Rōga Tokiyoshi

In this Japanese shikona name, the surname is Rōga.

Rōga Tokiyoshi (Japanese: 狼雅 外喜義, born 2 March 1999 as Amartuvshin Amarsanaa (Russian: Амартувшин Амарсанаа) is a Russian-Mongolian professional sumo wrestler from Kyzyl, Tuva. Wrestling for the Futagoyama stable, he made his professional debut in September 2018, and became sekitori when he reached the jūryō division in November 2022. As of September 2018, he is the only wrestler from Russia competing in professional sumo.^[1][2]

Rōga Tokiyoshi
狼雅 外喜義
Rōga in November 2022
Personal information
Born	Amartuvshin Amarsanaa (1999-03-02) March 2, 1999 (age 25) Kyzyl, Tuva Russia
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in)
Weight	152 kg (335 lb; 23.9 st)
Career
Stable	Futagoyama
Current rank	see below
Debut	September 2018
Highest rank	Maegashira 8 (November 2024)
Championships	2 (Jonidan, Jonokuchi)
* Up to date as of 28 October 2024.

Early life and sumo background

Rōga was born to a Buryat father and a Tuvan and Russian mother.^[3] He grew up in Kyzyl, Tuva (Russia), a region near the border of Mongolia. As a kid he practiced sambo wrestling and judo.^[4] He moved to Mongolia at the age of 14 and obtained the Mongolian nationality at the age of 15.^[5] The adoption of Mongolian nationality has been the source of confusion since his professional debut, with Rōga first listed as Mongolian on the Japan Sumo Association website although he himself insists that he is Russian.^[4][2]

When he was 15, he travelled to Japan to participate in the 2014 Hakuhō Cup. He placed 8th in the individual junior high school division,^[6] so Yokozuna Hakuhō recommended him to enroll at Tottori Jōhoku High School's sumo club, where he became classmate with future makuuchi-ranked wrestler Takerufuji.^[7] In his third year, he defeated NSSU Kashiwa High School [ja] wrestler Hōshōryū at the Inter-High School Championships to become the first foreign-born high school yokozuna.^[4][5] Since then he has regularly announced his intention to close the ranking gap between himself and Hōshōryū, the latter having entered professional sumo before Rōga.^[8][9] After graduation, he was recruited into Futagoyama stable in September 2018 under a business visa.^[5]

Career

Early career

Rōga was given his shikona, or ring name, because it is a combination of the first kanji (雅) from his master's name (former ōzeki Miyabiyama) and "wolf" (狼), a symbol of strength coming from his Mongolian roots.^[10] The first shikona given name that was given to him, Chikara (力), means "strength". Rōga made a strong debut as he won all seven matches in his first tournament to claim the jonokuchi championship. In the following tournament, he remained undefeated and scored a victory against former ōzeki Terunofuji, who just made his return in competition, in a playoff to win the jonidan championship.^[8] In the following tournament he scored a 5–2 record and was promoted to the makushita division. With four consecutive 5-2 records, he was promoted to makushita 8 and was close to a jūryō promotion. However, due to injury, he achieved mixed results at the top makushita ranks.^[9] In March 2022, he changed his shikona first name "Chikara" to "Tokiyoshi".^[11] He chose this specific first name as a tribute to the principal of Tottori Jōhoku High School and president of his sumo club, Tokiyoshi Ishiura.^[6] In September 2022, while ranked at the top of makushita, Rōga ended the tournament with a 4–3 record and secured a jūryō promotion along Tsushimanada for the Kyūshū tournament of November.^[12] Rōga became the first sekitori from Futagoyama stable since its establishment in 2018 and the first wrestler from Russia to be promoted to jūryō since Amūru in 2012.^[13] Since his promotion he has secured winning records, reaching the rank of juryō 1 for the September 2023 tournament. During this tournament, Rōga managed to score an eighth victory on the final day of the championship over Ōnosato, beating one of the championship leaders by sukuinage.^[14]

During the October 2023 tour, Rōga took part for the first time in the joint sekitori training sessions, normally reserved for makuuchi-ranked wrestlers. During this training, along with maegashira Shōnannoumi and komusubi Tobizaru, he took part in the largest number of bouts of the day, wrestling 17 matches. It was noted by several observers that he fought on equal terms with the wrestlers in the highest division.^[15]

