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was a Japanese professional
Haguroyama married the daughter of his stablemaster, which enabled him to become head coach of Tatsunami stable after retiring from the ring. He produced ''ōzeki'' Wakahaguro and several other top wrestlers. When he died in 1969 the title of Tatsunami Oyakata passed onto his son-in-law, former ''sekiwake'' Annenyama.
Japan Sumo Association profile
Article on Haguroyama
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haguroyama, Masaji 1914 births 1969 deaths Japanese sumo wrestlers People from Niigata (city) Sumo people from Niigata Prefecture Yokozuna
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 from Nakanokuchi, Niigata. He was the sport's 36th '' yokozuna''. He was a ''yokozuna'' for a period of twelve years and three months dating from his promotion to that rank in May 1941 until his retirement in September 1953, which was an all-time record until surpassed in 2019 by Hakuhō. During his career Haguroyama won seven top division championships and was runner-up on six other occasions. However, he was always in the shadow of ''yokozuna'' Futabayama, who came from the same stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...
. After his retirement he was the head coach of Tatsunami stable until his death in 1969.
Career
His real name was . Haguroyama made his professional debut in January 1934 at age 19, joining Tatsunami stable. His progression was remarkably rapid. He passed through all the lower divisions in just one tournament each, in every case winning the divisional championship – a feat unlikely ever to be equalled. He made his debut in the top ''makuuchi
, 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 ...
'' division in May 1937. He was promoted to the '' ōzeki'' rank after just one tournament at ''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 ...
.'' After finishing as runner-up in the January 1941 tournament and winning his first top division title in May 1941 he was promoted to ''yokozuna''. After three more runner-up performances he won his first championship as a ''yokozuna'' in May 1944.
Upon the retirement of his great rival Futabayama in November 1945 he became dominant, winning four consecutive tournaments. However, in November 1947 he severed his Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus ...
and was out of action until May 1949. He won his final championship in January 1952 at age 37 with a perfect 15–0 record. It was his first tournament win in over four years. He retired in September 1953, when he was nearly 39.
He was known for his hard training and his great strength, and was said to be "made of steel."
Retirement from sumo
Haguroyama married the daughter of his stablemaster, which enabled him to become head coach of Tatsunami stable after retiring from the ring. He produced ''ōzeki'' Wakahaguro and several other top wrestlers. When he died in 1969 the title of Tatsunami Oyakata passed onto his son-in-law, former ''sekiwake'' Annenyama.
Career Record
*''Through most of the 1930s and 1940s only two tournaments were held a year, and in 1946 only one was held. The New year tournament began and the Spring tournament returned to Osaka in 1953.''See also
*Glossary of sumo terms
The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan.
A
B
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D
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*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
*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 me ...
References
External links
Japan Sumo Association profile
Article on Haguroyama
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haguroyama, Masaji 1914 births 1969 deaths Japanese sumo wrestlers People from Niigata (city) Sumo people from Niigata Prefecture Yokozuna