Musashimaru Kōyō
Second foreign-born yokozuna; won twelve top-division titles.
Musashimaru Kōyō is an American-born Japanese-naturalized former professional sumo wrestler who reached the sport's highest rank of yokozuna in 1999, becoming only the second foreign-born wrestler to do so. He won twelve top division tournament championships and over 700 top division bouts during his career. Known for his massive 235 kg bulk and amiable personality, he was also noted for his facial resemblance to Japanese warrior hero Saigō Takamori.
Quick Facts
- Birth name
- Fiamalu Penitani
- Born
- 2 May 1971
- Birthplace
- American Samoa
- Weight
- 235 kg / 518 lb
- Record
- 779-294-115
- Debut
- September 1989
- Prizes
- Outstanding Performance (1)
- Fighting Spirit (1)
- Technique (2)
- Update
- August 2007
Facts from the source article.
Early career
His family moved to Oahu, Hawaii when he was ten. At Waianae High School he played American football and received a scholarship to Pasadena City College, but his Greco-Roman wrestling coach encouraged him to try sumo. He moved to Japan and joined former yokozuna Mienoumi's Musashigawa stable on a trial basis in June 1989, formally debuting that September under the shikona Musashimaru Kōyō. He became a sekitori in July 1991 upon promotion to jūryō, reached makuuchi in November 1991, and made komusubi in May 1992 and sekiwake in July. After strong results in late 1993 and early 1994, he was promoted to ōzeki alongside Takanonami.
Ōzeki
Musashimaru held ōzeki rank for 32 tournaments, never missing a bout and always achieving at least eight wins. He won his first top division championship in July 1994 with a perfect 15–0 record, but could not follow with a second consecutive title, and Takanohana became yokozuna later that year alongside Akebono. Musashimaru did not win another championship until November 1996, taking that title in a five-way playoff with an 11–4 score, the lowest winning record since 1972. His third championship came in January 1998.
Yokozuna
In 1999, with Akebono and Takanohana struggling with injury and loss of form, Musashimaru won consecutive tournaments in March and May to earn promotion to yokozuna. His record of never having missed a bout was praised by the Yokozuna Deliberation Council. After a 12–3 yokozuna debut, he won two more titles that year. In January 2000 he withdrew with an injury on the fourth day, ending his run of 55 consecutive tournaments with a majority of wins, one short of Kitanoumi's top division record. Akebono returned to form in 2000, and Musashimaru won only one title that year, in September, winning his first 14 matches but failing to finish with a perfect record. In 2001 he lost two playoffs to Takanohana and had a 9–6 record in September, giving away five kinboshi, an all-time record for a single tournament. He won his ninth title in November 2001. In 2002, with Takanohana sidelined, Musashimaru was dominant, winning three tournaments despite missing most of the January tournament after an injury. His victory over the returning Takanohana in September 2002 was his twelfth and final championship, and the last time either man completed a tournament.
Retirement from sumo
In November 2002 Musashimaru tore a tendon in his left wrist, a career-ending injury. He withdrew from that tournament and made only a handful of appearances in 2003. Overshadowed by new yokozuna Asashōryū, he entered the July tournament but pulled out after six days. He returned in November, and after suffering his fourth defeat on the seventh day, announced his retirement on November 16, 2003, revealing he had also injured his neck playing American football in high school. He was the last Hawaiian wrestler in sumo, ending a dynasty that began with Takamiyama in 1964. He won twelve top division championships, one more than Akebono, and over 700 top division bouts, one of only six wrestlers to achieve that feat. His official retirement ceremony (danpatsu-shiki) was held on October 2, 2004, at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan. He remained in sumo as an oyakata, initially using the name Musashimaru Oyakata for five years. He later used the names Furiwake and Ōshima before inheriting the Musashigawa name in February 2013, opening his own stable. As of May 2021 the stable had 19 wrestlers, including his nephew who reached makushita before retiring in 2019. He appeared alongside Brad Pitt in two Softbank commercials directed by Spike Jonze in July 2009.
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