Hitachiyama Taniemon
Encyclopedia
Hitachiyama Taniemon was a sumo
wrestler from Mito
, Ibaragi Prefecture, Japan
. He was the sport's 19th Yokozuna from 1903 till 1914. His great rivalry with Umegatani Tōtarō II
created the "Ume-Hitachi Era" and did much to popularise sumo. He is remembered as much for his exploits in promoting the sport as for his strength on the dohyo
. In his later years as head coach of Dewanoumi stable
he trained hundreds of wrestlers, including three yokozuna. Many consider him the most honorable yokozuna in sumo history, which earned him the nickname "Kakusei" (角聖), or "sumo saint".
family which belonged to the Mito Domain
. His family was dismissed by the Meiji restoration
authorities and was ruined financially. He moved to Tokyo and became dependent on his uncle. He attempted to enter Waseda University
where his uncle was employed. At around this time, however, his uncle observed that he was able to lift a rock weighing 58 kan, or 217.5 kg (479.5 lb). His uncle advised him to become a sumo wrestler. At that time, sumo wasn't seen as a sport of much regard, so his father opposed the idea. Despite his father's protestation, he joined Dewanoumi stable
in 1890.
He made his professional debut in June 1892. However, he fell in love with his head coach's niece; and when he was refused permission to wed her, he ran away from Tokyo sumo in the summer of 1894. He moved to Nagoya sumo and then Osaka sumo. He returned to Tokyo sumo in the spring of 1896. He had become much stronger during his absence and won 32 consecutive bouts upon his return. In January 1899, he won a championship at his first tournament in the top makuuchi
division. In January 1901 he was promoted to ozeki. He fought against fellow ozeki Umegatani Tōtarō II on the final day of May 1903 tournament. He defeated Umegatani and his own promotion to yokozuna was confirmed. Hitachiyama, however, insisted that his rival be promoted as well. Hitachiyama got his wish and he and Umegatani were promoted to yokozuna together in June 1903. With Ōzutsu Man'emon
also holding the rank, it was the first occasion that three yokozuna were active at the same time.
in his first tournament as yokozuna, then went on another winning streak of 32 bouts. However, he was determined to see sumo held in higher regard with Japanese society, a task he saw as more important than merely winning tournament titles. In August 1907, he went on a tour of the United States of America
and Europe
. He met President
Theodore Roosevelt
and performed the Yokozuna Dohyo-iri (the yokozuna ring entering ceremony) in the White House
. Although he was absent from January 1908 tournament due to the journey, nobody criticized Hitachiyama as he was seen as a visionary and a pioneer for sumo. After his return from his long journey he was not quite as dominant as he had been before, although he still managed to win a title in the first Ryōgoku Kokugikan
, which opened in 1909 and which he had helped to build.
In the top makuuchi
division, he won 150 bouts and lost only 15 bouts, achieving a winning percentage of 90.9. He is the last yokozuna to have a winning percentage over .900 in the top division. He started his powerful techniques only after his opponents' attack. His fighting style is now seen as a model of yokozuna. He also introduced Bushidō
into sumo, and raised the status of sumo wrestlers in society. He also performed Dohyo-iri in an innovative way. Unlike yokozuna before him, he would at first hold out both arms after he made a clap, and after he did the sumo-style leg stomps, he would raise only his right arm.
when he had first joined it, but even while still an active wrestler Hitachiyama had trained many wrestlers, such as later yokozuna Tachiyama Mineemon
, even though they were not members of his stable. He was a masterful recruiter and coach. He had such charisma and personality that he was able to tempt many wrestlers away from the less successful Osaka
and Kyoko
based sumo associations, which caused friction between the rival organisations. As head coach he produced many top division wrestlers, including no fewer than three yokozuna: Ōnishiki Uichirō
, Tochigiyama Moriya
and Tsunenohana Kan'ichi
. At the stable's peak he was in charge of two hundred wrestlers. To feed them, he devised the chankonabe
style of food preparation which still prevails in sumo today.
He died suddenly in 1922 at the age of 48. As a much respected figure in the sumo world, he was the first yokozuna for whom the Japan Sumo Association
organised a formal funeral. His cortege was reportedly 6 kilometres long.
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 120%"
|-
!
