was a Japanese

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 t ...

wrestler, who is formally recognised as the second ''yokozuna''. Ayagawa came from

Tochigi prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Tochigi Prefecture has a population of 1,943,886 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,408 km2 (2,474 sq mi). Tochigi Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to th ...

and was promoted to '' ōzeki'' in 1717. According to tradition, he was the strongest wrestler in the

Genbun was a after '' Kyōhō'' and before ''Kanpō.'' This period spanned the years from April 1736 through February 1741. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 1736 : To mark the enthronement of Sakuramachi, the era was changed to ''Genbun'' ...

era. He was a famous sumo wrestler in

Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

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 ...

and

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the c ...

. The 17th Oikaze of the Yoshida family, allowed Ayagawa to be his pupil. Very little is known about his sumo career. He was of legendary size, perhaps tall and in weight. He died on March 14, 1765. His grave can be found in Tochigi. It was not until over 150 years after his death that he was recognised as the 2nd ''yokozuna'' by later ''yokozuna'' Jinmaku when he was compiling a formal list for a monument. His career predates ''

banzuke A , officially called is a document listing the rankings of professional sumo wrestlers published before each official tournament (''honbasho''). The term can also refer to the rankings themselves. The document is normally released about two w ...

'' and tournament records so no record of his rank and bouts exists.

References

See also