Midorifuji Kazunari

In this Japanese shikona name, the surname is Midorifuji.

Midorifuji Kazunari
翠富士 一成
File:Midorifuji Kazunari20220115.jpg
Personal information
Born	Kazunari Ihara (1996-08-30) August 30, 1996 Yaizu, Shizuoka, Japan
Height
Weight	117 kg (258 lb; 18.4 st)
Career
Stable	Isegahama
University	Kindai University
Current rank	see below
Debut	September, 2016
Highest rank	Maegashira 1 (September, 2022)
Championships	1 (Juryo)
Special Prizes	1 (Technique)
* Up to date as of 22 January 2023.

Midorifuji Kazunari (翠富士 一成, born Kazunari Ihara (庵原 一成, Ihara Kazunari) on August 30, 1996) is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Yaizu, Shizuoka. He is a graduate of Kindai University. He debuted in sumo wrestling in September 2016 and made his makuuchi debut in January 2021. His highest rank has been maegashira 1. He wrestles for Isegahama stable.

Career

He began participating in sumo from elementary school, and was a member of the sumo club at junior high and at high school, competing in national competitions. He attended Kindai University, and was also a member of the sumo club there, but left during his second year, and eventually he returned to his hometown. It was during a visit there by the head coach of Isegahama stable, the former yokozuna Asahifuji, that he was persuaded to join professional sumo. He joined at the same time as his stablemate Nishikifuji, and the two met in playoffs for the jonokuchi and jonidan division yusho or championships in their first two official tournaments in November 2016 and January 2017, with Midorifuji losing both. In January 2020 ranked at makushita 2 he earned promotion to the sekitori ranks for the first time with a 5-2 record. However, he still weighed barely 100 kg (220 lb) and turned in a losing 7-8 record in his jūryō division debut. He managed to remain in the division, and in September 2020 he produced an 11-4 record. In the following November 2020 tournament a 10-5 score was enough to earn him his first career championship (after a playoff win over Kyokushūhō), and also promotion to the top makuuchi division.

Midorifuji was the fifth top division wrestler from Shizuoka Prefecture since World War II and the first since Sagatsukasa in 2010. Ahead of his debut he said he hoped to emulate fellow small wrestlers Enhō and Terutsuyoshi. In his top division debut in January 2021 Midorifuji scored nine wins against six losses and won the ginosho or Technique prize, only the seventh wrestler to receive this award in his first makuuchi tournament and the first since Tochinohana in May 2000. Five of his nine wins were by the kimarite of katasukashi, or under-shoulder swing down. Midorifuji said he was happy to have received the award, but regretted that he had not managed ten wins. This performance saw him promoted to his highest rank to date of maegasahira 10 for the March 2021 tournament, where he produced a 5–10 record. He withdrew from the May 2021 tournament due to a herniated disc in his back, requiring two months of treatment. Upon his comeback in July 2021, ranked in the jūryō division, he could only manage a 6-9 record. In March 2022 a 12–3 score saw him promoted back to the top division for the May tournament.

Fighting style

Midorifuji's Japan Sumo Association profile lists his favourite techniques as oshi (pushing) and katasukashi (under shoulder swing down). He has won 25 percent of his career matches to date with the latter technique, compared to an average among other wrestlers of just one percent. In November 2020 he beat Jōkōryū with the rare technique of zubuneri, or head pivot throw, which had not been seen at sekitori level in 22 years.

Career record

Midorifuji Kazunari

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
2016	x	x	x	x	(Maezumo)	West Jonokuchi #21 7–0–P
2017	West Jonidan #10 7–0–P	West Sandanme #19 5–2	West Makushita #57 4–3	West Makushita #46 3–4	East Makushita #57 4–3	East Makushita #46 4–3
2018	East Makushita #39 3–4	West Makushita #48 6–1	West Makushita #20 2–5	East Makushita #36 5–2	East Makushita #23 3–4	West Makushita #32 4–3
2019	West Makushita #26 4–3	East Makushita #19 4–3	East Makushita #13 4–3	West Makushita #11 5–2	East Makushita #4 2–5	East Makushita #12 6–1
2020	East Makushita #2 5–2	West Jūryō #11 7–8	East Jūryō #12 Tournament Cancelled 0–0–0	East Jūryō #12 8–7	West Jūryō #10 11–4	Jūryō #2 10–5 Champion
2021	West Maegashira #14 9–6 T	East Maegashira #10 5–10	West Maegashira #15 Sat out due to injury 0–0–15	West Jūryō #9 6–9	West Jūryō #11 8–7	East Jūryō #8 7–8
2022	West Jūryō #8 9–6	East Jūryō #6 12–3	West Maegashira #16 9–6	West Maegashira #11 10–5	West Maegashira #1 7–8	West Maegashira #3 8–7
2023	West Maegashira #3 6–9	West Maegashira #5 –	x	x	x	x
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Retired Lower Divisions Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique     Also shown: ★=Kinboshi(s); P=Playoff(s) Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna — Ōzeki — Sekiwake — Komusubi — Maegashira

See also

• Glossary of sumo terms
• List of active sumo wrestlers
• List of sumo tournament second division champions
• Active special prize winners

External links

• Midorifuji Kazunari's official biography (English) at the Grand Sumo Homepage