Kimenzan Tanigorō facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kimenzan Tanigorō |
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| 鬼面山 谷五郎 | |
Shiranui (left) and Kimenzan (right) in 1869
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| Personal information | |
| Born | Tanaka Shin'ichi 1826 Washizu District, Mino, Japan |
| Died | September 7, 1871 (aged 45) |
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Weight | 140 kg (310 lb) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Takekuma |
| Record | 143-24-63 16draws-8holds(Makuuchi) |
| Debut | February 1852 |
| Highest rank | Yokozuna (April 1869) |
| Retired | November, 1870 |
| Elder name | Kimenzan |
| Championships | 7 (Makuuchi, unofficial) |
| * Up to date as of June 2020. | |
Kimenzan Tanigorō (鬼面山 谷五郎, 1826? – September 7, 1871) was a famous Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He became the 13th yokozuna, which is the highest rank in sumo. He was also the first yokozuna to be promoted during the Meiji era, a time of big changes in Japan.
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Kimenzan's Sumo Journey
Kimenzan was born in a place called Washizu District, which is now part of Yōrō in Gifu Prefecture. His real name was Tanaka Shin'ichi. He came from a farming family. As a young man, he worked carrying heavy stones. This work made him very strong! When he was about 13 years old, he decided to join the world of sumo. He trained at the Takekuma stable under a former top-ranked wrestler named Kotōzan.
Early Career and Ring Names
Kimenzan first stepped into the sumo ring in February 1852. His first shikona, or ring name, was Hamaikari. A shikona is like a stage name for a sumo wrestler. Later, he changed his name to Iyatakayama.
At this time, Kimenzan was known as one of the "Four Heavenly Kings of Awa." These were four very strong wrestlers from the Tokushima domain. The other three were Jinmaku, Onaruto, and Nijigatake. Back then, sumo wrestlers were often like important fighters or "vassals" for powerful lords. They had a special status, almost like a samurai.
Rivalry and Rise to Ōzeki
Kimenzan had a big rivalry with Jinmaku. This was because Jinmaku later switched to different lords. Their matches were often called "grudge matches" because of this strong competition!
Kimenzan worked his way up through the sumo ranks. He reached the rank of ōzeki in November 1865. The ōzeki rank is just below yokozuna. However, he was removed from the official list of wrestlers (called the banzuke) in November 1866. This happened because he reportedly had a disagreement with some of the older sumo officials, known as toshiyori. But he didn't give up! He was promoted to ōzeki again in June 1868.
Becoming a Yokozuna
In February 1869, Kimenzan achieved the highest honor in sumo. He was given the yokozuna license by the Yoshida family, who were in charge of sumo traditions. He was the very first wrestler to become a yokozuna during the new Meiji era in Japan.
What's amazing is that Kimenzan was 43 years old when he became a yokozuna! This made him the oldest wrestler ever to reach this top rank in sumo history. Because of his age, he didn't stay a yokozuna for a long time. He retired from sumo in November 1870.
Kimenzan was known for his powerful attacks. He usually started with a strong right-hand position. Even though his attacks were sometimes a bit too forceful, he was a very skilled wrestler. As a yokozuna, he won 17 matches and lost only 3. In the top makuuchi division, he won 143 matches and lost only 24. This means he won about 85.6% of his fights!
Because he reached the rank of yokozuna, Kimenzan was given a special privilege. He could become a sumo elder (an ichidai-toshiyori) using his own ring name, Kimenzan. This was a great honor.
Sadly, Kimenzan passed away on September 7, 1871, less than a year after he retired. He was 46 years old. His grave can be found at the Tokurin-ji temple in his hometown of Yōrō, Gifu.
Remembering Kimenzan
There is a special monument built to honor Kimenzan in Yōrō, Gifu. It helps people remember his amazing sumo career and his place in history.
See also
- Glossary of sumo terms
- List of past sumo wrestlers
- List of yokozuna
