Asashio Tarō I (朝汐太郎, November 28, 1864 – August 26, 1920) was a

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 from

Ehime Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,342,011 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Toku ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. His highest rank was

ozeki Ozeki or Ōzeki may refer to: * Ōzeki, a rank in ''Makuuchi'', the top division of professional sumo ** List of ōzeki * Ōzeki station (disambiguation), the name of two railway stations in Japan * Ōzeki Masutoshi (1849–1905), 16th daimyō o ...

Career

In 1881, at the age of 17, he entered Osaka sumo's Oshiogawa stable, and took part to his first tournament in 1883 under the name of ''Asashio''. Unsatisfied, Tarokichi moved to Tokyo in 1889 and was recruited by the Takasago stable to join Tokyo sumo . In Tokyo sumo, he debuted in January 1890 as a Juryo. He was promoted to sekiwake in January 1893 and served as such for 11 consecutive tournaments (five years), when the tournaments were dominated by Nishinoumi and

Konishiki Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e (born December 31, 1963), professionally known as is an American former sumo wrestler.Franz LidzMeat Bomb, 05.18.92 - ''Sports Illustrated'' He was the first non-Japanese-born wrestler to reach '' ōzeki'', the second- ...

. He was finally promoted to ozeki in May 1898 and was given a

kesho-mawashi In sumo, a is the loincloth that (sumo wrestlers) wear during training or in competition. Upper ranked professional wrestlers wear a as part of the ring entry ceremony or . For top ranked professional , it is made of silk and comes in a va ...

decorated with the Date family crest, "Bamboo and Sparrow," by Munenori Date, the former lord of the

Uwajima Domain 270px, Date Munenari 270px, Uwajima Date Museum was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in what is now western Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. It was centered around Uwajima Castle, and was ruled throug ...

. Asashio served as an ōzeki for 5 years (10 tournaments) until January 1903. In 1900, he participated in a local tour in Ehime Prefecture, and a performance was also held in his hometown of

Yawatahama is a city located in of Ehime Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 31,385 in 15638 households and a population density of 240 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Yawatahama is located in the wes ...

. He participated in the cooperation of wealthy local merchants to build an earthen bridge. The bridge came to be called "Asashio Bridge" and although the river and bridge are gone, the name of the place is still associated with Asashio Bridge in current Osaka. In January 1903, Asashio lost his rank of ozeki. In December 1904, he was granted a one-day yokozuna license and permitted to do a

dohyo-iri The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. A B C D E F G H ...

by the Yoshida Tsukasa family, in recognition of his many years of service as an ozeki.

Retirement

He retired at the age of 43. After his retirement, he assumed the

name A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A personal ...

of Sanoyama. He first founded his own stable but disbanded it and returned to his original Takasago stable as a coach, where he notably recruited Komota Chokichi and passed down his shikona to him. He died in old age on August 26, 1920.

Top division record

''*Championships for the best record in a tournament were not recognized or awarded before the 1909 summer tournament and the above unofficial championships are historically conferred. For more information see yūshō.''

References

{{Reflist 1864 births 1920 deaths Japanese sumo wrestlers Sumo people from Ehime Prefecture