Umegatani Tōtarō II

was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture. He was the sport's 20th ''yokozuna''. Umegatani had a great rivalry with fellow ''yokozuna'' Hitachiyama Taniemon. Their era was known as the Ume-Hitachi Era and it brought sumo to heights of popularity never before seen in the Meiji period.

Career

He was born , but later changed his name to . In 1891, he was spotted by a touring troupe of wrestlers led by '' ōzeki'' Tsurugizan. Because he scouted him, the ''ōzeki'' asked his master to recruit him into their stable. Oshida was later adopted by the 15th ''yokozuna'' Umegatani and joined his Ikazuchi stable in June 1892 at the age of 14. His father was initially reluctant to let him join at such a young age but Umegatani Tōtarō I personally guaranteed his well-being.

In the stable, he was trained by Onigatani. He rose through the ranks quickly, making his ''jūryō'' debut in January 1897 and reaching the top ''makuuchi'' division in January 1898. Initially wrestling under the ''shikona'' name of , he officially took on the Umegatani Tōtarō name before his fourth tournament as an '' ōzeki'' in January 1902. He met Hitachiyama in May 1903 when both ''ōzeki'' were undefeated. The clash caused great excitement throughout Japan. Although Umegatani lost the match, after the tournament both he and Hitachiyama were promoted to ''yokozuna'', Umegatani's promotion being awarded at Hitachiyama's insistence.

Umegatani had reached sumo's highest rank at the age of 25 years and 3 months, making him the youngest ever ''yokozuna'' at that time. The record stood until the promotion of Terukuni in 1942.

He had the best record in at least three championships before June 1909, when the ''yūshō'' system was established by the ''Mainichi Shimbun'' newspaper (the Japan Sumo Association officially recognised the system in 1926). There were two other instances where Umegatani achieved championship level performances not recorded as such by all sources. In the first, in the summer 1898 tournament, Umegatani tied ''ōzeki'' Asashio Taro I with a 7–1–1–1 draw record. Also, in the spring 1904 tournament, Umegatani finished with a record of 7–1–1 and 1 hold, slightly better than west ''yokozuna'' Hitachiyama Taniemon's 7-1-2 record, and a number of sources include this as an unofficial championship. Umegatani had the best record in the 1909 spring tournament, the last tournament before the ''yūshō'' system began in June 1909. Although he did not win any championships officially, he was given a prize frame in honor of his contribution when he retired in June 1915. This was his prize frame for his career from between the June 1909 tournament and the January 1910 tournament. His bouts were more masterly than his record because his techniques were orthodox methods. Although he was extremely heavy for his short height, he showed great skill.

He missed many bouts in his later career due to illness, retiring at the age of 37. In the top ''makuuchi'' division, he won 168 bouts and lost 27 bouts, recording a winning percentage of 86.2. So many people wished to attend his retirement ceremony that it was held over three days. He died at the age of 49 whilst still active in sumo as a judge and head of Ikazuchi stable. The stable folded upon his death.

Top division record

*''Some sources record two more of Umegatani's tournaments as having won or tied the tournament. See above.''

''*Championships for the best record in a tournament were not recognized or awarded before the 1909 summer tournament and the above unofficial championships are historically conferred. For more information see yūshō.''

See also

*Glossary of sumo terms
*List of past sumo wrestlers
*List of yokozuna

References

External links

Article on Umegatani II

{{DEFAULTSORT:Umegatani, Totaro
1878 births
1927 deaths
Japanese sumo wrestlers
Yokozuna
Sportspeople from Toyama (city)
Sumo people from Toyama Prefecture