Minanogawa Tozo
Encyclopedia
Minanogawa Tōzō was a sumo
wrestler from Tsukuba
, Ibaraki
, Japan
. He was the sport's 34th Yokozuna.
at the age of two, and worked as a labourer to support his mother. Already tall at the age of 15, very large for Japanese youths in his time, he was spotted by Takasago stable
's Akutsugawa. He made his debut in January 1924 and reached the second highest juryo division after only six tournamnents in January 1927. He initially relied on pushing techniques
, or oshi-sumo, but began to develop a more rounded technique after being given instruction by former sekiwake Kiyosegawa.
He was promoted to the top makuuchi
division in January 1928. In 1929 Akutsugawa, the wrestler who had discovered him, retired and encouraged him to join his newly established Sadogatake stable. However Takasago's stablemaster did not want his promising rikishi to leave and even changed Minanogawa's shikona
to the prestigious Asashio Tarō
to obligate him to stay. Eventually a compromise was worked out and Minanogawa divided his time between the two stables.
He made komusubi in January 1930, and had two consecutive runner-up scores in October 1930 and January 1931, the second from the third highest sekiwake rank. Along with the lean and handsome Musashiyama he was one of the most popular men in sumo. However in 1931 he suffered a series of knee injuries, and in 1932 was caught up in the so called "Shunjeun Incident", when a number of top division wrestlers went on strike. Minanogawa was out of the Japan Sumo Association
for four tournaments and he and his followers held a number of their own rival tournaments with knockout rounds.
He returned to the Sumo Association in 1933 and immediately took his first tournament championship with an unbeaten record, defeating Musashiyama, ozeki Shimizugawa and yokozuna Tamanishiki, all of whom had stayed with the Association during the strike. He reverted to the Minanogawa shikona and won his second championship in January 1934. This earned him promotion to ozeki. He was promoted to yokozuna after a 9-2 runner-up score in January 1936, just one tournament after Musashiyama, and it was suggested that the double promotion was as a result of a deal between the Takasago and Dewanoumi
factions.
Although his record at yokozuna rank was not as bad as Musashiyama, who managed only one kachi-koshi winning score as a grand champion, Minanogawa was unable to win any further championships, and was overshadowed by Tamanishiki and the dominant Futabayama. He was never able to beat Futabayama as a yokozuna and had only one win over Tamanishiki. In May 1938 he could win only six out of 13 bouts, and became one of the very few yokozuna to compete in a full tournament and turn in a make-koshi losing score. By 1941 he was 36 years old and suffering from injuries, and he wanted to retire, but was asked to stay on until Maenoyama or Akinoumi were ready to replace him. He eventually retired in January 1942, a tournament in which Akinoumi produced a strong 13-2 record.
. He decided to resign from the Sumo Association (an irreversible decision) and run for election to parliament. However he lost badly and used up most of his severance pay from the Sumo Association. He also lost money through gambling. He tried a succession of unsuccessful jobs and even had a bit part in a 1958 Hollywood film called The Barbarian and the Geisha
. He was eventually divorced from his wife and separated from his children, and in his later years was confined to a rest home and reliant on hand outs from fans and sumo officials. He died in 1971, largely forgotten by the general public.
|-
!
