Sumo Scene / Former Sekiwake Takarafuji Steps Down From Ring; Wrestler Considered ‘Iron Man’ of Sumo with Tamawashi, Kaiketsu

By Kuniyuki Kamimura / Yomiuri Shimbun Senior Writer

16:40 JST, October 29, 2025

When the subject of who is the “iron man” of present-day sumo comes up, the name Tamawashi inevitably springs into the most people’s minds.

The Mongolian-born wrestler, who will turn 41 in November, first stepped up to the raised ring at the 2004 New Year Grand Sumo Tournament — and has never missed a match since, giving him the record for longest streak of consecutive appearances with over 1,700. Along the way, he has won two tournament titles, and is still ranked in the upper half of the makuuchi division. He is the epitome of a sumo wrestler.

Although he lacked the flair of Tamawashi, another durable wrestler was Takarafuji, who plugged away at his craft until quietly leaving the ring for the final time at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament in September at age 38.

The former sekiwake slumped to a heavy losing record in the second-tier juryo division and, facing certain demotion to the makushita division, decided to bring an end to his 17-year career. He will now mentor wrestlers as sumo elder Kiriyama.

Takarafuji was also a constant presence in the ring at tournaments, never missing a bout. In the end, he chalked up 1,398 consecutive matches, the sixth longest streak in sumo history.

Hailing from Aomori Prefecture, which is known for producing sumo wrestlers, Takarafuji’s dogged ability to powerfully grip his opponent’s belt with both hands caused plenty of headaches for higher-ranked wrestlers over the years, including Hakuho, Kakuryu and Kisenosato.

At a press conference to announce his retirement, Takarafuji said, “My body has reached its limit,” adding that he had continued competing with the mindset that “the day I miss a bout would be the day I retire.” Although recently bothered by shoulder, arm, leg and other injuries, Takarafuji was never one to complain and forged on with remarkable grit.

Hearing Takarafuji’s comment reminded me of another prominent wrestler who uttered the memorable line, “Withdrawing from a tournament means giving up.”

The speaker was former ozeki Kaiketsu, who was at his peak in the 1970s and later became chairman of the Japan Sumo Association as sumo elder Hanaregoma. As he worked his way up to the second highest rank, Kaiketsu would never utter the words “I’ll sit out a match,” even when he was injured or in poor form.

Professional sumo involves bodies crashing into each other in serious competition. Injuries are, to some extent, part and parcel of being a sumo wrestler. But he worked hard and constantly prepared to reduce them. One can only admire the sense of responsibility Kaiketsu felt each time he stepped into the ring as a popular wrestler.

The common thread linking Kaike-tsu, Tamawashi and Takarafuji was their dedication to repeating the fundamental sumo movements in training and keeping their bodies in top physical condition. There are many things we can learn from seeing the efforts of these three, each of whom truly deserves the moniker of “iron man.”

— Kamimura is a sumo expert.