Raiden Tameimon
Encyclopedia
Raiden Tameemon born Seki Tarokichi (January 1767 - February 11, 1825) is considered one of the greatest sumo
wrestlers in history, although he was never formally promoted to Yokozuna.
. He is said to have possessed great physical strength even in childhood. His father Hanemon, who enjoyed sumo as much as sake, allowed 14 year old Raiden to attend sumo classes at Nagaze (today called Murokocho), the neighbouring village. When Raiden was 17, the Urakaze-beya stablemaster noticed him when he came through the area while on jungyo (Spring tour) with his wrestlers. He was especially impressed with the young man's physique, which was extraordinary at the time. Young Raiden was 1.97 metre tall, which was three headlengths taller than most of his contemporaries. He also had matching long arms and large hands; a handprint at the Shofukuji temple near Okayama, which is said to be of Raiden's hand, measures 24 cm (9.4 in) from the wrist to the tip of the middle finger. When Raiden trained as a wrestler, he developed a weight of 167 kg (368 lb).
When Urakaze Kazuki invited him to Edo
and started training him, it turned out that Raiden possessed not only the body of a giant (by 18th century Japanese standards), but also a talent for sumo wrestling. He was especially talented in oshi-sumo techniques and was able to move at a high speed considering his size. Soon Raiden left his stable and unofficially joined Isenoumi-beya, where yokozuna Tanikaze
became his coach.
(wrestler name) "Raiden," which means "Thunder bolt," appeared in the banzuke
ranking, although Raiden did not have his debut until fall 1790. Raiden was ranked as a Sekiwake, as was common practice then. He won the basho
(tournament) without a defeat. After Tanikaze's death, Raiden was promoted to Ozeki in March 1795—a rank he retained for nearly 17 years. Between November 1793 and April 1800, Raiden won all tournaments he participated in, without leaving even one title to the other great fighters of his time, Tanikaze and Onogawa
. After 1800, he remained dominant, and sumo officials even disallowed him to use his favourite techniques in order to keep his matches interesting.
Of 35 tournaments he fought in during his career—there were only two basho a year at the time—Raiden was victorious in no fewer than 28. (His tournament championships are, however, regarded as unofficial by the Japan Sumo Association
, as before the current yusho
system was established in 1909, there was no prize given for individual performances in tournaments.) In seven of those, he won without suffering a single defeat or draw. In total, he achieved 254 victories and only ten defeats, a winning percentage of 96.2, an all-time record. His longest winning streaks were eleven consecutive tournaments or 44 bouts.
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(located in today's Shimane prefecture
), where his sponsor daimyo
resided. In 1816, he moved to Edo and finished his diary Shokoku Sumo Hikae-cho ("journal of sumo in various regions"), which describes his time as an active wrestler since 1789.
After his death, he was buried in Akasaka
in Edo. Two locks of his hair are buried in other graves which are located in his home village and in Matsue in Shimane.
When Raiden was still an active wrestler, his home village's residents built monuments honoring his parents. Raiden himself contributed a sake barrel made of stone in memory of his father. Since his death, Raiden appeared not only as subject of a number of statues, but also on postage stamps and beer labels.
According to Masahiko Nomi
's theory, 19th Yoshida Oikaze granted yokozuna licences to only two wrestlers, Tanikaze and Onogawa, and did not intend to honour any in the future, but the 20th Yoshida Oikaze attempted to defeat the Gojo family, which wanted to promote Kashiwado
and Tamagaki
to yokozuna, by awarding a yokozuna licence to Ōnomatsu Midorinosuke
later. Ōnomatsu was the first new yokozuna in 30 years.
Another theory suggested that the reason for this can be found in the family history of his sponsor, Daimyo Matsudaira Harusato, who was a descendant of Yūki Hideyasu
, a son of Tokugawa Ieyasu
. On the other hand, the Yoshida family, who held the privilege of awarding the Yokozuna license, supported the Hosokawa clan
, who had a history of supporting Ishida Mitsunari
.
