, real name , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from

Atsuta District, Hokkaido was a district located in Ishikari Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of 2004, the district had an estimated population of 2,592 and a density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume ...

. He was the sport's 43rd ''

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 suffered a number of injuries and only won one tournament championship, but was a popular wrestler. He was a runner-up five times, and earned three special prizes and two gold stars in his top division career. After his retirement in 1958 he revived and led the

Miyagino stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Isegahama '' ichimon'' or group of stables. It was founded by the 43rd ''yokozuna'' Yoshibayama as ''Yoshibayama dōjō'' while he was still an active wrestler, before changing to its current name in 19 ...

until his death in 1977.

Career

He entered sumo in a curious way. He had travelled to

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

on a train to attend school, but was met at the station by a sumo wrestler who was expecting a new recruit, who had in fact had second thoughts and not made the trip. The conspicuously large Ikeda was mistaken for him and taken back to Takashima stable before he even realised what was going on. He made his professional debut in May 1938 using the ''

shikona A is a sumo wrestler's ring name. The tradition of ring names in sumo dates back to the Edo period, where they were used as a means to attract customers and hide the identities of the '' rikishi''. Like standard Japanese names, a ''shikona'' ...

'' or ring name . After suffering

appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a ru ...

he had to undergo emergency surgery and changed his ring surname to Yoshibayama in May 1939 in honour of the doctor (Shosaku Yoshiba) who had saved his life. He got to the verge of 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. Fo ...

'' division in 1942 but was then drafted into the Japanese army and took part in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He was seriously wounded in gunfights during his service. He was shot in the leg twice, and the second bullet permanently lodged itself in his foot. He was actually reported as dead for some time. He came back alive, but was surprisingly thin when he returned to Japan. It is generally believed among sumo scholars that if he had not been conscripted and lost several years of his career, he could have become an even stronger and longer lasting wrestler than he was. Yoshibayama 1954 Scan10050

In spite of his war injury, Yoshibayama returned to sumo in 1947 and was promoted to the top ''makuuchi'' division in November of that year. He remained in the ''

maegashira , 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 o ...

'' ranks until September 1950. He was promoted to '' ōzeki'' in May 1951, after two successive runner-up performances of 13–2 at the rank of ''

sekiwake , 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 o ...

''. Yoshibayama recorded an '' azukari'', or hold, on the 12th day of September 1951 tournament. The reason is that his opponent,

Azumafuji was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Taitō, Tokyo. He was the sport's 40th '' yokozuna'', and later a professional wrestler. Sumo career His real name was . He made professional debut in January 1936, joining Takasago stable. He ...

, could not stand up any more. Yoshibayama could have been awarded a win, but sportingly insisted on a draw. In May 1953 he finished with 14 wins and only one loss, but the championship went to undefeated ''

'' Tokitsuyama whom Yoshibayama had not been paired against. Yoshibayama was promoted to ''yokozuna'' after winning his first championship with a perfect 15–0 record in January 1954, but did not win a single bout at the rank until the autumn tournament of that year. He was unable to win any championships in his ''yokozuna'' career and had only one runner-up result. Although he was popular with the public, he ate and drank to excess and had several internal ailments, including

kidney The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; blo ...

problems. Having finally reached his physical limit, he announced his retirement during the January 1958 tournament. His old rival

Kagamisato was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Aomori Prefecture. He was the sport's 42nd ''yokozuna''. Career He was born in a small fishing village in Sannohe District. He came from a poor family as his father had died when he was very you ...

, who had been promoted to ''ōzeki'' alongside him in May 1951, also decided to retire on the final day, the first time that two ''yokozuna'' had quit in the same tournament.

Fighting style

Because of the bullet in his ankle, Yoshibayama's style of fighting was erratic. It also did not help that his favourite technique was the controversial ''ketaguri'', or leg kick, which was considered to be unacceptable at his top ''yokozuna'' rank. Scholars conceded however that Yoshibayama had had little time to master acceptable sumo techniques because of his time out of sumo due to the war.

Retirement from sumo

After his retirement, Yoshibayama became the 8th head coach of

. The previous head coach was the 24th ''yokozuna'' Ōtori, but Miyagino stable was closed once after his death in 1956. While still an active wrestler, he managed his own stable, a practice no longer permitted. Ōtori's son-in-law Fukunosato Ushinosuke belonged to his stable. He officially renamed his stable to Miyagino stable in 1960. He developed a number of top division wrestlers, such as Myōbudani. He was also a judge of tournament bouts, and on the

Japan 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 Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). '' Rikishi'' (active ...

's board of directors. He also opened a number of ''

chankonabe is a Japanese stew (a type of nabemono or one-pot dish) commonly eaten in vast quantity by sumo wrestlers as part of a weight-gain diet. Ingredients and consumption The dish contains a ''dashi'' or chicken broth soup base with sake or ''m ...

'' restaurants that still operate today. Future ''makuuchi'' wrestler

Chikubayama Chikubayama Masakuni (born August 21, 1957 as Makoto Tazaki) is a former sumo wrestler from Ukiha, Fukuoka, Japan. He made his professional debut in 1973, breaking into the top ''makuuchi'' division thirteen years later in 1986. His highest rank w ...

also joined his stable, but could not reach the top ''makuuchi'' division by 1977 when Yoshibayama died. Chikubayama accepted future ''yokozuna'' Hakuhō when he was the Miyagino stablemaster. Yoshibayama performed the '' yokozuna dohyō-iri'' (ring entering ceremony) in the ''shiranui'' style. When Hakuhō was promoted to ''yokozuna'', he succeeded Yoshibayama's style. At the Meiji Jingu shrine on June 1, 2007, Hakuhō performed the ring entering ceremony wearing Yoshibayama's ''

keshō-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 ...

'' and used a sword (''tachi'') of another ''yokozuna'', Ōtori.

Pre-modern career record

*''Through most of the 1940s only two tournaments were held a year. In 1953 the New Year tournament was begun and the Spring tournament began to be held in Osaka. The Kyushu tournament was first held in 1957, and the Nagoya tournament in 1958.''

Modern top division record

*''Since the addition of the Kyushu tournament in 1957 and the Nagoya tournament in 1958, the yearly schedule has remained unchanged.''

References

External links

Japan Sumo Association profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yoshibayama Junnosuke 1920 births 1977 deaths Japanese sumo wrestlers Yokozuna People from Hokkaido Sumo people from Hokkaido