Wakashima Gonshirō
| Wakashima Gonshirō | |
|---|---|
| 若島 権四郎 | |
Tomozuna → Nakamura | |
| Record | 82-33-13draws (Makuuchi) |
| Debut | May, 1891 |
| Highest rank | Yokozuna (April, 1905) |
| Retired | January, 1907 |
| Championships | 4 (Osaka makuuchi, unofficial) |
| * Up to date as of October 2007. | |
Wakashima Gonshirō (
Early life and career
Wakashima was born in
While touring in
Tatekō was really popular among the public. Being renown as handsome, and having a good voice, he was popular with the ladies and was a regular member of the pleasure quarters. This affected his training and Tatekō never practiced much.[1] In the hope of arousing a burst of pride in Tatekō, his master transmitted to him his master's old shikona: Wakashima (若島). After he contracted smallpox and was unable to budge, he escaped from Tokyo-sumo, cut his topknot, and entered the Kusakaze stable in Kyoto, then moved to the Nakamura stable in Osaka, where he settled.[1]
In the Osaka Sumo Association, Wakashima ascended rapidly. He was quickly promoted to komusubi and reached the ōzeki rank in 1901.
Yokozuna career
In 1903, he was granted a
Retirement from sumo
Following a bicycle accident in 1905, he contracted a head injury and declared himself kyūjō for the whole of 1906. In 1907, his condition worsened to the point that his brain would not support a bout against another yokozuna and Wakashima chose to retire. After his retirement, he once became a chairman of the Osaka Sumo Association, but soon after, he chose to run a theatrical troupe and became an entertainer. However, management was left roughly to others, and by the beginning of the Taishō era (1912-1926), he had reached the end of his touring activities. In 1925, he was elected as a town councilor of Yonago, Tottori Prefecture. On his way to the
Fighting style
Although he was not able to beat Tokyo yokozuna
Top division record
Tokyo sumo top division record
| - | Spring | Summer | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1896 | West Maegashira #12 4–2–1 3d |
West Maegashira #7 1–7–1 1h |
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| 1897 | West Maegashira #12 1–7–2 |
West Maegashira #14 4–5–1 |
||||
| 1898 | West Maegashira #13 3–5–1 1d |
Sat out | ||||
| Record given as win-loss-absent Top Division Champion Top Division Runner-up Retired Lower Divisions Key:d=Draw(s) (引分); h=Hold(s) (預り) Jonokuchi Makuuchi ranks: Maegashira |
||||||
Osaka sumo top division record
- Osaka sumo existed independently for many years before merging with Tokyo sumo in 1926. 1–2 tournaments were held yearly, though the actual time they were held was often erratic.
- In his first Osaka tournament Wakashima competed at makuuchi, but was unranked.
| First | Second | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | Maegashira 4–1–3 1d |
West Maegashira #12 7–2 |
||||
| 1899 | West Maegashira #8 7–1–1 |
Not held | ||||
| 1900 | West Komusubi 7–0–1 1d 1h Unofficial |
Not held | ||||
| 1901 | West Ōzeki 7–0–1 1h Unofficial |
Not held | ||||
| 1902 | East Ōzeki 8–0 1h Unofficial |
Not held | ||||
| 1903 | East Yokozuna 8–1 |
East Yokozuna 4–0–4 1d |
||||
| 1904 | East Yokozuna 6–1–2 |
East Yokozuna 7–1–1 1d |
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| 1905 | Sat out | East Yokozuna 8–0–1 1d Unofficial |
||||
| 1906 | Sat out | Sat out | ||||
| 1907 | Retired – |
x | ||||
| Record given as win-loss-absent Top Division Champion Top Division Runner-up Retired Lower Divisions Key:d=Draw(s) (引分); h=Hold(s) (預り) Jonokuchi Makuuchi ranks: Maegashira |
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*Championships for the best record in a tournament were not recognized or awarded in Osaka sumo before its merger with Tokyo sumo, and the unofficial championships above are historically conferred. For more information, see yūshō.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Atsuo Tsubota. "Biographies of Yokozuna (19th to 25th)" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 27 June 2002. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
- ^ a b c "21st Yokozuna Wakashima Gonshirō - Time-Line". Ozumo database (in Japanese). Retrieved 18 February 2023.
- ^ a b c "68 Yokozuna in 400 Years". Le Monde Du Sumo. June 2005. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
- ^ "Wakashima Daigoro Rikishi Information". Sumo References. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
- ^ Atsuo Tsubota. "The 21st Yokozuna, Wakashima Gonshiro Results Chart" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 22 July 2011.