The Yokozuna rank did not count as an official rank on the banzuke until the beginning of the 20th century. In spite of his never having been officially promoted, Raiden's name has been added as "peerless rikishi"http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/ej2/53393/m0u/peerless/ in the yokozuna memorial monument at the Tomioka Hachiman Shrine
, Tokyo, in 1900.
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 120%"
|-
!
!First
!Second
|-
|1790
!x
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Sekiwake (8-0-2holds)
|-
|1791
|West Sekiwake (6-1-2-1noresult)
|West Sekiwake (8-0-1-1hold)
|-
|1792
|bgcolor=gray|Unenrolled
|West Sekiwake (2-0-1)
|-
|1793
|West Sekiwake (8-1)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Sekiwake (8-0-1-1hold)
|-
|1794
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Komusubi (6-0-2-1draw-1hold)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Sekiwake (8-0-1-1hold)
|-
|1795
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (5-0)
|bgcolor=gray|Unenrolled
|-
|1796
|bgcolor=gray|Unenrolled
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (9-0-1)
|-
|1797
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (8-1-1)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (10-0)
|-
|1798
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (8-0-1-1noresult)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (9-0-1)
|-
|1799
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (6-0-1)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (9-0-1)
|-
|1800
|bgcolor=gray|Unenrolled
|West Ōzeki (6-1-2-1hold)
|-
|1801
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (6-0-3-1hold)
|bgcolor=gray|Unenrolled
|-
|1802
|bgcolor=gray|Unenrolled
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (8-0-2)
|-
|1803
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (5-0-2hold)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (9-0-1)
|-
|1804
|bgcolor=gray|Unenrolled
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (8-1-1)
|-
|1805
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (10-0)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (9-1)
|-
|1806
|West Ōzeki (3-1-1)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (9-0-1hold)
|-
|1807
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (8-0-1-1hold)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (8-0-1hold-1noresult)
|-
|1808
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (7-0-2-1noresult)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (9-1)
|-
|1809
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (8-0-1-1hold)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (7-1-2)
|-
|1810
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (9-0-1noresult)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (7-1-1-1draw)
|-
|1811
|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...
wrestlers in history, although he was never formally promoted to Yokozuna.
Early life
Raiden was born to a farming family in a village in rural Shinano provinceShinano Province
or is an old province of Japan that is now present day Nagano Prefecture.Shinano bordered on Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces...
. He is said to have possessed great physical strength even in childhood. His father Hanemon, who enjoyed sumo as much as sake, allowed 14 year old Raiden to attend sumo classes at Nagaze (today called Murokocho), the neighbouring village. When Raiden was 17, the Urakaze-beya stablemaster noticed him when he came through the area while on jungyo (Spring tour) with his wrestlers. He was especially impressed with the young man's physique, which was extraordinary at the time. Young Raiden was 1.97 metre tall, which was three headlengths taller than most of his contemporaries. He also had matching long arms and large hands; a handprint at the Shofukuji temple near Okayama, which is said to be of Raiden's hand, measures 24 cm (9.4 in) from the wrist to the tip of the middle finger. When Raiden trained as a wrestler, he developed a weight of 167 kg (368 lb).
When Urakaze Kazuki invited him to Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
and started training him, it turned out that Raiden possessed not only the body of a giant (by 18th century Japanese standards), but also a talent for sumo wrestling. He was especially talented in oshi-sumo techniques and was able to move at a high speed considering his size. Soon Raiden left his stable and unofficially joined Isenoumi-beya, where yokozuna 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 :...
became his coach.
Professional sumo career
In 1789, the shikonaShikona
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...
(wrestler name) "Raiden," which means "Thunder bolt," appeared in 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, although Raiden did not have his debut until fall 1790. Raiden was ranked as a Sekiwake, as was common practice then. He won the basho
Honbasho
A is an official professional sumo tournament. There are six held each year, a system established in 1958. Only honbasho results matter in determining promotion and relegation for rikishi ....
