Fujinokawa Seigō
| Fujinokawa Seigō | |
|---|---|
| 藤ノ川 成剛 | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | Seigō Saitō February 22, 2005 Edogawa, Tokyo, Japan |
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 120 kg (260 lb; 19 st) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Isenoumi |
| Current rank | see below |
| Debut | January 2023 |
| Highest rank | Maegashira 7 (January 2026) |
| Championships | 1 (Sandanme) |
| Special Prizes | Fighting Spirit (1) |
Last updated: December 22, 2025 | |
Fujinokawa Seigō (Japanese: 藤ノ川 成剛; born February 22, 2005 as Seigō Saitō (齋藤 成剛, Saitō Seigō)) is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Edogawa, Tokyo and wrestles for the Isenoumi stable. He is the son of former maegashira wrestler Ōikari, who also wrestled for the same stable.
Early career
Fujinokawa was born in Edogawa, Tokyo as the eldest son of former makuuchi sumo wrestler Ōikari.[1]
During his third year at Saitama Sakae High School, he captained the sumo club.[1]
Due to his success in high school sumo, he received offers from several universities, but was advised by the tenth generation Koyama to enter sumo sooner, so he decided not to attend university but to join the Isenoumi stable.
Professional career
On 11 December 2022, it was announced that he would join his father's former stable, Isenoumi, and make his professional sumo debut in the January 2023 tournament, instead of waiting until he graduated from high school.[1][2] At the shinjo promotion ceremony, he entered the ring wearing the mawashi that his father had used during his active career, and changed his shikona from his real name, which he used during his amateur career, to "Wakaikari".[3]
In the July 2023 tournament, he won all seven of his bouts and defeated Asahakuryu in the deciding match to win the sandanme division championship.[4]
He was promoted to the makushita division in September 2023. In his seventh makushita tournament in September 2024, he finished with a record of four wins and three losses in the west makushita second position, and after the seventh match, his promotion to jūryō was considered a certainty.[5][6] On 25 September, the Japan Sumo Association decided to promote Fujinokawa for the November tournament.[7] This is the 13th time in history that a father and son has been promoted to sekitori, and a first for the Isenoumi stable. At the press conference, he revealed that he was considering taking on his father's shikona "Ōikari" once he reached the makuuchi division.[8]
In the November tournament, he entered as jūryō 13 east. He lost his first three matches before winning his fourth match by default against makushita Kamito. He then lost his following two matches to have a record of 1 win and 5 losses. He won his seventh bout against Chiyomaru, and then won four consecutive matches. He won his seventh match, but lost the remaining two days to finish with a record of 7 wins and 8 losses.[9]
In the January 2025 tournament, he won four straight matches from day one, he then had his first loss before winning five straight matches, which put him in the running for the championship. On the eleventh day, he was injured after losing to his rival Shishi and was forced to withdraw for the first time in his career due to a distal rupture of the left biceps tendon. He finished with a record of 9 wins, 3 losses and 3 absences.[10]
In the March 2025 tournament, he was ranked jūryō 9 east, and had a winning record of 8 wins and 7 losses. In the May tournament, he was ranked jūryō 5 east, he finished with a good record of 12 wins and 3 losses despite being one win short of the champion Kusano.
In the July 2025 tournament rankings announced on 30 June, he made his debut in the top makuuchi division, and it was announced that he would change his shikona from Wakaikari to Fujinokawa, the traditional shikona of the Isenoumi stable.[11] He is the sixth wrestler to use the name "Fujinokawa"; this marks the first time in nine tournaments since the January 2024 tournament that a wrestler with a shikona ending in "kawa" that is not derived from his real name has returned to the rankings.[12] On the third day, he pushed out Hidenoumi to win his first makuuchi match.[13] He continued to win, and on the 13th day, with a record of 7 wins and 5 losses, he was given a walkover victory when his opponent, Takerufuji, withdrew from the tournament.[14] He also won his last two matches to finish with ten wins and five losses and was awarded the Kanto-sho (Fighting Spirit Prize).[15]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | (Maezumo) | East Jonokuchi #13 6–1 |
East Jonidan #33 5–2 |
East Sandanme #86 7–0–P Champion |
West Makushita #55 5–2 |
East Makushita #35 6–1 |
| 2024 | East Makushita #15 4–3 |
East Makushita #10 4–3 |
West Makushita #6 4–3 |
West Makushita #5 4–3 |
West Makushita #2 4–3 |
East Jūryō #13 7–8 |
| 2025 | East Jūryō #13 9–3–3 |
East Jūryō #9 8–7 |
West Jūryō #5 12–3 |
West Maegashira #14 10–5 F |
West Maegashira #9 6–9 |
East Maegashira #12 9–6 |
| 2026 | West Maegashira #7 – |
x | x | x | x | x |
| 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) |
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References
- ^ a b c "甲山親方の長男、斎藤成剛「会場を沸かせられるような力士に」亡き母への思い胸に角界入り - 大相撲 : 日刊スポーツ". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 2022-12-11. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
- ^ "甲山親方の長男・斎藤成剛、高校横綱ら実力者揃い 初場所新弟子検査". Sankei Sports (in Japanese). 9 December 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
- ^ "甲山親方の長男・齋藤が「若碇」に改名 父・大碇の化粧まわしで新序出世披露". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 15 January 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
- ^ "若碇が三段目V ７戦全勝で並んだ朝白龍との優勝決定戦を土俵際の豪快な掛け投げで制す". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 23 July 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
- ^ "九州場所で親子＆兄弟関取が誕生の可能性 若碇の父は元幕内・大碇 琴手計の兄は幕内・琴勝峰". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 22 September 2024. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
- ^ "19歳の若碇が新十両昇進当確！「子供の頃からの夢だった」父は元幕内・大碇「一つの恩返しができた」". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 22 September 2024. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
- ^ "新十両は３人＝若碇、安青錦、琴手計改め琴栄峰 再十両も３人＝栃大海、千代丸、生田目". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 25 September 2025. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
- ^ "【若碇の新十両会見全文】父「大碇」への改名は「幕内に上がってからでもいいかなと」". Nikkan Sports Premium (in Japanese). 25 September 2024. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
- ^ a b "Fujinokawa Seigo Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
- ^ "十両・若碇が休場 「左上腕二頭筋腱遠位断裂」…日本相撲協会が診断書を公表". Sports Hochi (in Japanese). 23 January 2025. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
- ^ "Nagoya 2025 Banzuke Released". Tachiai (立合い). 2025-06-30. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
- ^ "【名古屋場所新番付】草野、若碇改め藤ノ川、琴栄峰が新入幕 幕内に兄弟が３組／平幕＆十両編". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). 30 July 2025. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
- ^ "新入幕の若碇から改名した藤ノ川が初勝利 ３９年ぶりの藤ノ川勝ち名乗りも「途中記憶がない」". Sports Hochi (in Japanese). 15 July 2025. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
- ^ "幕内・尊富士が休場 ５勝７敗で３連敗中 ６日目の佐田の海戦で右腕を負傷". Sports Hochi (in Japanese). 25 July 2025. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
- ^ "藤ノ川、新入幕で２桁勝利を挙げ敢闘賞「取れるとは思っていなかった 自信になるっす」". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 27 July 2025. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
External links
- Official biography of Fujinokawa Seigō at the Grand Sumo Homepage