Asashio Taro III
Encyclopedia
Asashio Tarō III was a sumo
wrestler from Kobe
, Hyogo
, Japan
. He was the sport's 46th Yokozuna. He was also a sumo coach and head of Takasago stable
.
division in January 1951. He adopted the shikona
of Asashio ("morning tide") in 1952. In his early career he earned seven kinboshi
for defeating yokozuna, three of them coming in one tournament in January 1955 when he beat Yoshibayama on Day 5 and then Chiyonoyama and Tochinishiki on Days 8 and 9.
Asashio won five top division tournament championships, all but one of them in Osaka
. He won this tournament three years in a row from 1956 to 1958. His first title was won at sekiwake rank in a three way playoff that also involved future yokozuna Wakanohana Kanji I
and maegashira Wakahaguro. He earned promotion to ozeki a year later after winning his second championship. In November 1958 he won the tournament in Kyūshū
with a 14-1 record. After runner-up honours in the next two tournaments he was finally promoted to yokozuna at nearly 30 years of age. His time at sumo's highest rank was difficult as he missed many bouts through injury. He had to sit out the three tournaments following his yokozuna debut and was only able to win one further tournament, in March 1961. He did not take part in the January 1962 tourney and announced his retirement at the age of 32.
in 1971 after the death of the previous stablemaster, former yokozuna Maedayama
. As Takasago Oyakata he coached Asashio Tarō IV
and Konishiki to the rank of ozeki. He predicted that Konishiki would reach the rank of yokozuna before his 25th birthday, but it did not happen. He also recruited the Samoa
n wrestler Nankairyu but after a heated argument with Takasago, Nankairyu ran away from the stable in September 1988. Takasago died of a stroke
a few weeks later.
Sumo
is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...
wrestler from Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
, Hyogo
Hyogo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He was the sport's 46th Yokozuna. He was also a sumo coach and head of Takasago stable
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"....
.
Career
Making his professional debut in October 1948, he at first fought under his own surname of Yonekawa. In September 1950 he reached the second highest juryo division and won the championship at his first attempt with a 14-1 record. This earned him immediate promotion to the top makuuchiMakuuchi
or is the top division of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers , ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments....
division in January 1951. He adopted the shikona
Shikona
A shikona is a sumo wrestler's ring name.As with standard Japanese names, a shikona consists of a 'surname' and a 'given' name, and the full name is written surname first. However, the given name is rarely used outside formal or ceremonial occasions. Thus, the former yokozuna Asashōryū Akinori is...
of Asashio ("morning tide") in 1952. In his early career he earned seven kinboshi
Kinboshi
Kinboshi is a notation used in professional sumo wrestling to record a lower-ranked wrestler's victory over a yokozuna....
for defeating yokozuna, three of them coming in one tournament in January 1955 when he beat Yoshibayama on Day 5 and then Chiyonoyama and Tochinishiki on Days 8 and 9.
Asashio won five top division tournament championships, all but one of them in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
. He won this tournament three years in a row from 1956 to 1958. His first title was won at sekiwake rank in a three way playoff that also involved future yokozuna Wakanohana Kanji I
Wakanohana Kanji I
was a sumo wrestler, the sport's 45th Yokozuna .Wakanohana's younger brother was the late former ozeki Takanohana Kenshi and he was the uncle of Takanohana Koji and Wakanohana Masaru...
and maegashira Wakahaguro. He earned promotion to ozeki a year later after winning his second championship. In November 1958 he won the tournament in Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
with a 14-1 record. After runner-up honours in the next two tournaments he was finally promoted to yokozuna at nearly 30 years of age. His time at sumo's highest rank was difficult as he missed many bouts through injury. He had to sit out the three tournaments following his yokozuna debut and was only able to win one further tournament, in March 1961. He did not take part in the January 1962 tourney and announced his retirement at the age of 32.
Retirement from sumo
Asashio remained in the sumo world as an elder under the name of Furiwake, and became head coach of Takasago stableTakasago 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"....
in 1971 after the death of the previous stablemaster, former yokozuna Maedayama
Maedayama Eigoro
Maedayama Eigorō was a sumo wrestler from Ehime Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 39th Yokozuna.-Career:...
. As Takasago Oyakata he coached Asashio Tarō IV
Asashio Taro IV
Asashio Tarō IV is a former sumo wrestler from Muroto, Kochi, Japan. His highest rank was ozeki...
and Konishiki to the rank of ozeki. He predicted that Konishiki would reach the rank of yokozuna before his 25th birthday, but it did not happen. He also recruited the Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
n wrestler Nankairyu but after a heated argument with Takasago, Nankairyu ran away from the stable in September 1988. Takasago died of a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
a few weeks later.
Top division record
Note: The Osaka tournament resumed in 1953. The Kyūshū tournament was first held in 1957, and the Nagoya tournament in 1958.See also
- Glossary of sumo termsGlossary of sumo termsThe following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. azukari : Hold. A kind of draw. After a mono-ii, the gyōji or the shimpan "holds" the result if it was too close to call...
- List of past sumo wrestlers
- List of sumo tournament winners
- List of yokozuna