!January
!March
!May
!October
|-
|1928
|West Maegashira#14 (6-5)
|East Maegashira #13 (8-3)
|East Maegashira #10 (7-4)
|East Maegashira #10 (5-6)
|-
|1929
|West Maegashira #4 (5-5-1draw)
|West Maegashira #4 (9-2)
|East Maegashira #2 (6-5)
|East Maegashira #2 (8-3)*
|-
|1930
|West Komusubi (8-3)
|West Komusubi (6-5)
|West Maegashira #1 (6-5)☆
|West Maegashira #1 (9-2)
|-
|1931
|East Sekiwake (9-2)
|East Sekiwake (8-3)
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out
|West Sekiwake (1-10)
|-
|1932
|bgcolor=gray|Not listed**
|bgcolor=gray|Not listed
|bgcolor=gray|Not listed
|bgcolor=gray|Not listed
|-
|1933
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Maegashira #9 (11-0)☆
|no tournament held
|West Komusubi (8-3)
|no tournament held
|-
|1934
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Sekiwake (9-2)
|no tournament held
|West Ōzeki (5-6)
|no tournament held
|-
|1935
|West Ōzeki (9-2)
|no tournament held
|West Ōzeki (8-3)
|no tournament held
|-
|1936
|East Ōzeki (9-2)
|no tournament held
|East Yokozuna (6-5)
|no tournament held
|-
|1937
|West Yokozuna (7-4)
|no tournament held
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out
|no tournament held
|-
|1938
|East Yokzouna (7-6)
|no tournament held
|East Yokozuna (6-7)
|no tournament held
|-
|1939
|East Yokozuna (11-2)
|no tournament held
|West Yokozuna (9-6)
|no tournament held
|-
|1940
|West Yokozuna (10-5)
|no tournament held
|West Yokozuna (10-5)
|no tournament held
|-
|1941
|East Yokozuna (10-5)
|no tournament held
|East Yokozuna (2-4-9)
|no tournament held
|-
|1942
|West Yokozuna (9-6)(Retired)
!x
!x
!x
*tournament actually held one month earlier
**tournament actually held one month later
{|
| Green Box=Tournament Championship
| ☆= Number of Kinboshi
.
|}
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 Tsukuba
Tsukuba, Ibaraki
is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. It is known as the location of the , a planned city developed in the 1960s.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 207,394 and a population density of 730 persons per km². Its total area is 284.07 km².Mount Tsukuba, particularly well-known...
, Ibaraki
Ibaraki Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan, located in the Kantō region on the main island of Honshu. The capital is Mito.-History:Ibaraki Prefecture was previously known as Hitachi Province...
, 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 34th Yokozuna.
Career
He had lost his father in the Russo-Japanese WarRusso-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
at the age of two, and worked as a labourer to support his mother. Already tall at the age of 15, very large for Japanese youths in his time, he was spotted by 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"....
's Akutsugawa. He made his debut in January 1924 and reached the second highest juryo division after only six tournamnents in January 1927. He initially relied on pushing techniques
Kimarite
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 oshi-sumo, but began to develop a more rounded technique after being given instruction by former sekiwake Kiyosegawa.
He was promoted to 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 January 1928. In 1929 Akutsugawa, the wrestler who had discovered him, retired and encouraged him to join his newly established Sadogatake stable. However Takasago's stablemaster did not want his promising rikishi to leave and even changed Minanogawa's 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...
to the prestigious Asashio Tarō
Asashio Taro
There have been several sumo wrestlers named Asashio Tarō:*Asashio Tarō III the 46th yokozuna and 5th Takasago-oyakata*Asashio Tarō IV the 7th Takasago-oyakata...
to obligate him to stay. Eventually a compromise was worked out and Minanogawa divided his time between the two stables.
He made komusubi in January 1930, and had two consecutive runner-up scores in October 1930 and January 1931, the second from the third highest sekiwake rank. Along with the lean and handsome Musashiyama he was one of the most popular men in sumo. However in 1931 he suffered a series of knee injuries, and in 1932 was caught up in the so called "Shunjeun Incident", when a number of top division wrestlers went on strike. Minanogawa was out 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...
for four tournaments and he and his followers held a number of their own rival tournaments with knockout rounds.
He returned to the Sumo Association in 1933 and immediately took his first tournament championship with an unbeaten record, defeating Musashiyama, ozeki Shimizugawa and yokozuna Tamanishiki, all of whom had stayed with the Association during the strike. He reverted to the Minanogawa shikona and won his second championship in January 1934. This earned him promotion to ozeki. He was promoted to yokozuna after a 9-2 runner-up score in January 1936, just one tournament after Musashiyama, and it was suggested that the double promotion was as a result of a deal between the Takasago and Dewanoumi
Dewanoumi stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers. It has a long, prestigious history. Its current head coach is former sekiwake Washuyama. As of November 2007 it had 21 wrestlers....
factions.
