Umegatani Totaro I
Encyclopedia
Umegatani Tōtarō was a sumo
wrestler from Asakura
, Fukuoka Prefecture
, Japan
. He was the sport's 15th Yokozuna. He was generally regarded as the strongest wrestler to emerge since the era of Tanikaze and Raiden.
sumo in 1863 and was promoted to ozeki in 1870. He wasn't content with the rank and so gave it up. He transferred to Tokyo
sumo in December 1870, and began his career over again from the bottom of the rankings. Umegatani won 58 bouts in a row from January 1876 to January 1881. It is the fourth best record of consecutive victories behind Futabayama
, Tanikaze
and Hakuho
. He was awarded a yokozuna licence in February 1884, receiving it simultaneously from both the Osaka and Tokyo based organisations. Emperor Meiji
took pleasure in seeing his bout on March 10, 1884. The event made sumo more famous. He won 116 bouts and lost only 6 bouts in the top makuuchi
division. He achieved a winning average of 95.1, the highest record among yokozunas, though could not surpass ōzeki Raiden. He was not a particularly large wrestler but was remarkably strong.
stadium in 1909. It is said that when asked by a potential backer what he had in the way of collateral
, simply showing his muscles was enough to clinch the deal.
He lived until the age of eighty-three, making him the longest-lived yokozuna of all time. He outlived his son-in-law Umegatani II
, and is one of very few yokozuna to have died of old age.
*Championships from this period were unofficial
*Yokozuna were not listed as such on the ranking sheets until 1890
*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%"
|-
!
!First
!Second
!Third
|-
|1874
!x
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Maegashira #6 (8-0-1-1draw)
|no tournament held
|-
|1875
|West Maegashira #5 (6-1-3)
|no tournament held
|no tournament held
|-
|1876
|West Maegashira #4 (5-2-2-1draw)
|West Maegashira #2 (3-0-6-1draw)
|no tournament held
|-
|1877
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Maegashira #1 (8-0-2)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Komusubi (7-0-2-1draw)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Sekiwake (7-0-1)
|-
|1878
|West Sekiwake (4-0-4-1draw-1hold)
|no tournament held
|no tournament held
|-
|1879
|West Ōzeki (6-0-1-3draws)
|West Ōzeki (5-0-4-1hold)
|no tournament held
|-
|1880
|West Ōzeki (0-0-6-4draws)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (9-0-1)
|no tournament held
|-
|1881
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (7-1-1-1draw)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (8-0-2)
|no tournament held
|-
|1882
|bgcolor=gray|sat out due to injury
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (5-0-4-1draw)
|no tournament held
|-
|1883
|East Ōzeki (6-0-4)
|East Ōzeki (3-0-7)
|no tournament held
|-
|1884
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Ōzeki (7-0-2-1draw)
|East Ōzeki (7-2-1)
|no tournament held
|-
|1885
|East Ōzeki (3-0-4-3draws)
|bgcolor=gray|retired
|no tournament held
{|
| 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 Asakura
Asakura, Fukuoka
is a city located in south central Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city was created on March 20, 2006 when the old town of Asakura, from Asakura District, absorbed the former city of Amagi, and the town of Haki, also from Asakura District, to form the new city of Asakura.-Geography:Asakura is...
, Fukuoka Prefecture
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.- History :Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen....
, 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 15th Yokozuna. He was generally regarded as the strongest wrestler to emerge since the era of Tanikaze and Raiden.
Career
Umegatani entered OsakaOsaka
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 in 1863 and was promoted to ozeki in 1870. He wasn't content with the rank and so gave it up. He transferred to 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 December 1870, and began his career over again from the bottom of the rankings. Umegatani won 58 bouts in a row from January 1876 to January 1881. It is the fourth best record of consecutive victories behind Futabayama
Futabayama Sadaji
Futabayama Sadaji , born as Akiyoshi Sadaji in Oita Prefecture, Japan, was the 35th Yokozuna in sumo wrestling, from 1937 until 1945. He won twelve top division championships and had a winning streak of 69 consecutive bouts, an all-time record. Despite his dominance he was extremely popular with...
