Ayagawa Goroji
Encyclopedia
Ayagawa Gorōji was a sumo
wrestler. He is formally recognised as the second yokozuna (grand champion).
Ayagawa came from Tochigi prefecture
and was promoted to ozeki in 1717. According to tradition, he was the strongest wrestler in the Genbun
era. He was a famous sumo wrestler in Edo
, Osaka
and Kyoto
. The 17th Oikaze of the Yoshida family, allowed Ayagawa to be his pupil. However, it hasn't been proven that he was awarded a yokozuna license and indeed, very little is known about his sumo career. He was of legendary size, perhaps 2 metre tall and 150 kg (330.7 lb) in weight.
He died on March 14, 1765. His grave can be found in Tochigi
.
It was not until over a century after his death that he was recognised as the 2nd Yokozuna.
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. He is formally recognised as the second yokozuna (grand champion).
Ayagawa came from Tochigi prefecture
Tochigi Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Kantō region on the island of Honshū, Japan. The capital is the city of Utsunomiya.Nikkō, whose ancient Shintō shrines and Buddhist temples UNESCO has recognized by naming them a World Heritage Site, is in this prefecture...
and was promoted to ozeki in 1717. According to tradition, he was the strongest wrestler in the Genbun
Genbun
was a , also Gembun, after Kyōhō and before Kanpō. This period spanned the years from April 1736 through February 1741. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:...
era. He was a famous sumo wrestler in Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
, 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...
and Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
. The 17th Oikaze of the Yoshida family, allowed Ayagawa to be his pupil. However, it hasn't been proven that he was awarded a yokozuna license and indeed, very little is known about his sumo career. He was of legendary size, perhaps 2 metre tall and 150 kg (330.7 lb) in weight.
He died on March 14, 1765. His grave can be found in Tochigi
Tochigi, Tochigi
is a city located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Despite its name, it is not the capital of Tochigi Prefecture; the capital is Utsunomiya.The city took its current form on March 29, 2010 when the old city of Tochigi merged with the towns of Fujioka, Ōhira and Tsuga from Shimotsuga District to form...
.
It was not until over a century after his death that he was recognised as the 2nd Yokozuna.
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 yokozuna