Unryu Kyukichi
Encyclopedia
Unryū Kyūkichi was a sumo
wrestler from Yanagawa
, Fukuoka Prefecture
, Japan
. He was the sport's 10th Yokozuna.
division in February 1852.
Unryu was a strong wrestler at the beginning of his career. He won four consecutive championships upon entering the top makuuchi division. He presented his power before the military of Matthew C. Perry. He was promoted to Ozeki in January 1858.
He was awarded a yokozuna licence in September 1861, but by that time he had already passed his peak and was unable to win many more bouts. In the top makuuchi division, he won 127 bouts and lost 32 bouts, recording a winning percentage of 79.9.
After his retirement in February 1865, he remained in the sumo world as an elder. He was the chairman (fudegashira) of Tokyo sumo in the early Meiji period
, but he also acquired credit for his honesty.
The name of one style of Yokozuna Dohyo-iri (the yokozuna ring entering ceremony) came from him. His ritual dance was said to be beautiful but it isn't proved that he performed the ritual dance in the Unryū style. His style is said to have been imitated by Tachiyama Mineemon
, but Tachiyama's style is called shiranui style now. This was due to sumo scholar Kozo Hikoyama, who without researching properly, labelled Tachiyama's style as being that of Shiranui Koemon
, whereas it was in fact created by Unryū. Hikoyama was such an authority that no-one contradicted him, and the Shiranui name has stuck.
*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
|-
|1852
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Maegashira #7 (8-0-1-1draw)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Maegashira #3 (7-1-1-1draw)
|-
|1853
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Maegashira #2 (6-0-2-1draw-1hold)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Maegashira #1 (8-0-2)
|-
|1854
|East Komusubi (3-3-1-3draws)
|East Komusubi (5-1-1-2draws-1hold)
|-
|1855
|tournament called off due to fire
|no tournament held
|-
|1856
|East Komusubi (4-1-4-1hold)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Sekiwake (9-0-1)
|-
|1857
|East Sekiwake (7-1)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Sekiwake (7-1-1-1hold)
|-
|1858
|East Ōzeki (5-2-3)
|tournament called off due to fire
|-
|1859
|East Ōzeki (5-2-3)
|East Ōzeki (3-1-4-1draw-1hold)
|-
|1860
|East Ōzeki (5-2-1-2draws)
|East Ōzeki (5-1-1)
|-
|1861
|East Ōzeki (3-1-6)
|East Ōzeki (7-2-1)
|-
|1862
|East Ōzeki (6-2-2)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Ōzeki (6-1-2-1draw)
|-
|1863
|East Ōzeki (4-3-3)
|East Ōzeki (5-1-1-2draws)
|-
|1864
|East Ōzeki (5-3-1-1draw)
|East Ōzeki (4-3-3)
|-
|1865
|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 Yanagawa
Yanagawa, Fukuoka
is a city located in Fukuoka, Japan.On March 21, 2005 the towns of Yamato and Mitsuhashi, both from Yamato District, were merged into Yanagawa.As of April 30, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 71,848, with a household number of 24,507, and the population density of 934.55 persons per km²...
, 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 10th Yokozuna.
Career
He was born in Yanagawa, Fukuoka. He lost his parents and grandmother in 1833. He made an Osaka sumo debut in May 1846. He moved to Edo in 1847. He was promoted to the top makuuchiMakuuchi
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 February 1852.
Unryu was a strong wrestler at the beginning of his career. He won four consecutive championships upon entering the top makuuchi division. He presented his power before the military of Matthew C. Perry. He was promoted to Ozeki in January 1858.
He was awarded a yokozuna licence in September 1861, but by that time he had already passed his peak and was unable to win many more bouts. In the top makuuchi division, he won 127 bouts and lost 32 bouts, recording a winning percentage of 79.9.
Retirement from sumo
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
, but he also acquired credit for his honesty.
The name of one style of Yokozuna Dohyo-iri (the yokozuna ring entering ceremony) came from him. His ritual dance was said to be beautiful but it isn't proved that he performed the ritual dance in the Unryū style. His style is said to have been imitated by 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...
, but Tachiyama's style is called shiranui style now. This was due to sumo scholar Kozo Hikoyama, who without researching properly, labelled Tachiyama's style as being that of Shiranui Koemon
Shiranui Koemon
Shiranui Kōemon was a sumo wrestler from Kikuchi, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 11th Yokozuna.-Career:...
, whereas it was in fact created by Unryū. Hikoyama was such an authority that no-one contradicted him, and the Shiranui name has stuck.
Top division record
*1-2 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
|-
|1852
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Maegashira #7 (8-0-1-1draw)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Maegashira #3 (7-1-1-1draw)
|-
|1853
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Maegashira #2 (6-0-2-1draw-1hold)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Maegashira #1 (8-0-2)
|-
|1854
|East Komusubi (3-3-1-3draws)
|East Komusubi (5-1-1-2draws-1hold)
|-
|1855
|tournament called off due to fire
|no tournament held
|-
|1856
|East Komusubi (4-1-4-1hold)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Sekiwake (9-0-1)
|-
|1857
|East Sekiwake (7-1)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Sekiwake (7-1-1-1hold)
|-
|1858
|East Ōzeki (5-2-3)
|tournament called off due to fire
|-
|1859
|East Ōzeki (5-2-3)
|East Ōzeki (3-1-4-1draw-1hold)
|-
|1860
|East Ōzeki (5-2-1-2draws)
|East Ōzeki (5-1-1)
|-
|1861
|East Ōzeki (3-1-6)
|East Ōzeki (7-2-1)
|-
|1862
|East Ōzeki (6-2-2)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Ōzeki (6-1-2-1draw)
|-
|1863
|East Ōzeki (4-3-3)
|East Ōzeki (5-1-1-2draws)
|-
|1864
|East Ōzeki (5-3-1-1draw)
|East Ōzeki (4-3-3)
|-
|1865
|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
- 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
|}
See also
- List of yokozuna
- List of past sumo wrestlers
- 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...