Career
His highest rank was komusubi. He is now a sumo coach. He did not join the professional sport until March 1992, when he was nearly 28, an extraordinarily late age.
(The Sumo Association have since changed its rules and all former amateurs must now make their professional debuts before the age of 25).
He made his debut in the third highest makushita division, fighting out of Tatsunami stable. At just 174 cm and 100 kg, he was not much bigger than Mainoumi, the lightest wrestler at the time.
Tomonohana had winning records or kachi-koshi in his first twelve tournaments, reaching the second highest jūryō division in November 1992 and the top makuuchi division in July 1993. A popular wrestler, he was nicknamed "Sensei" because of his teaching background.
In January 1994 he reached the sanyaku ranks at komusubi, but turned in the first losing record of his career, 4-11, and never made the rank again.
He was demoted back to jūryō in March 1996 and subsequent injuries prevented him from returning to the top division. Nevertheless, he carried on fighting until November 2001 when he announced his retirement at the age of 37. Tomonohana preferred a migi-yotsu or right hand inside, left hand outside grip on his opponent"s mawashi, and his speciality was shitatenage, or underarm throw, which was his most common winning kimarite.
He used 34 different kimarite during his career, some of them extremely rare.
In January 1993 he defeated Hananokuni with izori, or backwards body drop, a technique that had not been seen at sekitori level since 1964. Upon his retirement he used the elder name of Asakayama (currently owned by former ōzeki Kaiō) but in March 2006 switched to the Tamagaki name upon the mandatory retirement of its previous owner, the former Wakanami.
He works as a coach at Tomozuna stable.