(tournament) without a defeat. After Tanikaze's death, Raiden was promoted to Ozeki in March 1795—a rank he retained for nearly 17 years. Between November 1793 and April 1800, Raiden won all tournaments he participated in, without leaving even one title to the other great fighters of his time, Tanikaze and Onogawa
Onogawa Kisaburo
Onogawa Kisaburō was a sumo wrestler from Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 5th Yokozuna. Along with Tanikaze he was the first to be given a yokozuna licence by the House of Yoshida Tsukasa and the first to perform the dohyō-iri to promote sumo tournaments.-Career:Onogawa was...
. After 1800, he remained dominant, and sumo officials even disallowed him to use his favourite techniques in order to keep his matches interesting.
Of 35 tournaments he fought in during his career—there were only two basho a year at the time—Raiden was victorious in no fewer than 28. (His tournament championships are, however, regarded as unofficial by 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...
, as before the current 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...
system was established in 1909, there was no prize given for individual performances in tournaments.) In seven of those, he won without suffering a single defeat or draw. In total, he achieved 254 victories and only ten defeats, a winning percentage of 96.2, an all-time record. His longest winning streaks were eleven consecutive tournaments or 44 bouts.
Retirement from sumo
Finally, in spring 1811, Raiden retired from sumo at the age of 43. He became chairman of the sumo association of Izumo provinceIzumo Province
was an old province of Japan which today consists of the eastern part of Shimane Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province is in the Chūgoku Region.- History :It was one of the regions of ancient Japan where major political powers arose...
(located in today's Shimane prefecture
Shimane Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is Matsue. It is the second least populous prefecture in Japan, after its eastern neighbor Tottori. The prefecture has an area elongated from east to west facing the Chūgoku Mountain Range on the south side and to...
), where his sponsor daimyo
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
resided. In 1816, he moved to Edo and finished his diary Shokoku Sumo Hikae-cho ("journal of sumo in various regions"), which describes his time as an active wrestler since 1789.
After his death, he was buried in Akasaka
Akasaka, Tokyo
is a residential and commercial district of Minato, Tokyo, located west of the government center in Nagatachō and north of the Roppongi nightlife district....
in Edo. Two locks of his hair are buried in other graves which are located in his home village and in Matsue in Shimane.
When Raiden was still an active wrestler, his home village's residents built monuments honoring his parents. Raiden himself contributed a sake barrel made of stone in memory of his father. Since his death, Raiden appeared not only as subject of a number of statues, but also on postage stamps and beer labels.
Unsolved riddle
Despite his dominance, he never was promoted to Yokozuna, the highest title in sumo. The reason remains a mystery in the history of sumo.According to Masahiko Nomi
Masahiko Nomi
Masahiko Nomi was a Japanese journalist who advocated Takeji Furukawa's idea of an influence of blood type on personality. He was also known as a sumo essayist....
's theory, 19th Yoshida Oikaze granted yokozuna licences to only two wrestlers, Tanikaze and Onogawa, and did not intend to honour any in the future, but the 20th Yoshida Oikaze attempted to defeat the Gojo family, which wanted to promote Kashiwado
Kashiwado Risuke
Kashiwado Risuke was a sumo wrestler from Goshogawara, Aomori Prefecture, Japan.-Career:Kashiwado was born in Aomori and went to Edo in 1806, joining Isenoumi stable. He was given the name "Kashiwado" and worked under Hirosaki Domain. His highest rank was Ozeki...
and Tamagaki
Tamagaki Gakunosuke
Tamagaki Gakunosuke IV was Japanese sumo wrestler. His highest rank was Ozeki. Kashiwado Risuke was his rival.-Career:...
to yokozuna, by awarding a yokozuna licence to Ōnomatsu Midorinosuke
Onomatsu Midorinosuke
Ōnomatsu Midorinosuke was a sumo wrestler from Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 6th Yokozuna. He trained ozeki Tsurugizan Taniemon.-Early career:...
later. Ōnomatsu was the first new yokozuna in 30 years.
