Photo by Michihiro Taguchi — shot ringside.
In sumo, Chiyonofuji is remembered as one of the sport’s greatest yokozuna — a wrestler who won 31 yusho and put together a 53-bout winning streak despite competing at a far lighter weight than his rivals. He was the first wrestler to reach 1,000 career wins, and he finished with 1,045. He died on July 31 of pancreatic cancer at the age of 61.
Glory built on 31 championships
Of all Chiyonofuji’s achievements, the two that stand out most plainly are his 31 yusho and his run of 53 straight wins. The 31 titles trailed only Taiho’s 32, the highest mark at the time. It is tempting to think he could have pushed past it with a little more, but the 31 came from competing right up to his limit.
One stretch sets him apart: within a single year he won a championship as sekiwake, again as ozeki, and again as yokozuna. Kitanoumi also passed through sekiwake, ozeki and yokozuna inside one year, but he took titles only as sekiwake and ozeki. Chiyonofuji also holds the record for the most championships won at age 30 or older, with 19 — and 21 counting from the year he turned 30 onward. Breaking those marks would not come easily.
A 53-bout winning streak
His streak of 53 consecutive wins overtook Taiho’s 45 and stood second at the time behind Futabayama’s 69. Hakuho would later put together 63 straight. There is one telling difference in how these streaks ended: Futabayama, Taiho and Hakuho all had theirs stopped by a maegashira from the rank and file, while Chiyonofuji alone was stopped by a fellow yokozuna, Onokuni.
First to 1,000 career wins
Chiyonofuji was the first wrestler ever to reach 1,000 career wins. The previous record had been Kitanoumi’s 951, so the milestone was genuinely uncharted territory. He carried the total all the way to 1,045 before he was done. The record was later passed by Kaio, with Hakuho closing in afterward.
Greatness at 125 kilos
What makes all of this remarkable is the body he did it with. At a time when the average weight in the makuuchi division was 145 kilograms, Chiyonofuji competed at just 125. For a record like his, there was talk of an ichidai-toshiyori — a one-generation elder name reserved for the truly exceptional. He turned it down, unwilling to take on a stable whose name would vanish after a single generation.
Illness and a death mourned too soon
Chiyonofuji had been suffering from pancreatic cancer and underwent surgery the previous September. In the period that followed, he was seen in good health less and less often. The cancer spread, and on the evening of July 31 he passed away at the age of 61. Fans grieved deeply over a death that came far too early — the same age, 61, at which Kitanoumi had died not long before.
Frequently asked questions
Q. How many championships did Chiyonofuji win?
He won 31 yusho, second only to Taiho’s 32, which was the highest mark at the time.
Q. Was Chiyonofuji really lighter than other wrestlers?
Yes. He competed at about 125 kilograms while the makuuchi division averaged 145, which made his record all the more striking.
Q. What was Chiyonofuji’s career win total?
He was the first wrestler to reach 1,000 career wins and finished with 1,045, breaking Kitanoumi’s previous record of 951.
Photos by Michihiro Taguchi, shot ringside.
