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 from

Nagasaki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,314,078 (1 June 2020) and has a geographic area of 4,130 Square kilometre, km2 (1,594 sq mi). Nagasaki Prefecture borders ...

. He was the sport's 50th '' yokozuna''. After his retirement he was the head coach of Dewanoumi stable and served as head of the Japan Sumo Association.

Career

Born in Arikawa, Minamimatsuura District, he made his professional debut in January 1956, and reached '' sekitori'' status four years later upon promotion to the ''

jūryō Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win–loss records in official tournaments. For ...

'' division in March 1960. He made his top '' makuuchi'' division debut in January 1961. Sadanoyama won his first tournament title in only his third tournament in the top division, from the rank of '' maegashira'' 13. The achievement of winning a tournament from the ''maegashira'' ranks is sometimes seen as a jinx on subsequent success in sumo, but Sadanoyama disproved that theory by going on to reach '' ōzeki'' in March 1962 after winning his second title, and then ''yokozuna'' in January 1965 after capturing his third championship. Sadanoyama handprint

He made a cameo appearance in the 1967

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

film '' You Only Live Twice'', as himself. Although more attention was focused on ''yokozuna'' Taihō and

Kashiwado was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Yamagata Prefecture. He was the sport's 47th yokozuna, fighting at the sport's highest rank from 1961 to 1969. After his retirement he became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association and ran his o ...

, with their rivalry referred to as the ''Hakuho'' era after a combination of their '' shikona'', Sadanoyama in fact ended up winning more tournament championships than Kashiwado. Sadanoyama announced his retirement suddenly in March 1968, despite having won the previous two tournaments, two days after a surprise loss to a new ''maegashira'', the

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

an born Takamiyama. It has been suggested that the shock of losing to a foreigner may have prompted a premature retirement. There is, however, no evidence for this and it is more likely he was continuing the tradition of wrestlers retiring at the peak of their power.

Retirement from sumo

Head of the Dewanoumi stable

Sadanoyama remained in the sumo world after his retirement, as an elder. Being the son-in-law of Dewanoumi's stable head coach, former ''maegashira''

Dewanohana Kuniichi real name Kuniichi Ichikawa (國一市川), was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Komatsu, Ishikawa (Japan). His highest rank was ''maegashira'' 1. After retiring, he took the position of head coach at Dewanoumi stable, following the ...

, he inherited Dewanoumi stable. This succession was at the origin of the creation of the

Kokonoe stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Takasago group of stables. It was formed in 1967 and until 2021 was located in Ishiwara, Sumida, Tokyo. As of November 2022 it had 27 sumo wrestlers, four of whom are of ''sekitori'' rank. It is the most s ...

after

Chiyonoyama was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Fukushima, Hokkaidō. He was the sport's 41st ''yokozuna'' from 1951 until 1959. He is regarded as the first "modern" ''yokozuna'' in that he was promoted by the Japan Sumo Association itself and n ...

exclusion from Dewanoumi's ichimon, the latter also wishing to inherit Dewanoumi's kabu. As head coach of one of the most powerful ''heya'' in sumo, he helped produce a string of top division wrestlers, including yokozuna

Mienoumi is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Matsusaka, Mie. He was the 57th ''yokozuna'' of the sport. After retiring he founded the Musashigawa stable and was a chairman of the Japan Sumo Association. He was the first rikishi in histo ...

, sekiwake

Dewanohana Yoshitaka Dewanohana Yoshitaka (born 13 May 1951 as Soichi Nomura) is a former sumo wrestler from Nakasato, Aomori, Japan. He made his professional debut in July 1974, and reached the top division in November 1977. His highest rank was ''sekiwake''. He r ...

and Washūyama, komusubi

Ōnishiki Ōnishiki may refer to: *Ōnishiki Daigorō (1883–1943), sumo wrestler, the 28th Yokozuna *Ōnishiki Uichirō was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He was the sport's 26th ''yokozuna''. On November 2, 1922, he became the first ''yokozu ...

Ryōgoku is a district in Sumida, Tokyo. It is surrounded by various districts in Sumida, Chūō, and Taitō wards: Yokoami, Midori, Chitose, Higashi Nihonbashi, and Yanagibashi. In 1659, the Ryōgoku Bridge was built, spanning the Sumida River just ...

Oginishiki Oginishiki Yasutoshi (born 8 July 1971 as Yasutoshi Koiwai) is a former sumo wrestler from Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. His highest rank was ''komusubi.'' His father and brother were also sumo wrestlers. He is now a coach at Dewanoumi stabl ...

and fan's favorite Mainoumi.

Japan sumo association chairmanship

In February 1992 he became head of the Japan Sumo Association. He was chosen ahead of his contemporaries Taihō and

partly because he was in better health than either of them. As chairman of the association he introduced a certain number of reforms such as the restrictions on foreign wrestlers (in 1992), limited at the time to 40 actives rikishi in total, up to 2 people per heya. In 1995, he also abrogated the tour system, changed from a promotional performance to an association independent performance. He changed his '' toshiyori'' name to Sakaigawa in 1996, handing over the Dewanoumi name and the day-to-day running of his stable to the former Washūyama. The same year he tried to pass a new reform allowing the association to be the sole administrator of kabu to face the rising speculation around the possession of titles. At the time, the titles were either transmitted within a family or bought from the previous owner, the reform aimed to make the kabu the exclusive possession of the association the latter now giving the titles to the people requesting them. The proposition was however met with a refusal from the board of the association. He did not run for re-election in 1998, after it became clear he lacked enough support due to his failed reform. He was then succeeded by former ''ōzeki'' Yutakayama from the rival Tokitsukaze faction. Remaining on the board, he subsequently became head of the judging department, an unusual move for a former head of the Sumo Association. Sadanoyama declined his right of doing a Kanreki dohyō-iri after receiving his red tsuna, in the form of taking responsibility for the turmoil during his time as a chairman. He stood down as an elder in 2003 upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of sixty five and gave the kabu of Sakaigawa to his former trainee

Death

He died in a Tokyo hospital of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

on April 27, 2017 at the age of 79. At the time of his death he was the oldest ''yokozuna'' since the passing of Wakanohana in 2010. Following his will, the funerals were held in a strict family circle.

Fighting style

Sadanoyama was known for employing pushing and thrusting techniques such as ''tsuppari'' (a series of rapid thrusts to the chest) and regularly won by such '' kimarite'' as ''oshi dashi'' (push out) and ''tsuki dashi'' (thrust out). However he was also good on the '' mawashi'' where he preferred a ''migi-yotsu'' (left hand outside, right hand inside) grip, and often won by ''yori kiri'' (force out) and ''uwatenage'' (overarm throw).

Career record

*''The Kyushu tournament was first held in 1957, and the Nagoya tournament in 1958.''

References

External links

Japan Sumo Association profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sadanoyama Shinmatsu 1938 births 2017 deaths Japanese sumo wrestlers Yokozuna Sumo people from Nagasaki Prefecture Deaths from pneumonia in Japan