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 t ...

wrestler from

Ehime Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,342,011 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, T ...

. He was the sport's 39th ''

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 ...

.''

Career

He was born in Nishiuwa District. On his school excursion to Ōita in the spring of 1926, he met future ''yokozuna''

Futabayama Sadaji 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 strea ...

, who had not yet joined

Tatsunami stable Asahiyutaka Katsuteru (born 10 September 1968) is a former sumo wrestler from Kasugai, Aichi, Japan. His highest rank was ''komusubi''. He is now the head coach of Tatsunami stable. Career He joined Ōshima stable and made his professional debu ...

, and was participating in the track meet. After joining

Takasago stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Takasago group of stables. It is correctly written in Japanese as "髙砂部屋", but the first of these ''kanji'' is rare, and is more commonly written as "高砂部屋". History The stable was establi ...

in the autumn of 1927, he met Futabayama again. Subsequently, he and Futabayama practiced together regularly after he entered sumo. Maedayama 1941 Scan10052

He made his professional debut in January 1929 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 , before changing it to in May 1930. In January 1935 he changed its surname to Maedayama in honour of the surgeon who saved his career after he was forced to sit out the whole of 1934 due to injury. Maedayama reached 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 January 1937. In May 1938, he was promoted to '' ōzeki'', straight from the fourth ''

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 o ...

'' rank, after finishing as tournament runner-up. It was the quickest rise to ''ōzeki'' since Ōnishiki in 1916. In January 1941, he defeated ''ōzeki'' Haguroyama and ''yokozuna'' Futabayama. His strongest technique was ''harite'', or face slap. His technique caused a controversy over ''harite'' but Futabayama supported him, insisting it was a legitimate sumo technique. Maedayama was an ''ōzeki'' during the war years, when few tournaments were held, and took his only top division championship in the autumn of 1944, with a 9–1 record. He was promoted to ''yokozuna'' in June 1947 after taking part in a three way play-off that also included fellow ''ōzeki''

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 ...

and ''yokozuna'' Haguroyama. He was thirty-three years old at the time of his promotion and in his short ''yokozuna'' career he was unable to win any further tournament championships, only managing to produce two winning scores. Always a temperamental and controversial figure, he was forced to retire by 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 ...

in October 1949 after dropping out of a tournament claiming illness, only to be subsequently photographed at a

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

game with

Lefty O'Doul Francis Joseph "Lefty" O'Doul (March 4, 1897 – December 7, 1969) was an American Major League Baseball player who went on to become an extraordinarily successful manager in the minor leagues. He was also a vital figure in the establishmen ...

Retirement from sumo

Maedayama had become head coach of

in 1941 while still active in the ring (a practice no longer permitted) and upon his retirement he formally adopted the name Takasago Oyakata. In 1964 he recruited Takamiyama from

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 ...

, the first foreigner to succeed in professional sumo. He went on an extended tour of the United States to promote sumo, without the permission of the Sumo Association's directors. He produced ''yokozuna''

Asashio Tarō III was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Tokunoshima in the Amami Islands. He was the sport's 46th '' yokozuna''. He was also a sumo coach and head of Takasago stable. Career He was born on Tokunoshima in the Amami Islands. Due to the ...

in 1959 and ''ōzeki'' Maenoyama Tarō in 1970. In 1967 he allowed

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 an ...

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 ...

into his faction, strengthening the Takasago ''ichimon'' (group of stables). He became calmer late in his life and died on August 17, 1971 of

cirrhosis of the liver Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, and end-stage liver disease, is the impaired liver function caused by the formation of scar tissue known as fibrosis due to damage caused by liver disease. Damage causes tissue repai ...

, too early to see Takamiyama become the first foreigner to win a championship in 1972. After his death, foreigners such as ''ōzeki''

Konishiki Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e (born December 31, 1963), professionally known as is an American former sumo wrestler.Franz LidzMeat Bomb, 05.18.92 - ''Sports Illustrated'' He was the first non-Japanese-born wrestler to reach '' ōzeki'', the second ...

and ''yokozuna'' Asashōryū joined his stable.

Career record

*''Through most of the 1930s and 1940s only two tournaments were held a year, and in 1946 only one was held.''

References

External links

Japan Sumo Association profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maedayama, Eigoro 1914 births 1971 deaths Japanese sumo wrestlers Yokozuna Sumo people from Ehime Prefecture Deaths from cirrhosis

Career

Retirement from sumo

Career record

See also

References

External links