Terukuni Manzo
Encyclopedia
Terukuni Manzō was a sumo
wrestler from Ogachi
, Akita Prefecture
, Japan
. He was the sport's 38th Yokozuna. He was promoted to yokozuna without any top division tournament titles to his name, although he later attained two.
in 1934, making his debut in January 1935.
He was promoted to the top makuuchi division in May 1939, and reached the ozeki rank in May 1941. After two tournaments at ozeki, he finished in a three way tie for the championship in May 1942 with Futabayama and Akinoumi, on 13-2. The championship was awarded to Futabayama (whom Terukuni had defeated in their individual match) simply because he was of a higher rank, as was the rule at the time. Nevertheless, after the tournament both Terukuni and Akinoumi were promoted to yokozuna. At 23 years of age, Terukuni was the youngest wrestler to reach the yokozuna rank until the promotion of Taiho
in 1961. He did extremely well in his yokozuna debut, scoring 14-1, although he finished one win behind Futabayama, who won his last match by default.
He was a heavy wrestler for his time, weighing over 160 kg (352.7 lb). During World War II
, his weight declined due to the food shortages.
Having been a runner-up on five previous occasions, he finally won his first championship in September 1950, about eight years after his promotion. He won his second championship in the very next tournament with a perfect 15-0 record.
Three days into the January 1953 tournament, he announced his retirement. After the tournament, Kagamisato was promoted to yokozuna, and a photograph was taken of Terukuni and Kagamisato alongside the other grand champions Chiyonoyama, Azumafuji and Haguroyama
. As Terukuni had not yet had his official retirement ceremony, some regard January 1953 as being the only occasion on which there were five yokozuna at the same time.
and produced ozeki Kiyokuni Katsuo
. He had already made arrangements to pass control over the stable over to Kiyokuni at the time of his death in 1977 at the age of 58.
|-
!
!New Year
!Summer
!Autumn
|-
|1939
|x
|West Maegashira #15 (11-4)
|no tournament held
|-
|1940
| East Maegashira #2 (12-3) ☆
| East Sekiwake (11-4)
| no tournament held
|-
|1941
|West Sekiwake (12-3)
|West Sekiwake (13-2)
| no tournament held
|-
|1942
|East Ōzeki (12-3)
|West Ōzeki (13-2)
| no tournament held
|-
|1943
|East Yokozuna (14-1)
|West Yokozuna (12-3)
| no tournament held
|-
|1944
|East Yokozuna (11-4)
|West Yokozuna (6-4)
|West Yokozuna (4-2-4)
|-
|1945
|no tournament held
|East Yokozuna (5-2)
|East Yokozuna (9-1)
|-
|1946
|no tournament held
|no tournament held
|East Yokozuna (3-3-7)
|-
|1947
|no tournament held
|West Yokozuna (7-3)
|West Yokozuna (7-4)
|-
|1948
|no tournament held
|West Yokozuna (9-2)
|East Yokozuna (2-5-4)
|-
|1949
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out
|East Yokozuna (12-3)
|East Yokozuna (8-2-5)
|-
|1950
|East Yokozuna (2-2-11)
|East Yokozuna (11-4)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Yokozuna (13-2)
|-
|1951
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Yokozuna (15-0)
|East Yokozuna (10-5)
|West Yokozuna (11-4)
|-
|1952
|West Yokozuna (10-5)
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out
|West Yokozuna (6-6-3)
|-
|1953
|bgcolor=gray|Retired
|x
|x
{|
| 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 Ogachi
Ogachi, Akita
Ogachi was a town located in Ogachi District, Akita, Japan.On March 22, 2005, the village of Minase, and the towns of Inakawa and Ogachi, all from Ogachi District, merged into the city of Yuzawa....
, Akita Prefecture
Akita Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region of northern Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Akita.- History :The area of Akita has been created from the ancient provinces of Dewa and Mutsu....
, 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 38th Yokozuna. He was promoted to yokozuna without any top division tournament titles to his name, although he later attained two.
Career
In the summer of 1930, he was scouted by Isegahama, former sekiwake Kiyosegawa Keinosuke, his distant relative. However, he was forgotten due to the disruption caused by the Shunjuen Incident of 1932, in which a large number of wrestlers went on strike. After the dispute was settled, he joined Isegahama stableIsegahama stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Tatsunami ichimon or group of stables. It was re-established by the 63rd Yokozuna Asahifuji Seiya in November 2007, who re-named his Ajigawa stable when he acquired the Isegahama toshiyori name....
in 1934, making his debut in January 1935.