Makuuchi promotion

At the banzuke unveiling for the November 2023 tournament, it was announced that Rōga would be promoted to maegashira 16, making him the first wrestler from Russia to reach the makuuchi division in 9 years, after Amūru in November 2014. On the occasion of his promotion, his master, Futagoyama Oyakata, was delighted to see him make his debut in sumo's top division only a year after being promoted to the second-highest: jūryō.^[16]

Career record

Rōga Tokiyoshi^[17]

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
2018	x	x	x	x	x	(Maezumo)
2019	East Jonokuchi #23 7–0 Champion	West Jonidan #15 7–0–P Champion	East Sandanme #22 5–2	West Makushita #57 5–2	West Makushita #43 5–2	East Makushita #28 5–2
2020	East Makushita #17 5–2	East Makushita #8 2–5	West Makushita #16 Tournament Cancelled 0–0–0	West Makushita #16 2–5	West Makushita #30 6–1	West Makushita #12 6–1
2021	West Makushita #2 3–4	East Makushita #6 4–3	East Makushita #3 2–5	West Makushita #10 4–3	West Makushita #6 3–4	East Makushita #13 5–2
2022	East Makushita #7 3–4	East Makushita #12 6–1	East Makushita #4 4–3	East Makushita #2 4–3	West Makushita #1 4–3	West Jūryō #13 9–6
2023	East Jūryō #9 9–6	East Jūryō #5 8–7	West Jūryō #4 9–6	East Jūryō #2 8–7	East Jūryō #1 8–7	East Maegashira #16 5–10
2024	East Jūryō #3 9–6	West Maegashira #15 7–8	West Maegashira #15 7–8	West Maegashira #15 9–6	West Maegashira #10 8–7	East Maegashira #8 –
Record given as wins–losses–absences    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

See also

• Glossary of sumo terms
• List of active sumo wrestlers
• List of non-Japanese sumo wrestlers

References

1. "List of rikishi from Russia". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
2. Gunning, John (12 March 2020). "Roho's career defined by unsavory incidents". Japan Times. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
3. "大銀杏が待っている" [The Great Gingko Awaits]. Baseball Magazine's Sumo supplement (in Japanese) (February 2020). Baseball Magazine, Inc.: 83.
4. "序ノ口優勝の狼雅が告白「ボク、ロシア人なんです」". Sports Hochi (in Japanese). 25 January 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
5. "外国出身初の高校横綱・アマルトゥブシン・アマルサナーら５人全員が新弟子検査体格基準パス". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 4 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
6. "狼雅「少し時間かかった」入門から4年で新十両　高校横綱のプレッシャー乗り越えようやく開花". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 28 September 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
7. "日大出身・石岡弥輝也が伊勢ケ浜部屋入門　自身も膝の大ケガ乗り越え「横綱の生き方が響いた」". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 16 August 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
8. "狼雅　高校の先輩・照ノ富士を下して序二段優勝「凄い緊張しました」". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 24 March 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
9. "新十両の狼雅「何度も決めるチャンスはあったが自分が弱かった。決まってうれしい」と意欲". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 28 September 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
10. "史上初・外国出身高校横綱アマルサナーがデビュー　四股名は「狼雅」に決定". Abema Times (in Japanese). 24 October 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
11. "【春場所新番付】狼雅力が狼雅外喜義に　丹治大賀が大賀孝治に改名". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 28 February 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
12. "狼雅「少し時間かかった」入門から4年で新十両　高校横綱のプレッシャー乗り越えようやく開花". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 28 September 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
13. "ロシア出身の狼雅、新十両確実に「あと一番、自分の相撲を取りたい」／秋場所". Sankei Sports (in Japanese). 21 September 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
14. "大の里「自分が弱かった」初土俵から３場所目での十両優勝ならず　狼雅に敗れて12勝３敗". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 24 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
15. "【西尾巡業】新入幕確実の狼雅が申し合い17番「良い経験になりますね」連日の充実稽古". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 14 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
16. "ロシア出身の狼雅、番付表のしこ名「すごく大きくちゃんと見える」新入幕場所へ決死の増量作戦". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 30 October 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
17. "Rōga Chikara Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2023-05-06.

External links

Rōga Tokiyoshi's official biography (English) at the Grand Sumo Homepage