Nishinoumi Kajiro I
Encyclopedia
Nishinoumi Kajirō I was a sumo
wrestler from Sendai, Kagoshima Prefecture
, Japan
. He was the sport's 16th Yokozuna, and the first to be officially listed as such on the banzuke
ranking sheets, an act which strengthened the prestige of yokozuna as the highest level of achievement in professional sumo.
sumo, joining Tokinokoe stable in 1873. He was promoted to the top makuuchi
division in 1879, and made sekiwake in September 1879, a tournament which was held under the joint auspices of the Kyoto and Osaka
sumo organisations. He was persuaded by Uragoro Takasago, formerly of Osaka sumo, to join Tokyo
sumo in his newly founded Takasago stable
. He made his debut in a special makuuchi division rank in January 1882. He had a rapid rise, making ozeki just seven tournaments later in January 1885. His rivals included stablemates
Odate, Ichinoya and Konishiki
. Nishinoumi fell to sekiwake in January 1886, despite recording a kachi-koshi winning score, as at the time a sekiwake on the east side of the banzuke with a better record could overtake an ozeki on the same side. After winning a yusho
equivalent with an unbeaten 9-0 score in May 1889 he returned to ozeki, and after another good 7-2 score in the next tournament he was awarded a yokozuna licence in March 1890.
on the banzuke
(the sumo wrestlers' hierarchy) for the May 1890 tournament. This was because of Konishiki's 8-0 unbeaten score in the previous tournament. Nishinoumi's name was literally shunted out to the side on the banzuke, and he complained about that. To placate him, yokozuna was written on the banzuke for the first time in sumo history. It was a compromise but the name yokozuna became an official rank for the first time after the dispute. In the top makuuchi division, he won 127 bouts and lost 37 bouts, recording a winning percentage of 77.4.
after his retirement in January 1896, and became head coach of Izutsu stable
. He produced several top wrestlers from Kagoshima Prefecture, amongst them the 25th yokozuna Nishinoumi Kajirō II
(the great-grandfather of current Izutsu head Sakahoko) who succeeded him upon his death from heart failure in 1908.
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 120%"
|-
!
!January
!May
|-
|1882
|East Maegashira #9 (5-1-3-1draw)
|East Maegashira #9 (4-3-2-1draw)*
|-
|1883
|West Maegashira #5 (5-2-1-2draws)
|West Komusubi (3-1-5-1draw)
|-
|1884
|West Sekiwake (5-1-1-3draws)
|West Sekiwake (5-2-1-1draw-1hold)
|-
|1885
|West Ōzeki (3-0-2-5draws)
|West Ōzeki (6-1-1-2draws)
|-
|1886
|West Sekiwake (4-2-1-2draws-1hold)
|West Sekiwake (5-3-1-1draw)
|-
|1887
|West Sekiwake (4-1-4-1draw)
|West Komusubi (1-0-9)
|-
|1888
|West Komusubi (5-2-2-1draw)
|West Komusubi (6-2-1-1draw)
|-
|1889
|West Sekiwake (6-1-1-2draws)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Sekiwake (9-0-1)
|-
|1890
|West Ōzeki (7-2-1)
|East Yokozuna (3-1-5-1draw)
|-
|1891
|East Yokozuna (7-2-1)
|East Yokozuna (3-1-6)
|-
|1892
|East Yokozuna (1-1-8)
|East Yokozuna (6-1-2-1hold)*
|-
|1893
|East Yokozuna (6-3-1)
|East Yokozuna (5-3-2)
|-
|1894
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Yokozuna (7-0-3)
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out due to injury
|-
|1895
|East Yokozuna (4-0-6)
|East Yokozuna (2-1-6-1hold)*
|-
|1896
|bgcolor=gray|retired
!x
|-
{|
| Green Box=Tournament Championship
|}
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 Sendai, Kagoshima Prefecture
Kagoshima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Kagoshima.- Geography :Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu and includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest for a few hundred kilometers...
, 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 16th Yokozuna, and the first to be officially listed as such 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...
ranking sheets, an act which strengthened the prestige of yokozuna as the highest level of achievement in professional sumo.
Early career
He began his career in KyotoKyoto
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:...
sumo, joining Tokinokoe stable in 1873. 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 1879, and made sekiwake in September 1879, a tournament which was held under the joint auspices of the Kyoto and 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...
sumo organisations. He was persuaded by Uragoro Takasago, formerly of Osaka sumo, to join Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
sumo in his newly founded 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"....
. He made his debut in a special makuuchi division rank in January 1882. He had a rapid rise, making ozeki just seven tournaments later in January 1885. His rivals included stablemates
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...