!January
!May
|-
|1899
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Maegashira #4 (8-0-1-1draw)
|bgcolor=gray|sat out due to injury
|-
|1900
|East Maegashira #1 (7-1-1-1draw)
|East Sekiwake (7-1-1-1draw)
|-
|1901
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Sekiwake (8-0-1-1draw)
|West Ōzeki (7-2-1)
|-
|1902
|West Ōzeki (7-1-2)
|West Ōzeki (6-0-4)
|-
|1903
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (8-0-1-1draw)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (9-0-1)
|-
|1904
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Yokozuna (7-1-2)
|bgcolor=gray|sat out due to injury
|-
|1905
|West Yokozuna (2-0-8)
|West Yokozuna (5-0-2-2draws-1hold)
|-
|1906
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Yokozuna (9-0-1)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Yokozuna (8-0-2)
|-
|1907
|bgcolor=gray|sat out due to injury
|West Yokozuna (6-2-1-1draw)
|-
|1908
|bgcolor=gray|sat out due to journey
|West Yokozuna (5-0-5)
|-
|1909
|East Yokozuna (6-0-4)
|East Yokozuna (7-1-2draws)
|-
|1910
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Yokozuna (7-0-1-2draws)
|East Yokozuna (2-0-8)
|-
|1911
|East Yokozuna (5-2-3draws)
|bgcolor=gray|sat out due to injury
|-
|1912
|West Yokozuna (5-1-4draws)
|bgcolor=gray|sat out due to injury
|-
|1913
|East Yokozuna (6-1-3draws)
|West Yokozuna (2-0-7-1hold)
|-
|1914
|West Yokozuna (1-2-7)
|bgcolor=gray|retired
|-
{|
| 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 Mito
Mito, Ibaraki
is the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan and has a central location, moderately offset towards the coast in that prefecture. As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 263,748 and a total area is 217.45 km², giving a population density of 1,212.91 persons per km²...
, Ibaragi Prefecture, 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 19th Yokozuna from 1903 till 1914. His great rivalry with Umegatani Tōtarō 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...
created the "Ume-Hitachi Era" and did much to popularise sumo. He is remembered as much for his exploits in promoting the sport as for his strength on the dohyo
Dohyo
thumb|A dohyōThe dohyō is the ring in which sumo wrestling bouts are held. A modern dohyo is a circle of rice-straw bales 4.55 meters in diameter, mounted on a square platform of clay 6.7m on a side, and 34 to 60 cm high. The surface is covered by sand.A new dohyō is built prior to each...
. In his later years as head coach of Dewanoumi stable
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....
he trained hundreds of wrestlers, including three yokozuna. Many consider him the most honorable yokozuna in sumo history, which earned him the nickname "Kakusei" (角聖), or "sumo saint".
Early career
Hitachiyama was born as Tani Ichige, on January 19, 1874, to a samuraiSamurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
family which belonged to the Mito Domain
Mito Domain
was a prominent feudal domain in Japan during the Edo period. Its capital was the city of Mito, and it covered much of present-day Ibaraki Prefecture. Beginning with the appointment of Tokugawa Yorifusa by his father, Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, in 1608, the Mito branch of the Tokugawa clan...
. His family was dismissed by the Meiji restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
authorities and was ruined financially. He moved to Tokyo and became dependent on his uncle. He attempted to enter Waseda University
Waseda 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...
where his uncle was employed. At around this time, however, his uncle observed that he was able to lift a rock weighing 58 kan, or 217.5 kg (479.5 lb). His uncle advised him to become a sumo wrestler. At that time, sumo wasn't seen as a sport of much regard, so his father opposed the idea. Despite his father's protestation, he joined Dewanoumi stable
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....
in 1890.
He made his professional debut in June 1892. However, he fell in love with his head coach's niece; and when he was refused permission to wed her, he ran away from Tokyo sumo in the summer of 1894. He moved to Nagoya sumo and then Osaka sumo. He returned to Tokyo sumo in the spring of 1896. He had become much stronger during his absence and won 32 consecutive bouts upon his return. In January 1899, he won a championship at his first tournament 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. In January 1901 he was promoted to ozeki. He fought against fellow ozeki Umegatani Tōtarō II on the final day of May 1903 tournament. He defeated Umegatani and his own promotion to yokozuna was confirmed. Hitachiyama, however, insisted that his rival be promoted as well. Hitachiyama got his wish and he and Umegatani were promoted to yokozuna together in June 1903. With Ōzutsu Man'emon
Ozutsu Man'emon
Ōzutsu Man'emon was a sumo wrestler from Shiroishi, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 18th Yokozuna.-Career:Ōzutsu was a taller sumo wrestler compared with other wrestlers at that time...
also holding the rank, it was the first occasion that three yokozuna were active at the same time.
Yokozuna
Hitachiyama once won 27 bouts in a row, lost one to Araiwa KamenosukeAraiwa Kamenosuke
Araiwa Kamenosuke was a Japanese sumo wrestler from Tottori Prefecture. His highest rank was ōzeki.-Career:...
in his first tournament as yokozuna, then went on another winning streak of 32 bouts. However, he was determined to see sumo held in higher regard with Japanese society, a task he saw as more important than merely winning tournament titles. In August 1907, he went on a tour of the United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. He met President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
and performed the Yokozuna Dohyo-iri (the yokozuna ring entering ceremony) in the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. Although he was absent from January 1908 tournament due to the journey, nobody criticized Hitachiyama as he was seen as a visionary and a pioneer for sumo. After his return from his long journey he was not quite as dominant as he had been before, although he still managed to win a title in the first Ryōgoku Kokugikan
Ryogoku 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...
