuuchi division, which was five more than his brother, and he also reached a higher rank, maegashira 5. He achieved this after a strong 12-3 record in July 2004, where he finished runner-up to Yokozuna Asashōryū, winning the Fighting Spirit prize. He peaked with this performance however, as he only managed a majority of wins against losses on two further occasions in makuuchi, and spent more time back in jūryō than in the top division.
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