Takerufuji Mikiya

Takerufuji Mikiya (尊富士 弥輝也), born April 9, 1999, as Mikiya Ishioka (石岡 弥輝也, Ishioka Mikiya) is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Kanagi, Aomori Prefecture (now Goshogawara). His highest rank is maegashira 17.

Early life and sumo background

Mikiya Ishioka was born in the rural district of Kitatsugaru. His family are no strangers to sumo, his grandfather being an amateur wrestler and the coach of a local club. Ishioka began to take an interest in sport at nursery school. When he became a professional, he remembered that he used to go to training sessions so that they could give him pocket money to buy karaage. During his fourth year at elementary school, he took part in the National Wanpaku Championships, reaching the top 8 in the individual competition and winning the team competition with his school. He then chose to leave his hometown to join Tsugaru's Asahifuji Sumo Club (旭富士ジュニアクラブ). In his third year of junior high school, he won third place in the individual competition of the National Junior High School Tournament. He was also in the top eight of the individual competition of the All Junior High School Tournament. Finally, his team won the 2014 Hakuhō Cup team competition and he finished third place in the individual competition.

After junior high school, he enrolled at Tottori Jōhoku High School, a senior high school famous for its sumo club, where he became classmate with future makuuchi-ranked wrestler Rōga. There, he however also suffered from repeated knee injuries, including a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He managed to rank himself in the top 8 of the Kanazawa's National High School Tournament.

After high school, he continued his amateur career by joining Nihon University, where he was classmate with Miyagino stable's Kihō and Ōtani [ja]. In his second year there he injured his right knee and almost gave up on becoming a professional rikishi. Pushing through, he still achieved second place in the individual competition at the All-Japan University Invitational Tournament in Kanazawa.

However, he decided to turn professional, inspired by the record-breaking repromotion of Terunofuji, a former alumnus of Jōhoku High. He joined Isegahama stable because Terunofuji belongs to this heya and because stablemaster Isegahama (former yokozuna Asahifuji) maintained a training camp in Aomori, which enabled Ishioka to be in contact with the stable since his junior high school years.

Career

Early career

Ishioka was given the shikona, or ring name, Takerufuji (尊富士) with the kanji denoting a person of high rank (尊), with the hope that it will reach a high rank, combined with the kanji -fuji (富士) from the stablemaster's own name (Asahifuji). In the stable, he lives with stablemate and upper-division wrestler Nishikifuji.

In his first professional tournament, Takerufuji won the jonokuchi division with a perfect score, inflicting defeat on former makuuchi wrestler Kyokutaisei, who was making his return to tournament action after a three-tournament absence due to injury. At the following tournament, he won his second title, once again taking seven wins in jonidan. Takerufuji suffered his first defeat when he lost his third sandanme match, finishing the tournament with a score of 6–1. Promoted to makushita, Takerufuji continued to produce solid results but were unable to win the division's championship. His results did, however, earn him promotion to the jūryō division for the first tournament of 2024, when he recorded a fourth (kachi-koshi) victory over Tsushimanada. This promotion to sekitori status, secured for his eighth tournament, makes Takerufuji the seventh fastest wrestler to earn this promotion in sumo's modern history, ex-aequo with his stablemate Atamifuji and former ōzeki Konishiki VI.

Takerufuji began his sekitori career by becoming the eighth wrestler in sumo's modern history to record eight consecutive victories in his first jūryō tournament with a victory over Shishi. He later won the jūryō championship at his inaugural tournament, coinciding this victory with that of his stablemate, Yokozuna Terunofuji, who won the makuuchi one. Unusually, Takerufuji served as flag bearer in his senior's victory parade.

Makuuchi

When the announcement of his promotion was official he commented he had hoped to equal the records for makuuchi promotions in nine tournaments since professional debut, which Jōkōryū had managed to achieve. Having been promoted after just one tournament in jūryō, Takerufuji is also the first wrestler since Endō in 2013 to achieve this feat, being the seventh overall in sumo's modern history.

Fighting style

Takerufuji specializes in pushing and thrusting techniques (tsuki/oshi). He regularly wins by oshi-dashi (push out) and hataki-komi (slap down).

It is also noted that he can lift 220 kg (490 lb; 35 st) in the bench press. Nevertheless, after the January 2024 tournament, he revealed that on the advice of Yokozuna Terunofuji he had refrained from continuing any strength training in order to focus more on the lower body.

Career record

　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　 　　

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
2022	x	x	x	x	(Maezumo)	West Jonokuchi #15 7–0 Champion
2023	West Jonidan #15 7–0 Champion	West Sandanme #19 6–1	East Makushita #41 6–1	East Makushita #17 6–1	East Makushita #6 5–2	West Makushita #1 6–1
2024	East Jūryō #10 13–2 Champion	East Maegashira #17 –	x	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