Career
He was the sport"s 46th yokozuna. He was also a sumo coach and head of Takasago stable. Making his professional debut in October 1948, he at first fought under his own surname of Yonekawa.
This earned him immediate promotion to the top makuuchi division in January 1951.
He adopted the shikona or ring name of Asashio ("morning tide") in 1952. In his early career he earned seven kinboshi or gold stars for defeating yokozuna, three of them coming in one tournament in January 1955 when he beat Yoshibayama on Day 5 and then Chiyonoyama and Tochinishiki on Days 8 and 9.
He earned promotion to ōzeki a year later after winning his second championship. After runner-up honours in the next two tournaments he was finally promoted to yokozuna at nearly 30 years of age.
His time at sumo"s highest rank was difficult as he missed many bouts through injury.
He did not take part in the January 1962 tournament and announced his retirement at the age of 32. Asashio remained in the sumo world as an elder under the name of Furiwake, and became head coach of Takasago stable in 1971 after the death of the previous stablemaster, former yokozuna Maedayama. As Takasago-oyakata he coached Asashio Tarō IV and Konishiki to the rank of ōzeki.
He predicted that Konishiki would reach the rank of yokozuna before his 25th birthday, but it did not happen.
He also recruited the Samoan wrestler Nankairyū but after a heated argument with Takasago, Nankairyū ran away from the stable in September 1988. Takasago died of a stroke a few weeks later.
The New Year tournament began and the Spring tournament returned to Osaka in 1953. Since the addition of the Kyushu tournament in 1957 and the Nagoya tournament in 1958, the yearly schedule has remained unchanged.