was a Japanese professional

sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by thr ...

wrestler. He was the sport's 23rd ''

yokozuna , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...

''. He was the second ''yokozuna'' to be recognised from

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

sumo, and the only ''yokozuna'' who spent his whole active career in the city.

Career

His real name was . Okido made his debut in Osaka sumo in September 1899. Between January 1908 and May 1909, he recorded 28 consecutive wins without a single draw or hold, a rarity at the time. At this time the Osaka Sumo Association attempted to promote him to ''yokozuna'', but Ōkido's friendship with

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

sumo's

Hitachiyama was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture. He was the sport's 19th ''yokozuna'' from 1903 till 1914. His great rivalry with Umegatani Tōtarō II created the "Ume-Hitachi Era" and did much to popularise sumo. He i ...

, who was not well liked in Osaka, derailed this. In January 1910, he was finally promoted to ''yokozuna'' by the Osaka Sumo Association, but without the agreement of Tokyo sumo association and the house of Yoshida Tsukasa. The house of Yoshida became very angry and the Osaka Sumo Association apologized to the house. He was awarded a ''yokozuna'' licence officially by the Tokyo association in December 1912. However, he suffered from

cerebral hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...

and retired from active sumo in January 1914.

Osaka sumo top division record

*''Osaka sumo existed independently for many years before merging with Tokyo sumo in 1926. 1–2 tournaments were held yearly, though the actual time they were held was often erratic.'' ''*Championships for the best record in a tournament were not recognized or awarded in Osaka sumo before its merger with Tokyo sumo, and the unofficial championship above are historically conferred. For more information, see

yūshō is the term for a championship in Japanese. This article focuses on championships in the sport of professional sumo. It is awarded in each of the six annual ''honbasho'' or official tournaments, to the wrestler who wins the most bouts. ''Yūs ...

.''

Career

Osaka sumo top division record

References

See also