Aobajō Yukio

Aobajō Yukio (Japanese: 青葉城 幸雄, born 14 November 1948 as Yukio Shōji (庄司 幸雄)) is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. He did not miss a single bout in his 22-year professional career, and holds the record for the most consecutive matches fought, at 1,630. After his retirement from active competition he was an elder of the Japan Sumo Association and a coach.

In this Japanese shikona name, the surname is Aobajō.

Aobajō Yukio
青葉城 幸雄
Aobajō in December 2011
Personal information
BornShōji Yukio
(1948-11-14) 14 November 1948
Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan
Height1.81 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Weight152 kg (335 lb; 23.9 st)
Career
StableNishonoseki, Oshiogawa
Record789-842-0
DebutMarch 1964
Highest rankSekiwake (July 1983)
RetiredJuly 1986
Elder nameShiranui
Championships1 (Jūryō)
1 (Makushita)
Special PrizesFighting Spirit (1)
Gold Stars1 (Kitanoumi)
* Up to date as of June 2020.

Career

He made his debut in March 1964, joining Nishonoseki stable. He reached the top makuuchi division for the first time in January 1975. In only his fourth top division tournament he was a tournament runner-up, won a sanshō (for Fighting Spirit) and earned a kinboshi for defeating a yokozuna. He was never to achieve any of those things again, but he fought in the top division for 62 tournaments in total. He made his san'yaku debut in September 1975 at komusubi and in October of that year he followed the former ōzeki Daikirin to the newly established Oshiogawa stable.[1] He dropped into the jūryō division in 1981, but fought his way back, and an 8-7 score at maegashira 1 in May 1983 took him to his highest rank of sekiwake, which he held for just one tournament. This was his second and final appearance in the san'yaku ranks, 47 tournaments after his first - the longest such gap since the six tournaments per year schedule began in 1958. It had also taken him 116 tournaments from his professional debut to reach sekiwake, which is the slowest ever. In 1985 he surpassed Fujizakura's record of 1,543 consecutive career appearances, and when he retired in July 1986, having not missed any matches since his debut, he had set a new record of 1,630 consecutive bouts. He was nearly 38 years old, having been an active wrestler for over 22 years.

Retirement from sumo

After retirement from active competition he became an elder in the Japan Sumo Association (at Deputy Director level) under the name Shiranui Oyakata.[2] He coached at the Oshiogawa and Oguruma stables and reached the Sumo Association's mandatory retirement age of 65 in November 2013.[3]

Fighting style

Aobajo was a yotsu-sumo wrestler, preferring a hidari-yotsu, or right hand outside, left hand inside grip on his opponent's mawashi. His most common winning kimarite was yori-kiri (force out). He also regularly used tsuri-dashi (the lift out) and sukuinage (the scoop throw).

Career record
Aobajō Yukio[4]
Year in sumo January
Hatsu basho, Tokyo		 March
Haru basho, Osaka		 May
Natsu basho, Tokyo		 July
Nagoya basho, Nagoya		 September
Aki basho, Tokyo		 November
Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
1964 x (Maezumo) East Jonokuchi #24
3–4
 		 East Jonidan #131
5–2
 		 West Jonidan #74
3–4
 		 East Jonidan #84
5–2
 
1965 West Jonidan #33
2–5
 		 East Jonidan #65
4–3
 		 West Jonidan #35
1–6
 		 East Jonidan #70
2–5
 		 West Jonidan #87
4–3
 		 West Jonidan #46
3–4
 
1966 East Jonidan #65
5–2
 		 East Jonidan #25
6–1
 		 West Sandanme #71
5–2
 		 West Sandanme #29
4–3
 		 East Sandanme #10
4–3
 		 West Makushita #89
3–4
 
1967 West Makushita #98
3–4
 		 West Sandanme #7
4–3
 		 West Sandanme #39
4–3
 		 West Sandanme #22
3–4
 		 West Sandanme #30
5–2
 		 West Sandanme #6
4–3
 