He was promoted to the top makuuchi division in May 1939, and reached the ozeki rank in May 1941. After two tournaments at ozeki, he finished in a three way tie for the championship in May 1942 with Futabayama and Akinoumi, on 13-2. The championship was awarded to Futabayama (whom Terukuni had defeated in their individual match) simply because he was of a higher rank, as was the rule at the time. Nevertheless, after the tournament both Terukuni and Akinoumi were promoted to yokozuna. At 23 years of age, Terukuni was the youngest wrestler to reach the yokozuna rank until the promotion of 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...
in 1961. He did extremely well in his yokozuna debut, scoring 14-1, although he finished one win behind Futabayama, who won his last match by default.
He was a heavy wrestler for his time, weighing over 160 kg (352.7 lb). During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, his weight declined due to the food shortages.
Having been a runner-up on five previous occasions, he finally won his first championship in September 1950, about eight years after his promotion. He won his second championship in the very next tournament with a perfect 15-0 record.
Three days into the January 1953 tournament, he announced his retirement. After the tournament, Kagamisato was promoted to yokozuna, and a photograph was taken of Terukuni and Kagamisato alongside the other grand champions Chiyonoyama, Azumafuji and Haguroyama
Haguroyama Masaji
Haguroyama Masaji was a sumo wrestler from Nakanokuchi, Niigata, Japan. He was the sport's 36th yokozuna. He was a yokozuna for a period of twelve years and three months dating from his promotion to that rank in May 1941 until his retirement in September 1953, which is an all-time record...
. As Terukuni had not yet had his official retirement ceremony, some regard January 1953 as being the only occasion on which there were five yokozuna at the same time.
Retirement from sumo
After his retirement, he became head coach of Isegahama stableIsegahama stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Tatsunami ichimon or group of stables. It was re-established by the 63rd Yokozuna Asahifuji Seiya in November 2007, who re-named his Ajigawa stable when he acquired the Isegahama toshiyori name....
and produced ozeki Kiyokuni Katsuo
Kiyokuni Katsuo
Kiyokuni Katsuo is a former sumo wrestler from Akita, Japan. His highest rank was ozeki, which he held from 1969 to 1974. He won one top division yusho or tournament championship and was a runner-up in five other tournaments. He also earned seven special prizes and seven gold stars...
. He had already made arrangements to pass control over the stable over to Kiyokuni at the time of his death in 1977 at the age of 58.
Top division record
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 120%"|-
!
!New Year
!Summer
!Autumn
|-
|1939
|x
|West Maegashira #15 (11-4)
|no tournament held
|-
|1940
| East Maegashira #2 (12-3) ☆
| East Sekiwake (11-4)
| no tournament held
|-
|1941
|West Sekiwake (12-3)
|West Sekiwake (13-2)
| no tournament held
|-
|1942
|East Ōzeki (12-3)
|West Ōzeki (13-2)
| no tournament held
|-
|1943
|East Yokozuna (14-1)
|West Yokozuna (12-3)
| no tournament held
|-
|1944
|East Yokozuna (11-4)
|West Yokozuna (6-4)
|West Yokozuna (4-2-4)
|-
|1945
|no tournament held
|East Yokozuna (5-2)
|East Yokozuna (9-1)
|-
|1946
|no tournament held
|no tournament held
|East Yokozuna (3-3-7)
|-
|1947
|no tournament held
|West Yokozuna (7-3)
|West Yokozuna (7-4)
|-
|1948
|no tournament held
|West Yokozuna (9-2)
|East Yokozuna (2-5-4)
|-
|1949
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out
|East Yokozuna (12-3)
|East Yokozuna (8-2-5)
|-
|1950
|East Yokozuna (2-2-11)
|East Yokozuna (11-4)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Yokozuna (13-2)
|-
|1951
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Yokozuna (15-0)
|East Yokozuna (10-5)
|West Yokozuna (11-4)
|-
|1952
|West Yokozuna (10-5)
|bgcolor=gray|Sat out
|West Yokozuna (6-6-3)
|-
|1953
|bgcolor=gray|Retired
|x
|x
- 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....
.
|}
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