Wakaazuma Yoshinobu
若東 吉信
Personal information
BornFernando Yoshinobu Kuroda
(1976-04-21) April 21, 1976
São Paulo, Brazil
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight120.5 kg (266 lb; 18.98 st)
Career
StableTamanoi
Record251-217-30
DebutSeptember, 1991
Highest rankJūryō 13 (May, 2001)
* Up to date as of 31 August 2022.

Wakaazuma Yoshinobu (Japanese: 若東 吉信, born April 21, 1976, as Fernando Yoshinobu Kuroda (黒田 吉信 フェルナンド, Kuroda Yoshinobu Ferunando)), is a retired second generation Japanese Brazilian professional sumo wrestler (rikishi) from São Paulo, Brazil. Making his debut in September 1991, he reached the jūryō division in May 2001. His highest rank was jūryō 13. He retired from professional sumo in May 2003, going back to Brazil, where he opened many successful restaurants.[1]

Early life and sumo background

Yoshinobu started training when he was 4 years old, as his father was a coach in a sumo club in São Paulo,[2] in addition to sumo wrestling he also practiced swimming and soccer. In junior high school, Yoshinobu visited Fujishima stable to train alongside professional sumo wrestlers. When he was 15 years old, he met future ozeki Tochiazuma while he was in a trip to Brazil, where they became good friends. After graduating from junior high school, he and three other friends from the sumo club where he trained decided to go to Japan to become professional sumo wrestlers.[3] Yoshinobu also wanted to become a rikishi because his father, who tried to become a rikishi in his youth, failed the new disciples test due to his small stature. In September 1991, Yoshinobu and his friends officially joined Tamanoi stable.

Career

Tegata (hand print autograph) of Wakaazuma

When joining the stable, Yoshinobu was given the shikona (ring name) of "Wakaazuma" (若東) and he weighed only 70 kg on his first tournament. Even so, Wakaazuma had a good performance and even took part in a playoff for the jonokuchi yusho. He continued his career moving through the ranks, but he struggled on the makushita division where he stayed most of his career. However, in May 2001, after 58 tournaments, Wakaazuma was able to be promoted to the second division of jūryō, one of the only two divisions where a rikishi receives a monthly salary. Wakaazuma was the third brazilian in Sumo History to become a sekitori, after his stablemates and friends from the São Paulo sumo club, Ryūdō, in March 1994, and Kuniazuma, in September 2000. However, in his debut tournament in jūryō, Wakaazuma finished the tournament with a 4-11, a strong losing record, which immediately demoted him back to the makushita division.

Wakaazuma would remain in the lower divisions for the rest of his career in sumo and after 6 straight tournaments ending with losing records and with worsening injuries in his knees, he decided to retire from competition and return to Brazil.[4]

Retirement from sumo

Even after retiring from professional sumo, Yoshinobu continued training in the São Paulo sumo clubs and is sensei and chairman in the local sumo association. He also opened many restaurants in his hometown, including the "Izakaya Kuroda" and the "Kinboshi Karaokê", where he serves mainly hot dishes from the more traditional Japanese cuisine. Yoshinobu also helped train future sekiwake Kaisei in the sumo clubs in São Paulo and helped him become a professional sumo wrestler by presenting him to Tomozuna stable.[5]

Fighting style

Wakaazuma was a wrestler who preferred grappling to pushing and thrusting techniques. He specialized in kuisagari, a tactic used by smaller wrestlers which involved pushing his head against the opponent's chest while pushing on the front part of the mawashi. His most common winning kimarite were yorikiri (force out), oshidashi (push out), and shitatenage (underarm throw).

Career record

Wakaazuma Yoshinobu[6]
Year January
Hatsu basho, Tokyo
March
Haru basho, Osaka
May
Natsu basho, Tokyo
July
Nagoya basho, Nagoya
September
Aki basho, Tokyo
November
Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
1991 x x x x (Maezumo) West Jonokuchi #32
61P
 
1992 West Jonidan #82
43
 
West Jonidan #59
52
 
East Jonidan #20
25
 
West Jonidan #50
43
 
East Jonidan #25
52
 
West Sandanme #88
007
 
1993 East Jonidan #48
007
 
West Jonidan #118
61
 
East Jonidan #42
52
 
East Jonidan #2
61
 
East Sandanme #46
43
 
East Sandanme #31
52
 
1994 East Sandanme #6
52
 
East Makushita #45
34
 
West Sandanme #2
43
 
East Makushita #52
43
 
East Makushita #42
34
 
East Makushita #53
43
 
1995 West Makushita #41
241
 
East Sandanme #1
007
 
East Sandanme #1
34
 
West Sandanme #16
52
 
East Makushita #56
34
 
East Sandanme #8
43
 
1996 West Makushita #58
43
 
East Makushita #47
43
 
East Makushita #36
25
 
East Makushita #57
43
 
West Makushita #45
61
 
East Makushita #21
43
 
1997 East Makushita #14
43
 
West Makushita #10
34
 
West Makushita #17
43
 
East Makushita #11
16
 
West Makushita #42
52
 
East Makushita #23
34
 
1998 West Makushita #31
61
 
East Makushita #13
34
 
West Makushita #19
34
 
East Makushita #27
43
 
West Makushita #20
52
 
West Makushita #11
25
 
1999 East Makushita #30
43
 
West Makushita #22
43
 
East Makushita #17
43
 
West Makushita #11
43
 
West Makushita #6
25
 
East Makushita #18
43
 
2000 East Makushita #14
34
 
East Makushita #22
43
 
West Makushita #17
43
 
West Makushita #12
331
 
West Makushita #18
43
 
West Makushita #11
52
 
2001 West Makushita #6
43
 
West Makushita #4
43
 
West Jūryō #13
411
 
West Makushita #7
43
 
East Makushita #5
25
 
East Makushita #16
34
 
2002 East Makushita #24
61
 
West Makushita #9
43
 
West Makushita #5
34
 
West Makushita #9
25
 
West Makushita #21
25
 
East Makushita #40
34
 
2003 West Makushita #51
34
 
East Sandanme #4
34
 
West Sandanme #16
Retired
00
x x x
Record given as wins–losses–absencies    Top division champion Top division runner-up Retired Lower divisions Non-participation

Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique     Also shown: =Kinboshi; P=Playoff(s)
Divisions: Makuuchi Jūryō Makushita Sandanme Jonidan Jonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna Ōzeki Sekiwake Komusubi Maegashira

See also

References

  1. "Izakaya Kuroda by Little Tokyo" (in Portuguese). Veja São Paulo. October 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  2. "若東 吉信 相撲人の名鑑である" (in Japanese). fsinet.or.jp. Archived from the original on 2012-05-25. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  3. "O sonho de chegar à elite do sumô" (in Portuguese). Centenário da Imigração Japonesa. 11 October 2007. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  4. "Ex-lutador de sumô no Japão abre restaurante no Brasil" (in Portuguese). Globo.com. 10 May 2008. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  5. "元若東の黒田吉信さん「強くなりたい一心だった」自ら角界へと導いた元魁聖の友綱親方をたたえる" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. 31 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  6. "Wakaazuma Yoshinobu Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
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