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. He was the sport's 25th ''

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

His real name was , but he later changed his surname to . He entered sumo in January 1900, 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'' co ...

'' name . He changed it to in May 1905, and was promoted to 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 on ...

'' division in May 1906. A month later he changed his ring name again, this time to . He changed his ''shikona'' for the last time in January 1914, when he took the given name Kajirō. Nishinoumi was awarded a ''yokozuna'' licence by the house of ''Yoshida Tsukasa'' in February 1916 after winning a championship at the January 1916 tournament. He was 36 years old at the time of his promotion, making him the oldest wrestler to be promoted to ''yokozuna'' in the 20th century. In the top ''makuuchi'' division, he won 106 bouts and lost 38 bouts, recording a winning percentage of 73.6. He was the only wrestler to defeat

Tachiyama was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture. He was the sport's 22nd ''yokozuna''. 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 ...

between 1909 and 1916, his victory in January 1912 preventing Tachiyama from recording 100 straight wins (he had a winning streak of 43 before, and 56 after their bout). Tachiyama claimed many years later that Nishinoumi's win over him had been ''

yaocho Match-fixing in professional sumo is an allegation that has plagued professional sumo for decades. Due to the amount of money changing hands depending on rank and prize money, there had been numerous reports of (corruption, bout-fixing) in professi ...

'' (fixed), but there is little evidence for this. He favoured the '' yokozuna dohyō-iri'' (''yokozuna'' ring-entering ceremony) style that has come to be known as ''Unryū ''. After his retirement, he was an elder known as

Izutsu ' is a classic Noh play written by Zeami, the dominant figure in the early history of Noh theatre. ''Izutsu'' is based on an old story, ''Tsutsu-Izutsu'' (筒井筒), from the ''Ise monogatari'', a 10th-century collection of stories, many of wh ...

and produced many top division wrestlers, such as ''yokozuna''

Nishinoumi Kajirō III was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He was the sport's 30th ''yokozuna''. Career He was born . He joined Izutsu stable and made a debut in January 1910. His first ''shikona'' or ring name was . In January 1914, he changed its given nam ...

. During his tenure Izutsu's influence in 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 ...

increased, but he was accused of using his position unfairly by his opponents after he added a director to the Sumo Association's board from his own ''

ichimon The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. A B C D E F G H ...

'' or stable group. He eventually committed suicide by

hanging Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging i ...

on January 27, 1931. His adopted daughter's grandsons are

Sakahoko Akihiro Sakahoko Nobushige (born Yoshiaki Fukuzono; 18 June 1961 – 16 September 2019) was a Japanese sumo wrestler. The son of Tsurugamine, he made his professional debut in 1978, reaching the top ''makuuchi'' division in 1982. His highest rank ...

and

Terao Tsunefumi is a Japanese former sumo wrestler. He was born in Tokyo, but brought up in Kajiki, Aira District, Kagoshima, Japan. He fought out of Izutsu stable. The highest rank he reached was ''sekiwake.'' Despite his relatively light weight he had an ex ...

Career

Top division record

References

See also