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 th ...

wrestler from the Minamitsugaru District (now Fujisaki) in the

Aomori Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori (city), Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is border ...

. Nicknamed , meaning 'Sumo god', he was one of the leaders of the

Shunjuen Incident The Shunjuen Incident (春秋園事件, ''Shunshūen jiken''), also known as the 'Tenryū Incident' or 'Tenryū-Ōnosato Incident' (after the ring name of its ringleaders), was an unprecedented strike launched by professional sumo wrestlers that o ...

History

Born on April 1, 1892, in Aomori Prefecture. He decided to join professional sumo in 1910 after a touring team came to Fujisaki in the summer. Even though he had a small stature, his enthusiasm earned him admission in the

Dewanoumi stable is a heya (sumo), stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ''Glossary of sumo terms#ichimon, ichimon'' or group of stables. It has a long, prestigious history. Its current head coach is former ''maegashira'' Oginohana Akikazu, Oginohana. ...

, and he stepped in the ring for the first time in 1912. Although he was a small fighter, he rose through the ranks through hard work and diligence. However, as might be expected, he was unable to achieve good results at the higher ranks at first due to the weaknesses of his small stature. Ōnosato was however promoted ''komusubi'' and ''sekiwake'' in the 1922 tournaments. He earned a promotion to the rank of ''ōzeki'' in the May 1925 tournament. At the time, he was the fourth ''ōzeki'' from Aomori Prefecture and the first promoted at this rank in 55 years, after Ichinoya's promotion in 1889. He held the rank for 7 straight years. Ōnosato earned the nickname 'Sumo god' because of his warm personality and his enthusiastic guidance of young wrestlers, and he became popular with many ''

rikishi A , or, more colloquially, , is a sumo wrestler. Although used to define all wrestlers participating in sumo wrestling matches, the term is more commonly used to refer to professional wrestlers, employed by the Japan Sumo Association, who par ...

''.

The Shunjuen Incident

Ōnosato became one of the leaders of the

that broke out on January 6, 1932. One day after the January ''

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 ...

'' release, 32 Dewanoumi ''ichimon'' (clan) wrestlers gathered at a Chinese restaurant named Shunjuen, located in Tokyo's Oimachi district. They demanded full scale reforms from the

Japan Sumo Association The , officially the ; sometimes abbreviated JSA or NSK, and more usually called Sumo Kyōkai, is the governing body that operates and controls Professional sports, professional sumo wrestling, called , in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Min ...

to improve the wrestlers living conditions. Subsequently, a number of ''sekitori'' from a non-Dewanoumi ''ichimon'', including then sekiwake Minanogawa, joined the protest . The Association was faced with an unprecedented crisis never before seen in the history of professional sumo and responded quickly to the group's demands, but their responses were considered to be half-hearted and lacking in substance, and eventually, the negotiations collapsed.
Just like his comrade

Tenryū Saburō Tenryū Saburō, (November 1, 1903 – August 20, 1989) born Saburō Wakuta in the Hamana District, Shizuoka Prefecture (now Hamamatsu) was a professional sumo wrestler of the Dewanoumi stable. His highest rank was ''sekiwake''. He was the ringle ...

, Ōnosato cut off his ōichōmage top knot and founded with the secessionists the Kansai Sumo Association (''Kansai Kakuryoku Kyokai'', 関西角力協会) where he wrestled until 1935. He then served as chairman of this association but his declining health precipitated the fall of the organization and the wrestlers came back to Tokyo.

Fighting style

Ōnosato was known for his short stature and had to compensate for this weak point with his technique. He was particularly known for his ''

tachi-ai The is the initial charge between two sumo wrestlers at the beginning of a bout. It is a combination of two Japanese words that mean “stand” and “meet”. There are several common techniques that wrestlers use at the tachi-ai, with the a ...

'' and use of the roundness of the

ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...

Death and homage

Ōnosato, among the wrestlers of the Kansai Sumo Association, took part in a tournament in

Manchukuo Manchukuo, officially known as the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of Great Manchuria thereafter, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China that existed from 1932 until its dissolution in 1945. It was ostens ...

in 1933. The tournament was to be held to put his association back on track after several successive failures and the desertion of several wrestlers who returned to the Sumo Association in Tokyo. He fell ill and was admitted to a Red Cross hospital in

Dairen Dalian ( ) is a major sub-provincial port city in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, and is Liaoning's second largest city (after the provincial capital Shenyang) and the third-most populous city of Northeast China (after Shenyang ...

. He died of

pleurisy Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity (Pulmonary pleurae, pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant d ...

in January 1938, at the age of 45, after a long illness. The day after the news of Onosato's death, the Dewanoumi ''ichimon'' received a final letter from Ōnosato in which he expressed his concern and encouragement for his Kansai disciples who had returned to the stable. On August 1, 1960, a monument was unveiled in the precincts of Kashima Shrine in his hometown of Fujisaki and a competition for elementary school students of the Aomori Prefecture, called the "Ōnosato Cup Youth Sumo Tournament", is held every year in August in that shrine. On February 4, 2023, several of his belongings were donated to his hometown of Fujisaki. The objects were in possession of the family of Ōnosato's former patron. Among the dozen of valuable materials, photographs, his akeni (明荷, sumo luggage) and a keshō-mawashi were donated. In April 2023, his ''

shikona A is a sumo wrestler's ring name. The tradition of ring names in sumo dates back to the Muromachi period and established itself during the Edo period, where they were used as a means to hide the identities of the . Given by the master to his di ...

'', or ring name, was given to Nishonoseki stable wrestler and amateur tournament star

Daiki Nakamura Daiki Nakamura may refer to: *Daiki Nakamura (actor) is a Japanese voice actor. Some of his best-known work includes Gaine in '' The Brave Express Might Gaine'' and Grandpa in '' Grandpa Danger'', as well as Haohmaru from SNK Corporation's '' ...

. Although the ''shikona'' doesn't feature exactly the same kana (大の里/大ノ里), it has been noted that before giving Nakamura his ring name, his master (former ''

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 o ...

Kisenosato is a Japanese sumo elder from Ibaraki Prefecture, Ibaraki. As a wrestler, he made his professional debut in 2002 and reached the top ''makuuchi'' division in 2004 at the age of just 18. After many years in the junior ''san'yaku'' ranks, he reac ...

) consulted a former stablemate,

Wakanosato Wakanosato Shinobu (born Shinobu Kogawa; July 10, 1976) is a retired sumo wrestler from Hirosaki, Aomori, Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, Aomori, Japan. He made his debut in the top division in 1998, and his highest rank was ''sekiwake''. He holds th ...

, so that the latter requested permission from Ōnosato Mansuke's family who still reside in

Top Division Record

References