Odate, Ichinoya and Konishiki
Konishiki Yasokichi I
Konishiki Yasokichi I was a sumo wrestler from Sanbu District, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 17th Yokozuna.-Career:...
. Nishinoumi fell to sekiwake in January 1886, despite recording a kachi-koshi winning score, as at the time a sekiwake on the east side of the banzuke with a better record could overtake an ozeki on the same side. After winning a yusho
Yusho
A Yūshō is a tournament championship in sumo. It is awarded in each of the six annual honbasho or official tournaments, to the wrestler who wins the most number of bouts. Yūshō are awarded in all six professional sumo divisions...
equivalent with an unbeaten 9-0 score in May 1889 he returned to ozeki, and after another good 7-2 score in the next tournament he was awarded a yokozuna licence in March 1890.
Yokozuna
However, Nishinoumi's promotion caused a problem. Although he had been made a yokozuna, his rank was listed as haridashi ozeki, below his rival ozeki Konishiki Yasokichi IKonishiki Yasokichi I
Konishiki Yasokichi I was a sumo wrestler from Sanbu District, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 17th Yokozuna.-Career:...
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...
(the sumo wrestlers' hierarchy) for the May 1890 tournament. This was because of Konishiki's 8-0 unbeaten score in the previous tournament. Nishinoumi's name was literally shunted out to the side on the banzuke, and he complained about that. To placate him, yokozuna was written on the banzuke for the first time in sumo history. It was a compromise but the name yokozuna became an official rank for the first time after the dispute. In the top makuuchi division, he won 127 bouts and lost 37 bouts, recording a winning percentage of 77.4.
Retirement from sumo
Nishinoumi became an elder known as IzutsuIzutsu (toshiyori)
Izutsu is a toshiyori . The name is currently held by former sekiwake Sakahoko Nobushige. He is correctly addressed as Izutsu-oyakata.- Holders :*Stable owners in bold.-External links:*...
after his retirement in January 1896, and became head coach of Izutsu stable
Izutsu stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tokitsukaze group of stables.The stable was established in the Meiji era by former yokozuna Nishinoumi Kajirō I, the 16th yokozuna, who became the 7th Izutsu-oyakata. He was succeeded by Nishinoumi Kajirō II, the 25th yokozuna...
. He produced several top wrestlers from Kagoshima Prefecture, amongst them the 25th yokozuna Nishinoumi Kajirō II
Nishinoumi Kajiro II
Nishinoumi Kajirō II was a sumo wrestler. He was the sport's 25th Yokozuna.- Career :Nishinoumi was promoted to the top makuuchi division in May 1906. He was awarded a yokozuna licence by the house of Yoshida Tsukasa in February 1916 after winning a championship at January 1916 tournament...
(the great-grandfather of current Izutsu head Sakahoko) who succeeded him upon his death from heart failure in 1908.
Top division record
- Championships from this period were unofficial
- There was no fusensho system until March 1927
- All top division wrestlers were usually absent on the 10th day until 1909
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 120%"
|-
!
!January
!May
|-
|1882
|East Maegashira #9 (5-1-3-1draw)
|East Maegashira #9 (4-3-2-1draw)*
|-
|1883
|West Maegashira #5 (5-2-1-2draws)
|West Komusubi (3-1-5-1draw)
|-
|1884
|West Sekiwake (5-1-1-3draws)
|West Sekiwake (5-2-1-1draw-1hold)
|-
|1885
|West Ōzeki (3-0-2-5draws)
|West Ōzeki (6-1-1-2draws)
|-
|1886
|West Sekiwake (4-2-1-2draws-1hold)
|West Sekiwake (5-3-1-1draw)
|-
|1887
|West Sekiwake (4-1-4-1draw)
|West Komusubi (1-0-9)
|-
|1888
|West Komusubi (5-2-2-1draw)
|West Komusubi (6-2-1-1draw)
|-
|1889
|West Sekiwake (6-1-1-2draws)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Sekiwake (9-0-1)
|-
|1890
|West Ōzeki (7-2-1)
|East Yokozuna (3-1-5-1draw)
|-
|1891
|East Yokozuna (7-2-1)
|East Yokozuna (3-1-6)
|-
|1892
|East Yokozuna (1-1-8)
|East Yokozuna (6-1-2-1hold)*
|-
|1893
|East Yokozuna (6-3-1)
|East Yokozuna (5-3-2)
|-
|1894
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Yokozuna (7-0-3)
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out due to injury
|-
|1895
|East Yokozuna (4-0-6)
|East Yokozuna (2-1-6-1hold)*
|-
|1896
|bgcolor=gray|retired
!x
|-
- tournament actually held one month later than listed.
- 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
- an X signifies the wrestler had yet to reach the top division at that point in his career or a tournament after he retired
{|
| Green Box=Tournament Championship
|}