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. He was the sport's 30th ''
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 ...
''.
Career
He was born . He joined
Izutsu stable
was a Heya (sumo), stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tokitsukaze group of stables. Its last incarnation was in existence from 1972 until 2019.
The stable was established in the Meiji era by former ''yokozuna (sumo), yokozuna'' Nishinoumi K ...
and made a debut in January 1910. His first ''
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 . In January 1914, he changed its given name to . He was promoted to the top makuuchi division in January 1916. He was promoted to ''ōzeki'' in January 1922.
After
Ōnishiki Uichirō
was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He was the sport's 26th ''yokozuna''. On 2 November 1922, he became the first ''yokozuna'' to perform the ''yokozuna dohyō-iri'' at the Meiji Shrine.
Biography
He was born , in Osaka on 25 November 1 ...
left the sumo world, there remained only one ''yokozuna'',
Tochigiyama, in Tokyo sumo at that time. The Tokyo Sumo Association wanted to promote one more ''yokozuna''. Although he didn't record significantly superior results, he was awarded a ''yokozuna'' licence in April 1923. He was promoted to that rank without winning any championships in the top ''
makuuchi
, or , is the top division of Professional sumo divisions, 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 ...
'' division. Therefore, his promotion was controversial, although championships (''
yūshō
is the term for a championship in Japanese. This article focuses on championships in the sport of professional sumo.
It is awarded in each of the six annual '' honbasho'' or official tournaments, to the wrestler who wins the most bouts. ''Yūs ...
'') before January 1926 were officially awarded not by the Sumo Association but by a newspaper, the Osaka ''
Mainichi Shimbun
The is one of the major newspapers in Japan, published by
In addition to the ''Mainichi Shimbun'', which is printed twice a day in several local editions, Mainichi also operates an English-language news website called , and publishes a bilin ...
''. To mark his promotion he changed his ''shikona'' to Nishinoumi Kajirō in January 1924, in honour of his stablemaster who was the 25th ''yokozuna''
Nishinoumi Kajirō II
was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He was the sport's 25th ''yokozuna''.
Career
His real name was , but he later changed his surname to . He entered sumo in January 1900, using the ''shikona'' name . He changed it to in May 1905, a ...
.
He won his only championship in May 1925. He was stricken by
heart disease
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases (e.g. angina pectoris, angina, myocardial infarction, heart attack), heart failure, ...
in November 1925 and was absent from the next tournament. His strength continued to decline and he retired in October 1928. In the top ''makuuchi'' division, he won 134 bouts and lost 60 bouts, recording a winning percentage of 69.1.
Upon his retirement he became an
elder of 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 ...
under the name Asakayama, and in 1929 opened up his own
Asakayama stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers. Previous incarnations with this stable name have existed, with the last being headed by former ''yokozuna'' Nishinoumi, and which folded in 1933. The current incarnation is part of the Isegahama ''ichimon'' or group ...
(unconnected to the
stable of the same name established in 2014) which he ran until his death in 1933.
Top division record
*''In 1927 Tokyo and Osaka sumo merged and four tournaments a year in Tokyo and other locations began to be held.''
See also
*
*
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
This is a list of wrestlers who have won the top division (''makuuchi'') championship in professional sumo since 1909, when the current championship system was established. These official tournaments are held exclusively in Japan.
1958 to prese ...
*
List of sumo tournament second division champions
This is a list of wrestlers who have won the sumo second division ''jūryō'' championship since 1909, when the current championship system was established. These official tournaments are held exclusively in Japan.
The wrestler who has won the mo ...
*
List of yokozuna
is the highest rank of sumo wrestling. It was not recorded on the until 1890 and was not officially recognised as sumo's highest rank until 1909. Until then, was merely a licence given to certain to perform the ceremony. It was not always the ...
References
External links
Japan Sumo Association profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nishinoumi, Kajiro, Iii
1890 births
1933 deaths
Japanese sumo wrestlers
Yokozuna
Sumo people from Kagoshima Prefecture