Haguroiwa Tomomi

2.1. Childhood and Education

Born Tomojiro Toda on June 30, 1946, in Nobeoka, Miyazaki Prefecture, he completed his junior high school education before entering the professional sumo world.

2.2. Sumo Initiation and Early Career

At the young age of 14, Toda joined the Tatsunami stable in May 1961, making his professional debut. His entry coincided with that of other notable future wrestlers, including Sekiwake Fujinokawa and Maegashira Tochifuji Katsutake and Wakanoumi Masateru II. He steadily climbed through the ranks, and by November 1965, at 19 years old, he achieved promotion to the second-highest division, Jūryō.

3.1. Makuuchi Promotion and Early Success

In January 1967, at the age of 20, Toda achieved promotion to the top Makuuchi division. This was a particularly notable accomplishment as he became the first wrestler from Miyazaki Prefecture to reach Makuuchi in 124 years, following Mitsuuroko Ryuuhachi in November 1843. He quickly established himself, displaying a fighting style characterized by tsukioshi (thrusting and pushing) and a strong migi-sashi (right-hand inside grip) followed by yori (forcing out). In the January 1969 tournament, competing as Maegashira 7 East, he achieved a remarkable 11-4 record, earning him his first and only Fighting Spirit prize.

3.2. Ending Taihō's Winning Streak and the "Error of the Century"

Haguroiwa, still wrestling under his birth name Toda, became central to one of sumo's most significant and controversial moments in the March 1969 tournament. Yokozuna Taihō Kōki, then in his prime, had extended his winning streak to 44 consecutive bouts after winning two consecutive championships with perfect records, and the sumo world watched to see how much further it would extend.

On Day 2 of the March tournament, Toda faced Taihō. Toda initiated the bout with a powerful buchikamashi (initial charge), followed by nodowa-zeme (pushing at the opponent's throat) and ryohazu-oshi (pushing with both hands under the opponent's armpits), driving Taihō towards the edge of the dohyō. Taihō was known to have vulnerabilities early in tournaments, against lower-ranked wrestlers, and against pushing-style sumo, all of which Toda embodied. During the intense struggle, Toda's right foot momentarily touched the ja no me (the sand at the edge of the ring) outside the boundary. However, in the very next instant, Toda decisively pushed Taihō out of the ring, falling outside himself.

The gyōji (referee) for the bout, the 22nd Shikimori Inosuke, initially awarded the victory to Taihō. Immediately, however, a mono-ii (judges' conference) was called by Chiganoura (the former Ōzeki Tochihikari), who was serving as a judge on the west side. Despite the chief judge, Kasugano (the former Yokozuna Tochinishiki), stating that Toda's foot had indeed touched outside first, the other four judges on the panel had missed this crucial detail. After deliberation, the decision was reversed to a Gyōji-sashi-chigae (referee's decision overturned), declaring Toda the winner and ending Taihō's impressive 45-bout winning streak, earning Toda his first kinboshi. The unexpected loss appeared to affect Taihō's physical condition, as he withdrew from the tournament on Day 5 due to acute pneumonia.

However, subsequent photographs and television footage published by newspapers and media outlets the following day clearly showed Toda's right foot touching the outside of the ring before Taihō was pushed out. This clear visual evidence ignited a major controversy, leading to widespread criticism and accusations of a "clear misjudgment." The incident, coupled with another disputed call in the same tournament (a match between Ōzeki Kotozakura and Maegashira Uminoyama on Day 9), prompted significant public outcry and calls for accountability, even extending to the chairman of the Japan Sumo Association, Musashigawa. In response to this widespread embarrassment, which the media dubbed the "Error of the Century," the Sumo Association made a landmark decision to introduce instant replay to assist judges in future rulings. Despite the controversy, Taihō himself never voiced dissatisfaction, famously stating that it was his own fault for performing sumo that could lead to such a misjudgment.

In the following May 1969 tournament, Toda secured his second, and ultimately last, kinboshi by defeating Yokozuna Kashiwado on Day 4. This match was also a close contest, but this time, the newly implemented video replay system was utilized to confirm Toda's victory.

3.3. Komusubi Promotion and Later Career

Toda officially adopted the shikona "Haguroiwa" in January 1971. He maintained a stable presence in the Makuuchi division for approximately ten years, often achieving winning records in the upper ranks. His highest career rank came in May 1973, when he was promoted to Komusubi at East Komusubi 1. However, his performance at this rank was challenging, as he only managed to achieve 2 wins against 13 losses, and he never returned to the sanyaku ranks (Komusubi, Sekiwake, Ōzeki).

