Shiranui Dakuemon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shiranui Dakuemon
不知火 諾右衛門
19th century woodblock print of Shiranui by Kunisada.
Personal information
Born	Chikahisa Shinji October 1801 Uto, Higo, Japan
Died	August 20, 1854(1854-08-20) (aged 52)
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	135 kg (298 lb)
Career
Stable	Urakaze
Record	48-15-65 3draws-2holds-1no result (Makuuchi)
Debut	November 1830
Highest rank	Yokozuna (November 1840)
Retired	January 1844
Elder name	Minato
Championships	1 (Makuuchi, unofficial)
* Up to date as of October 2007.

Shiranui Dakuemon (Japanese: 不知火 諾右衛門, October 1801 – August 20, 1854, name also read as Shiranui Nagiemon) was a famous Japanese sumo wrestler. He came from Uto, in a place called Higo Province. He became the 8th yokozuna, which is the highest rank in sumo. What makes him unique is that he is the only yokozuna in history who was later moved down in rank.

Early Life of Shiranui

Shiranui Dakuemon's real name was Chikahisa Shinji (近久 信次). His father worked for the government. When his father passed away, Chikahisa took over his job at just 15 years old. He got married early, at 19, and had two sons.

In 1823, something happened that changed his life. He had an argument with the leader of his village. Chikahisa was very strong, and he accidentally pushed the village leader too hard. The leader fell and was knocked out. Knowing this would cause big trouble, Chikahisa had to leave his hometown and his family.

He found a safe place in Sakai, which is in Osaka Prefecture. There, he became a student of a sumo wrestler named Hatsuarashi Fumigoro (初嵐文五). Hatsuarashi later gave him his shikona, which is a special ring name used by sumo wrestlers. Some stories say he was a student of another wrestler, Minato Yuraemon (湊 由良右衛門).

Becoming a Professional Sumo Wrestler

Shiranui started his sumo career in Osaka in May 1824. His first ring name was Todatsuno Fujiyoshi (戸立野 藤吉). He changed his shikona several times during his career. He didn't have much success in Osaka sumo, so he moved to Edo (which is now Tokyo) in November 1830.

In Edo, he became a student of a wrestler named Urakaze Ichiemon (浦風 市右エ門). He wrestled for the Unshu domain. In March 1839, he started wrestling for the Kumamoto Domain in Higo Province. This is when he was promoted to ōzeki, a very high rank, under the name Noginosato Nouemon (濃錦里 諾右衛門).

He won one tournament in February 1840, with a record of 8 wins, 0 losses, and 2 draws. He wasn't known for being the strongest wrestler. However, during that time, getting promoted in sumo wasn't always just about strength. It also depended on who supported you. Shiranui had powerful people backing him. His promotion to ōzeki might also have happened because another ōzeki (who was also a yokozuna) named Inazuma Raigorō often didn't show up for matches.

Shiranui's Yokozuna Promotion

While he was an ōzeki, Shiranui was given the special yokozuna license. The exact date he received this title isn't perfectly clear, but it's officially recognized as November 1840.

Interestingly, his name wasn't listed on the banzuke (the official ranking list) for the next tournament in January 1841. He also missed the November 1841 tournament for reasons we don't know. In February 1842, he was moved down in rank to sekiwake. At this time, he changed his shikona to Shiranui Dakuemon (不知火 諾右衛門).

Back then, yokozuna was more of a special title than a fixed rank. Because he was moved down from the ōzeki rank, Shiranui Dakuemon is the only former yokozuna in history to have been demoted. In the top makuuchi division, Shiranui won 48 matches and lost 15 matches. This means he won about 76.2% of his fights.

Retirement from Sumo

Shiranui Dakuemon stopped being an active sumo wrestler after the January 1844 tournament. He continued to be involved in sumo as an elder after he retired. His elder name was Minato (湊). He even served as the chairman of Osaka-sumo.

The famous yokozuna dohyō-iri (ring entering ceremony) style called "Shiranui" did not come from him. Instead, it was named after the 11th yokozuna, Shiranui Kōemon, whom he actually trained!

Shiranui Dakuemon passed away in August 1854, at the age of 52. His grave is on a hillside in his hometown of Uto, Kumamoto, where he was born. This spot is now considered a special historic site. It's a tradition for yokozuna who perform the Shiranui-style ring entering ceremony to visit this grave when the Japan Sumo Association travels to that area.

Images for kids

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  19th century woodblock print of Shiranui by Kunisada.

See also

• Glossary of sumo terms
• List of yokozuna
• List of past sumo wrestlers