Kashiwado Tsuyoshi
Encyclopedia
Kashiwado Tsuyoshi was a sumo
wrestler from Japan
. He was the sport's 47th Yokozuna, fighting at sumo's highest rank from 1961 to 1969. After his retirement he became an elder
of the Japan Sumo Association
and ran his own training stable
from 1970 until his death.
, Kashiwado made his professional debut in September 1954, joining Isenoumi stable
. He initially fought under his own surname of Togashi. Upon reaching the top makuuchi
division in September 1958 he rose rapidly up the rankings. In only his fourth top division tournament, following a shikona
change to Kashiwado, he was runner-up to yokozuna Tochinishiki with a 13-2 record and earned special prizes
for Fighting Spirit and Technique. He made the sanyaku ranks in November 1959, winning promotion to ozeki in September 1960 and taking his first top division yusho in January 1961. After taking part in a playoff for the championship in September of that year, he was promoted to yokozuna, joining the aging pair of Asashio
and Wakanohana
who were soon to retire.
Kashiwado was to win five top division championships, a long way behind the thirty-two captured by his rival Taiho
, who was promoted to yokozuna simultaneously with him. He was however a tournament runner-up on no fewer than fifteen occasions. He suffered from many injury problems during his career, which led to him being dubbed the "glass yokozuna". He failed to complete four tournaments in a row from January to July 1963. However he made a spectacular comeback in September 1963, winning his first championship as a yokozuna (and second yusho in total) with a perfect 15-0 record. He was listed as a yokozuna on the banzuke
for 47 tournaments, which puts him in equal 6th place on the all-time list. He was popular among sumo crowds, appealing to those who found Taiho too dominant. The eight years in which the two shared the yokozuna rank was known as the Hakuho era, a combination of their names (Haku is another reading of Kashi.)
or techniques were migi-yotsu (a left hand outside, right hand inside grip on the opponents mawashi
), yorikiri (force out) and tsukidashi (thrust out). In all, about sixty percent of his wins were by either force out or force out and down (yoritaoshi).
committee until 1994. He died of liver failure
in 1996, at the age of 58. Taiho was at Kashiwado's bedside and was distraught over his death.
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 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 47th Yokozuna, fighting at sumo's highest rank from 1961 to 1969. After his retirement he became an elder
Toshiyori
A toshiyori is a sumo elder of the Japan Sumo Association. Also known as oyakata, former wrestlers who reached a sufficiently high rank are the only people eligible...
of the Japan Sumo Association
Japan Sumo Association
The is the body that operates and controls professional sumo wrestling in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Rikishi , gyōji , tokoyama , and yobidashi , are all on the Association's payroll, but the organisation is run...
and ran his own training stable
Heya
In sumo wrestling, a heya , usually translated into English as stable, is an organization of sumo wrestlers where they train and live. All wrestlers in professional sumo must belong to one. There are currently 49 heya , all but four of which belong to one of five ichimon...
from 1970 until his death.
Career
Born in the northern prefecture of YamagataYamagata Prefecture
-Fruit:Yamagata Prefecture is the largest producer of cherries and pears in Japan. A large quantity of other kinds of fruits such as grapes, apples, peaches, melons, persimmons and watermelons are also produced.- Demographics :...
, Kashiwado made his professional debut in September 1954, joining Isenoumi stable
Isenoumi stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers. Part of the Tokitsukaze group of stables, it is one of the oldest active stables in sumo, dating back to the mid-eighteenth century. The legendary Tanikaze, one of the first Yokozuna, and his protégé Raiden, arguably the greatest rikishi ever, were both members of...
. He initially fought under his own surname of Togashi. Upon reaching the top makuuchi
Makuuchi
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 September 1958 he rose rapidly up the rankings. In only his fourth top division tournament, following a 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...
change to Kashiwado, he was runner-up to yokozuna Tochinishiki with a 13-2 record and earned special prizes
Sansho (Sumo)
Sanshō are the three special prizes awarded to top division sumo wrestlers for exceptional performance during a sumo honbasho or tournament. The prizes were first awarded in November 1947.-Criteria:...
for Fighting Spirit and Technique. He made the sanyaku ranks in November 1959, winning promotion to ozeki in September 1960 and taking his first top division yusho in January 1961. After taking part in a playoff for the championship in September of that year, he was promoted to yokozuna, joining the aging pair of Asashio
Asashio Taro III
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.-Career:...
and Wakanohana
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...
who were soon to retire.
Kashiwado was to win five top division championships, a long way behind the thirty-two captured by his rival Taiho
Taiho Koki
Taihō Kōki is the 48th Yokozuna in the Japanese sport of sumo wrestling. He is generally regarded as the greatest sumo wrestler of the post-war period. He became a yokozuna in 1961 at the age of 21, the youngest ever at the time, and he won a record 32 tournaments between 1960 and 1971...
, who was promoted to yokozuna simultaneously with him. He was however a tournament runner-up on no fewer than fifteen occasions. He suffered from many injury problems during his career, which led to him being dubbed the "glass yokozuna". He failed to complete four tournaments in a row from January to July 1963. However he made a spectacular comeback in September 1963, winning his first championship as a yokozuna (and second yusho in total) with a perfect 15-0 record. He was listed as a yokozuna on the banzuke
Banzuke
This article is about the banzuke document, for a list of wrestlers as ranked on an actual banzuke see List of active sumo wrestlersA , officially called is a document listing the rankings of professional sumo wrestlers published before each official tournament or honbasho. The term can also...
for 47 tournaments, which puts him in equal 6th place on the all-time list. He was popular among sumo crowds, appealing to those who found Taiho too dominant. The eight years in which the two shared the yokozuna rank was known as the Hakuho era, a combination of their names (Haku is another reading of Kashi.)
Fighting style
Kashiwado's favoured kimariteKimarite
Kimarite are winning techniques in a sumo bout. For each bout in a Grand Sumo tournament , a sumo referee, or gyoji, will decide and announce the type of kimarite used by the winner...
or techniques were migi-yotsu (a left hand outside, right hand inside grip on the opponents mawashi
Mawashi
In sumo, a mawashi is the belt that the rikishi wears during training or in competition. Upper ranked professional wrestlers wear a keshō-mawashi as part of the ring entry ceremony or dohyo-iri.-Mawashi:...
), yorikiri (force out) and tsukidashi (thrust out). In all, about sixty percent of his wins were by either force out or force out and down (yoritaoshi).
Retirement from sumo
After retiring from active competition in July 1969 he remained in the sumo world as an elder, and he opened up his own stable, Kagamiyama, in November 1970. He coached Tagaryu to the top division championship in September 1984. He also served as a director of the Sumo Association and was head of the judgesShimpan
are the judges of a professional sumo bout. In a sumo honbasho tournament five shimpan sit around the ring to observe which wrestler wins the matchup. When judging tournament bouts they wear formal Japanese dress of otokomono, haori with mon, and hakama...
committee until 1994. He died of liver failure
Liver failure
Acute liver failure is the appearance of severe complications rapidly after the first signs of liver disease , and indicates that the liver has sustained severe damage . The complications are hepatic encephalopathy and impaired protein synthesis...
in 1996, at the age of 58. Taiho was at Kashiwado's bedside and was distraught over his death.
Top division record
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 sumo tournament second division winners
- List of Yokozuna