, which opened in 1909 and which he had helped to build.
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 won 150 bouts and lost only 15 bouts, achieving a winning percentage of 90.9. He is the last yokozuna to have a winning percentage over .900 in the top division. He started his powerful techniques only after his opponents' attack. His fighting style is now seen as a model of yokozuna. He also introduced Bushidō
Bushido
, meaning "Way of the Warrior-Knight", is a Japanese word which is used to describe a uniquely Japanese code of conduct and a way of the samurai life, loosely analogous to the concept of chivalry. It originates from the samurai moral code and stresses frugality, loyalty, martial arts mastery, and...
into sumo, and raised the status of sumo wrestlers in society. He also performed Dohyo-iri in an innovative way. Unlike yokozuna before him, he would at first hold out both arms after he made a clap, and after he did the sumo-style leg stomps, he would raise only his right arm.
Later years
After his retirement in May 1914, he became the stablemaster of Dewanoumi stable. It had been a minor heyaHeya
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...
when he had first joined it, but even while still an active wrestler Hitachiyama had trained many wrestlers, such as later yokozuna Tachiyama Mineemon
Tachiyama Mineemon
Tachiyama Mineemon was a sumo wrestler from Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 22nd Yokozuna. He was well known for his extreme strength and skill...
, even though they were not members of his stable. He was a masterful recruiter and coach. He had such charisma and personality that he was able to tempt many wrestlers away from the less successful 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...
and Kyoko
Kyoko
is a very common feminine Japanese given name. Not to be confused with Kiyoko.-Possible Writings:The final syllable "ko" is typically written with the kanji character for child, 子...
based sumo associations, which caused friction between the rival organisations. As head coach he produced many top division wrestlers, including no fewer than three yokozuna: Ōnishiki Uichirō
Onishiki Uichiro
Ōnishiki Uichirō was a sumo wrestler. He was the sport's 26th Yokozuna. On November 2, 1922, he became the first yokozuna to perform Yokozuna Dohyo-iri at the Meiji Shrine.-Career:...
, Tochigiyama Moriya
Tochigiyama Moriya
Tochigiyama Moriya was the 27th Yokozuna in sumo wrestling from 1918 till 1925. Generally he is considered one of the pioneers of modern sumo. He is the lightest yokozuna with a weight of 104 kg...
and Tsunenohana Kan'ichi
Tsunenohana Kan'ichi
Tsunenohana Kan'ichi was a sumo wrestler from Okayama, Japan. He was the sport's 31st Yokozuna.-Career:...
. At the stable's peak he was in charge of two hundred wrestlers. To feed them, he devised the chankonabe
Chankonabe
is a Japanese stew commonly eaten in vast quantity by sumo wrestlers as part of a weight-gain diet. It contains a dashi or chicken broth soup base with sake or mirin to add flavor...
style of food preparation which still prevails in sumo today.
He died suddenly in 1922 at the age of 48. As a much respected figure in the sumo world, he was the first yokozuna for whom 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...
organised a formal funeral. His cortege was reportedly 6 kilometres long.
Top division record
- Seven championships before establishment of yusho system in 1909 are not admitted officially
- 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
|-
|1899
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Maegashira #4 (8-0-1-1draw)
|bgcolor=gray|sat out due to injury
|-
|1900
|East Maegashira #1 (7-1-1-1draw)
|East Sekiwake (7-1-1-1draw)
|-
|1901
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Sekiwake (8-0-1-1draw)
|West Ōzeki (7-2-1)
|-
|1902
|West Ōzeki (7-1-2)
|West Ōzeki (6-0-4)
|-
|1903
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (8-0-1-1draw)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (9-0-1)
|-
|1904
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Yokozuna (7-1-2)
|bgcolor=gray|sat out due to injury
|-
|1905
|West Yokozuna (2-0-8)
|West Yokozuna (5-0-2-2draws-1hold)
|-
|1906
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Yokozuna (9-0-1)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Yokozuna (8-0-2)
|-
|1907
|bgcolor=gray|sat out due to injury
|West Yokozuna (6-2-1-1draw)
|-
|1908
|bgcolor=gray|sat out due to journey
|West Yokozuna (5-0-5)
|-
|1909
|East Yokozuna (6-0-4)
|East Yokozuna (7-1-2draws)
|-
|1910
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Yokozuna (7-0-1-2draws)
|East Yokozuna (2-0-8)
|-
|1911
|East Yokozuna (5-2-3draws)
|bgcolor=gray|sat out due to injury
|-
|1912
|West Yokozuna (5-1-4draws)
|bgcolor=gray|sat out due to injury
|-
|1913
|East Yokozuna (6-1-3draws)
|West Yokozuna (2-0-7-1hold)
|-
|1914
|West Yokozuna (1-2-7)
|bgcolor=gray|retired
|-
- 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
|}
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