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
Toyama City
Toyama may refer to:
Places and organizations
* Toyama Prefecture, a prefecture of Japan located in the Hokuriku region on the main Honshu island
* Toyama, Toyama, the capital city of Toyama Prefecture
* Toyama Station, the main station of Toyama, ...
,
Toyama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Toyama Prefecture has a population of 1,044,588 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,247.61 km2 (1,640.01 sq mi). Toyama Prefecture borders Ishikawa Prefecture to the ...
. He was the sport's 22nd ''
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 well known for his extreme strength and skill. He won 99 out of 100 matches from 1909 to 1916 (not counting draws), and also won eleven top division tournament championships (two of them unofficial as they were before the championship system was established in 1909).
Career
His real name was . Tachiyama joined
Tomozuna stable at the insistence of
Itagaki Taisuke
Count was a Japanese politician. He was a leader of the "Freedom and People's Rights Movement" and founded Japan's first political party, the Liberal Party.
Biography
Early life
Itagaki Taisuke was born into a middle-ranking ''samurai'' ...
and
Saigō Tsugumichi Saigō may refer to:
Places
* Saigō, Shimane
* Saigō, Miyazaki
People
* Saigō-no-Tsubone (Lady Saigō) (1552–1589), consort of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the samurai lord and shōgun
* Saigō Takamori
* Saigō Tanomo
* Teruhiko Saigō
* Saigō ...
. However, he was so strong that most of the wrestlers in the stable were unable to practice with him. Therefore,
Hitachiyama Taniemon
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 ...
became his practical coach. He was promoted to ''yokozuna'' in February 1911.
His most feared skill was ''tsuki'', or pushing. On the 3rd day of June 1910 tournament, Tachiyama's thrusts caused ''
komusubi
, 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 ...
''
Kohitachi Yoshitaro to fly over spectators where he fell in the fourth row of seats. Kohitachi was wounded and left the tournament. Tachiyama is reported to have waved a shell weighing with one arm. He was, however, good on the ''
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 var ...
'' as well.
Much taller and stronger than his contemporaries, Tachiyama never had a losing record ''(
make-koshi
The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
...
)'' in his eighteen-year career, and whilst at the ''yokozuna'' rank lost only three bouts.
He once won 43 bouts in a row, lost one to
Nishinoumi Kajirō II
was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He was the sport's 25th ''yokozuna''.
Career
His real name was , but he later changed his surname to . He entered sumo in January 1900, using the ''shikona'' name . He changed it to in May 1905, a ...
, then won another 56 in a row.
If he had not lost that match (which he claimed many years later was
deliberate
Deliberation is a process of thoughtfully weighing options, usually prior to voting. Deliberation emphasizes the use of logic and reason as opposed to power-struggle, creativity, or dialogue. Group decisions are generally made after deliberation ...
, to help out his rival ''yokozuna'' who was struggling at the time),
he would have set an all-time record of 100 consecutive wins. As it stands, his second winning streak of 56 bouts, which began on the 9th day of the January 1912 tournament, is the fifth best in history after
Futabayama
was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Oita Prefecture. Entering sumo in 1927, he was the sport's 35th ''yokozuna'' from 1937 until his retirement in 1945. He won twelve ''yūshō'' or top division championships and had a winning streak ...
,
Tanikaze,
Hakuho and
Umegatani I.
His run ended on the 8th day of May 1916 tournament, when he was finally defeated by
Tochigiyama Moriya
was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He was the sport's 27th ''yokozuna'' from 1918 until 1925. Generally he is considered one of the pioneers of modern sumo. He remains the lightest ''yokozuna'' in the history of the sport with a weight ...
. This tournament saw his final championship win, and he still holds the record for the oldest ever ''
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 ...
'' winner as of 2022. On the final day of January 1917 tournament, he was defeated by
Ōnishiki Uichirō
was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He was the sport's 26th ''yokozuna''. On November 2, 1922, he became the first ''yokozuna'' to perform the '' yokozuna dohyō-iri'' at the Meiji Shrine.
Biography
He was born , in Osaka on November 2 ...
. Tochigiyama and Ōnishiki were pupils of Hitachiyama. After this second loss, he retired.
In 1917, he said to wrestlers, "I will give you one bale of rice if you can walk around the ''
dohyō
A ''dohyō'' (, ) is the space in which a sumo wrestling bout occurs. A typical ''dohyō'' is a circle made of partially buried rice- straw bales 4.55 meters in diameter. In official professional tournaments (''honbasho''), it is mounted on a squ ...
'' shouldering me." A boy, who had not made his debut in professional sumo yet, acceded to his request. He failed at the first attempt but succeeded at the second. About 15 years later, that boy became ''yokozuna''
Tamanishiki San'emon
was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Kōchi. He was the sport's 32nd ''yokozuna''. He won a total of nine top division ''yūshō'' or tournament championships from 1929 to 1936, and was the dominant wrestler in sumo until the emerge ...
.
His style of ''
yokozuna dohyō-iri'' (ring-entering ceremony) came to be known as ''Shiranui'' after it was imitated by later ''yokozuna''
Haguroyama. However, he insisted that his style was
Unryū Kyūkichi
was a Japanese sumo wrestler from Yanagawa, Chikugo Province. He was the sport's 10th ''yokozuna''.
Career
He was born in Yanagawa, Fukuoka, but would later change his name to . He lost his parents and grandmother in 1833. He made his debut i ...
's.
His sheer strength and physical presence drew comparisons with
Raiden Tameemon,
but also meant he was perhaps less popular with the general public than his predecessors Hitachiyama and
Umegatani II.
After retiring from active competition he was briefly an elder of the
Sumo Association
The is the body that operates and controls professional sumo wrestling (called ''Ōzumō'', 大相撲) in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japanese Ministry of Education, Cultu ...
under the name Azumazeki, but left the sumo world in May 1919. In 1937 he became the first ''yokozuna'' to perform a ''
kanreki dohyō-iri
In sumo wrestling, a ''kanreki dohyō-iri'' (Japanese: 還暦土俵入り) is a ring-entering ceremony (''dohyō-iri'') performed by a former ''yokozuna'' in celebration of his 60th birthday (called ''kanreki'' in Japanese). If he is a ''toshiyori ...
'', or '60th year ring entrance ceremony' to commemorate his years as ''yokozuna''.
Top Division Record
''*Championships for the best record in a tournament were not recognized or awarded before the 1909 summer tournament and the above championships that are labelled "unofficial" 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 ...
.''
See also
*
*
Kanreki dohyo-iri
Hwangap () in Korean, in Japanese or Jiazi () in Chinese, is a traditional way of celebrating one's 61st birthday in Korea. It is technically the 60th birthday, but in Korean age, the person would be celebrating their 61st. The number 60 means ...
*
List of past sumo wrestlers
This is a list of prominent past wrestlers (either retired or deceased) in the sport of professional sumo. They are listed in order of the year and tournament month that they made their professional debuts. The information listed below was gleaned ...
*
List of sumo tournament top division champions
This is a list of rikishi, wrestlers who have won the Makuuchi, top division (''makuuchi'') yusho, championship in professional sumo since 1909, when the current championship system was established. These honbasho, official tournaments are held ex ...
*
List of yokozuna
This is a list of all sumo wrestlers who have reached the sport's highest rank of ''yokozuna''. It was not recorded on the ''banzuke'' until 1890 and was not officially recognised as sumo's highest rank until 1909. Until then, ''yokozuna'' was mer ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tachiyama Mineemon
1877 births
1941 deaths
Japanese sumo wrestlers
Yokozuna
People from Toyama (city)
Sumo people from Toyama Prefecture