Despite this, Haguroiwa maintained an exceptional head-to-head record against future Ōzeki Takanohana Kenshi, defeating him nine times while losing only three. Even after Takanohana's promotion to Ōzeki, Haguroiwa secured four wins against him with only one loss, including one fusenshō (win by default due to opponent's absence). His career began to decline after a neck injury sustained during a bout against Masudayama on Day 3 of the July 1977 tournament while wrestling as Maegashira 9 East. He withdrew from the tournament the following day, ultimately dropping to the Jūryō division and never returning to Makuuchi. Haguroiwa formally announced his retirement from sumo in January 1978, at which point he was ranked Jūryō 13 West and had accumulated a record of 1 win and 6 losses by Day 7 of that tournament. He had competed in the top Makuuchi division for 55 tournaments.

4.1. Activities as Ikazuchi Oyakata

Following his retirement, Haguroiwa became an elder (Oyakata) in the Japan Sumo Association, adopting the name Ikazuchi Oyakata. He served as a coach at his former stable, Tatsunami, and was also a member of the crucial judging committee. His elder name was "Ikazuchi Tomojiro," where he retained his birth name, a departure from some previous Ikazuchi elders who had used different lower names. During his tenure, a controversy arose when he, as a committee member for the Osaka tournament, failed to properly account for a portion of the gate receipts. This led to disciplinary action from August 1998 to January 2000, during which he was demoted two ranks to a regular elder (Hiradoshiyori).

4.2. Later Life and Death

Haguroiwa reached the mandatory retirement age of 65 on June 29, 2011, and subsequently retired from the Japan Sumo Association. In his post-retirement years, he battled significant health issues. He began receiving hemodialysis after his retirement, and in April 2016, he suffered a myocardial infarction, which led to a three-month hospitalization. Following this, he was largely confined to a wheelchair. Despite his declining health, he remained a passionate sumo fan, regularly watching tournaments on television. The day before his passing, on October 22, he complained of pain and was admitted to the intensive care unit. Tomojiro Toda passed away on October 23, 2016, at the age of 70, in a hospital in Nichinan, Miyazaki Prefecture, due to kidney failure. His wife shared that he had been in and out of the hospital for 17 years, battling complications from diabetes since his active sumo career, and expressed some relief that his final moments were not prolonged with suffering.

5.1. Marriage and Theft Incident

On September 28, 1974, Haguroiwa held his wedding ceremony at the Hotel New Ōtani in Tokyo. However, the joyous occasion was marred by an unfortunate incident: all the congratulatory money, totaling 6.00 M JPY, was stolen from the wedding venue by a thief.

5.2. Singing Career

In 1969, the same year he achieved his historic kinboshi against Taihō, Haguroiwa briefly ventured into the music industry. He made his debut as a singer with Teichiku Records, releasing a single titled "Otoko ga Onna ni Blues wo" (A Man's Blues for a Woman), with "Shiranui Blues" as its B-side.

6.1. Overall Record Summary

Throughout his 100-tournament career, Haguroiwa amassed a total of 626 wins, 623 losses, and 35 absences, resulting in a career winning percentage of 0.501. Within the Makuuchi division, he participated in 55 tournaments, with a record of 385 wins, 427 losses, and 13 absences, for a Makuuchi winning percentage of 0.474. He held a sanyaku rank (Komusubi) for one tournament. His notable achievements include one special prize (Fighting Spirit) and two kinboshi (one against Taihō Kōki in March 1969 and one against Kashiwado in May 1969).

6.2. Tournament Records by Year

6.3. Makuuchi Head-to-Head Records

Below is a detailed breakdown of Haguroiwa's win-loss records against other sumo wrestlers while he was competing in the Makuuchi division. Numbers in parentheses indicate wins or losses by default (fusensho or fusenpai).

7.1. Active Career

• Toda Tomojiro (戸田 智次郎_{Toda Tomojirō}^Japanese): From the July 1961 tournament to the November 1970 tournament.
• Haguroiwa Tomokazu (羽黒岩 智一_{Haguroiwa Tomokazu}^Japanese): From the January 1971 tournament to the July 1973 tournament.
• Haguroiwa Tomomi (羽黒岩 盟海_{Haguroiwa Tomomi}^Japanese): From the September 1973 tournament to the January 1978 tournament.

7.2. Elder Career

• Ikazuchi Tomojiro (雷 智次郎_{Ikazuchi Tomojirō}^Japanese): From January 1978 until his mandatory retirement in June 2011.