, Tanikaze
Tanikaze Kajinosuke
was a sumo wrestler in Japan in the Tokugawa era, and the first to be awarded the title of Yokozuna within his own lifetime. He achieved great fame and won 21 tournament championships. He was also the coach of Raiden Tameemon.- Early career :...
and Hakuho
Hakuho Sho
is a professional sumo wrestler from Ulan Bator, Mongolia. Making his debut in March 2001, he reached the top makuuchi division in May 2004. On May 30, 2007 at the age of 22 he became the second native of Mongolia, and the fourth non-Japanese overall, to be promoted to the highest rank in sumo,...
. He was awarded a yokozuna licence in February 1884, receiving it simultaneously from both the Osaka and Tokyo based organisations. Emperor Meiji
Emperor Meiji
The or was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 3 February 1867 until his death...
took pleasure in seeing his bout on March 10, 1884. The event made sumo more famous. He won 116 bouts and lost only 6 bouts in 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. He achieved a winning average of 95.1, the highest record among yokozunas, though could not surpass ōzeki Raiden. He was not a particularly large wrestler but was remarkably strong.
Retirement from sumo
After his retirement he remained in the sumo world as a coach under the name Ikazuchi Oyakata. He helped to raise funds for the building of the first Ryōgoku KokugikanRyogoku Kokugikan
, also known as Sumo Hall, is an indoor sporting arena located in the Ryōgoku neighborhood of Sumida, one of the 23 wards of Tokyo in Japan, next to the Edo-Tokyo Museum. It is the third building built in Tokyo associated with the name kokugikan. The current building was opened in 1985 and has a...
stadium in 1909. It is said that when asked by a potential backer what he had in the way of collateral
Collateral (finance)
In lending agreements, collateral is a borrower's pledge of specific property to a lender, to secure repayment of a loan.The collateral serves as protection for a lender against a borrower's default - that is, any borrower failing to pay the principal and interest under the terms of a loan obligation...
, simply showing his muscles was enough to clinch the deal.
He lived until the age of eighty-three, making him the longest-lived yokozuna of all time. He outlived his son-in-law Umegatani II
Umegatani Totaro II
Umegatani Tōtarō II was a sumo wrestler from Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 20th Yokozuna. Umegatani had a great rivalry with yokozuna Hitachiyama Taniemon...
, and is one of very few yokozuna to have died of old age.
Top division record
*1-3 tournaments were held yearly in this period, though the actual time they were held was often erratic*Championships from this period were unofficial
*Yokozuna were not listed as such on the ranking sheets until 1890
*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%"
|-
!
!First
!Second
!Third
|-
|1874
!x
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Maegashira #6 (8-0-1-1draw)
|no tournament held
|-
|1875
|West Maegashira #5 (6-1-3)
|no tournament held
|no tournament held
|-
|1876
|West Maegashira #4 (5-2-2-1draw)
|West Maegashira #2 (3-0-6-1draw)
|no tournament held
|-
|1877
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Maegashira #1 (8-0-2)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Komusubi (7-0-2-1draw)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Sekiwake (7-0-1)
|-
|1878
|West Sekiwake (4-0-4-1draw-1hold)
|no tournament held
|no tournament held
|-
|1879
|West Ōzeki (6-0-1-3draws)
|West Ōzeki (5-0-4-1hold)
|no tournament held
|-
|1880
|West Ōzeki (0-0-6-4draws)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (9-0-1)
|no tournament held
|-
|1881
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (7-1-1-1draw)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (8-0-2)
|no tournament held
|-
|1882
|bgcolor=gray|sat out due to injury
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (5-0-4-1draw)
|no tournament held
|-
|1883
|East Ōzeki (6-0-4)
|East Ōzeki (3-0-7)
|no tournament held
|-
|1884
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Ōzeki (7-0-2-1draw)
|East Ōzeki (7-2-1)
|no tournament held
|-
|1885
|East Ōzeki (3-0-4-3draws)
|bgcolor=gray|retired
|no tournament held
- 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
{|
| Green Box=Tournament Championship
|}
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