1968 West Makushita #55
4–3
 		 East Makushita #44
3–4
 		 East Makushita #52
5–2
 		 East Makushita #39
5–2
 		 West Makushita #26
3–4
 		 East Makushita #31
4–3
 
1969 West Makushita #25
3–4
 		 West Makushita #31
4–3
 		 West Makushita #25
4–3
 		 East Makushita #22
5–2
 		 East Makushita #10
4–3
 		 East Makushita #8
4–3
 
1970 East Makushita #7
2–5
 		 West Makushita #15
3–4
 		 West Makushita #20
4–3
 		 East Makushita #15
5–2
 		 East Makushita #7
3–4
 		 East Makushita #12
6–1–P
Champion
 
1971 East Makushita #4
4–3
 		 West Makushita #2
5–2
 		 West Jūryō #12
8–7
 		 West Jūryō #9
8–7
 		 East Jūryō #8
7–8
 		 West Jūryō #9
7–8
 
1972 West Jūryō #10
9–6
 		 East Jūryō #4
8–7
 		 West Jūryō #2
5–10
 		 East Jūryō #7
6–9
 		 East Jūryō #9
7–8
 		 East Jūryō #10
9–6
 
1973 West Jūryō #4
3–12
 		 West Jūryō #13
2–13
 		 East Makushita #10
4–3
 		 East Makushita #9
5–2
 		 West Makushita #5
4–3
 		 East Makushita #3
4–3
 
1974 East Makushita #1
5–2
 		 West Jūryō #12
9–6
 		 East Jūryō #7
8–7
 		 West Jūryō #5
7–8
 		 West Jūryō #6
8–7
 		 East Jūryō #3
10–5–P
 
1975 West Maegashira #11
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #10
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #7
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #5
12–3
F★		 East Komusubi #1
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #3
6–9
 
1976 West Maegashira #5
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #2
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #5
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #1
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #1
3–12
 		 East Maegashira #8
8–7
 
1977 East Maegashira #5
6–9
 		 West Maegashira #8
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #2
7–8
 		 West Maegashira #3
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #7
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #8
7–8
 
1978 East Maegashira #9
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #5
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #3
3–12
 		 West Maegashira #12
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #6
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #5
6–9
 
1979 West Maegashira #8
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #2
3–12
 		 West Maegashira #9
8–7
 		 Maegashira #6
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #11
10–5
 		 West Maegashira #3
5–10
 
1980 West Maegashira #7
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #12
9–6
 		 West Maegashira #7
4–11
 		 East Maegashira #13
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #11
4–11
 		 West Jūryō #4
8–7
 
1981 East Jūryō #2
7–8
 		 West Jūryō #2
6–9
 		 West Jūryō #6
8–7
 		 West Jūryō #2
10–5
Champion
 		 West Maegashira #11
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #7
7–8
 
1982 West Maegashira #8
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #3
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #5
7–8
 		 West Maegashira #6
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #3
4–11
 		 East Maegashira #10
9–6
 
1983 West Maegashira #4
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #8
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #1
8–7
 		 West Sekiwake #1
4–11
 		 East Maegashira #5
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #6
8–7
 
1984 East Maegashira #2
6–9
 		 West Maegashira #3
6–9
 		 West Maegashira #6
7–8
 		 West Maegashira #9
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #5
4–11
 		 West Maegashira #11
10–5
 
1985 East Maegashira #3
6–9
 		 West Maegashira #5
6–9
 		 West Maegashira #9
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #5
5–10
 		 West Maegashira #11
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #6
6–9
 
1986 East Maegashira #12
4–11
 		 East Jūryō #4
8–7
 		 East Jūryō #2
4–11
 		 West Jūryō #10
Retired
4–8–0		 x x
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Top Division Runner-up Retired Lower Divisions

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. Sharnoff, Lora (1993). Grand Sumo. Weatherhill. p. 197. ISBN 0-8348-0283-X.
  2. "Who's who: Oyakata (coaches)". Japan Sumo Association. Archived from the original on 2 February 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  3. 定年３親方が記者会見、思い出しみじみ. Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 22 November 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  4. "Aobajō Yukio Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
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