Although his record at yokozuna rank was not as bad as Musashiyama, who managed only one kachi-koshi winning score as a grand champion, Minanogawa was unable to win any further championships, and was overshadowed by Tamanishiki and the dominant Futabayama. He was never able to beat Futabayama as a yokozuna and had only one win over Tamanishiki. In May 1938 he could win only six out of 13 bouts, and became one of the very few yokozuna to compete in a full tournament and turn in a make-koshi losing score. By 1941 he was 36 years old and suffering from injuries, and he wanted to retire, but was asked to stay on until Maenoyama or Akinoumi were ready to replace him. He eventually retired in January 1942, a tournament in which Akinoumi produced a strong 13-2 record.
Retirement from sumo
Minanogawa had been able to stay in sumo as an elder due to his yokozuna ranking, but he had lost interest in sumo. He had recently married and started a family, and had also done a law and economics degree at Waseda UniversityWaseda University
, abbreviated as , is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan and Asia. Its main campuses are located in the northern part of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko, the institution was renamed "Waseda University" in 1902. It is known for its liberal climate...
. He decided to resign from the Sumo Association (an irreversible decision) and run for election to parliament. However he lost badly and used up most of his severance pay from the Sumo Association. He also lost money through gambling. He tried a succession of unsuccessful jobs and even had a bit part in a 1958 Hollywood film called The Barbarian and the Geisha
The Barbarian and the Geisha
The Barbarian and the Geisha is a 1958 film starring John Wayne, Sam Jaffe and Japanese American actress Eiko Ando set in 1850s Japan. Shot largely on location, it was directed by John Huston.-Plot:...
. He was eventually divorced from his wife and separated from his children, and in his later years was confined to a rest home and reliant on hand outs from fans and sumo officials. He died in 1971, largely forgotten by the general public.
Top division record
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 100%"|-
!
!January
!March
!May
!October
|-
|1928
|West Maegashira#14 (6-5)
|East Maegashira #13 (8-3)
|East Maegashira #10 (7-4)
|East Maegashira #10 (5-6)
|-
|1929
|West Maegashira #4 (5-5-1draw)
|West Maegashira #4 (9-2)
|East Maegashira #2 (6-5)
|East Maegashira #2 (8-3)*
|-
|1930
|West Komusubi (8-3)
|West Komusubi (6-5)
|West Maegashira #1 (6-5)☆
|West Maegashira #1 (9-2)
|-
|1931
|East Sekiwake (9-2)
|East Sekiwake (8-3)
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out
|West Sekiwake (1-10)
|-
|1932
|bgcolor=gray|Not listed**
|bgcolor=gray|Not listed
|bgcolor=gray|Not listed
|bgcolor=gray|Not listed
|-
|1933
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Maegashira #9 (11-0)☆
|no tournament held
|West Komusubi (8-3)
|no tournament held
|-
|1934
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Sekiwake (9-2)
|no tournament held
|West Ōzeki (5-6)
|no tournament held
|-
|1935
|West Ōzeki (9-2)
|no tournament held
|West Ōzeki (8-3)
|no tournament held
|-
|1936
|East Ōzeki (9-2)
|no tournament held
|East Yokozuna (6-5)
|no tournament held
|-
|1937
|West Yokozuna (7-4)
|no tournament held
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out
|no tournament held
|-
|1938
|East Yokzouna (7-6)
|no tournament held
|East Yokozuna (6-7)
|no tournament held
|-
|1939
|East Yokozuna (11-2)
|no tournament held
|West Yokozuna (9-6)
|no tournament held
|-
|1940
|West Yokozuna (10-5)
|no tournament held
|West Yokozuna (10-5)
|no tournament held
|-
|1941
|East Yokozuna (10-5)
|no tournament held
|East Yokozuna (2-4-9)
|no tournament held
|-
|1942
|West Yokozuna (9-6)(Retired)
!x
!x
!x
*tournament actually held one month earlier
**tournament actually held one month later
- The wrestler's East/West designation, rank, and win/loss record are listed for each tournament
- A third figure in win-loss records represents matches sat-out during the tournament (usually due to injury)
{|
| Green Box=Tournament Championship
| ☆= Number of Kinboshi
Kinboshi
Kinboshi is a notation used in professional sumo wrestling to record a lower-ranked wrestler's victory over a yokozuna....
.
|}