Another theory suggested that the reason for this can be found in the family history of his sponsor, Daimyo Matsudaira Harusato, who was a descendant of Yūki Hideyasu
Yuki Hideyasu
was a Japanese daimyo who lived during the Azuchi-Momoyama and early Edo periods. Born the second son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, he established the Echizen Fukui Domain.-Birth:...
, a son of Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
. On the other hand, the Yoshida family, who held the privilege of awarding the Yokozuna license, supported the Hosokawa clan
Hosokawa clan
The ' was a Japanese samurai clan, descended from Emperor Seiwa and a branch of the Minamoto clan, by the Ashikaga clan. It produced many prominent officials in the Ashikaga shogunate's administration. In the Edo period, the Hosokawa clan was one of the largest landholding daimyo families in Japan...
, who had a history of supporting Ishida Mitsunari
Ishida Mitsunari
Ishida Mitsunari was a samurai who led the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the Azuchi-Momoyama period of the 17th century. Also known by his court title, Jibunoshō...
.
The Yokozuna rank did not count as an official rank on the banzuke until the beginning of the 20th century. In spite of his never having been officially promoted, Raiden's name has been added as "peerless rikishi"http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/ej2/53393/m0u/peerless/ in the yokozuna memorial monument at the Tomioka Hachiman Shrine
Tomioka Hachiman Shrine
is the largest Hachiman Shrine in Tokyo.-History:The shrine was founded in 1627 with reclamation of the shoal. The God Hachiman whom the shrine reveres was also a local Shinto deity of the Minamoto clan thus the shinto shrine received cordial protection by the Tokugawa shogunate...
, Tokyo, in 1900.
Top division record
- 2 tournaments were held yearly in this period, though the actual time they were held was often erratic
- 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%"
|-
!
!First
!Second
|-
|1790
!x
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Sekiwake (8-0-2holds)
|-
|1791
|West Sekiwake (6-1-2-1noresult)
|West Sekiwake (8-0-1-1hold)
|-
|1792
|bgcolor=gray|Unenrolled
|West Sekiwake (2-0-1)
|-
|1793
|West Sekiwake (8-1)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Sekiwake (8-0-1-1hold)
|-
|1794
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Komusubi (6-0-2-1draw-1hold)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Sekiwake (8-0-1-1hold)
|-
|1795
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (5-0)
|bgcolor=gray|Unenrolled
|-
|1796
|bgcolor=gray|Unenrolled
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (9-0-1)
|-
|1797
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (8-1-1)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (10-0)
|-
|1798
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (8-0-1-1noresult)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (9-0-1)
|-
|1799
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (6-0-1)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (9-0-1)
|-
|1800
|bgcolor=gray|Unenrolled
|West Ōzeki (6-1-2-1hold)
|-
|1801
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (6-0-3-1hold)
|bgcolor=gray|Unenrolled
|-
|1802
|bgcolor=gray|Unenrolled
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (8-0-2)
|-
|1803
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (5-0-2hold)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (9-0-1)
|-
|1804
|bgcolor=gray|Unenrolled
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (8-1-1)
|-
|1805
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (10-0)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (9-1)
|-
|1806
|West Ōzeki (3-1-1)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (9-0-1hold)
|-
|1807
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (8-0-1-1hold)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (8-0-1hold-1noresult)
|-
|1808
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (7-0-2-1noresult)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (9-1)
|-
|1809
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (8-0-1-1hold)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (7-1-2)
|-
|1810
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (9-0-1noresult)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Ōzeki (7-1-1-1draw)
|-
|1811
|bgcolor=gray|retired
!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
{|
| 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