Tanikaze Kajinosuke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tanikaze Kajinosuke |
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| 谷風 梶之助 | |
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| Personal information | |
| Born | 金子 与四郎 Kaneko Yoshirō September 8, 1750 Miyagi District, Mutsu Province, Japan |
| Died | February 27, 1795 (aged 44) |
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Weight | 169 kg (373 lb; 26.6 st) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Isenoumi |
| Record | 258-14-112 |
| Debut | April 1769 |
| Highest rank | Yokozuna (November 1789) |
| Championships | 21 (unofficial) |
| * Up to date as of July 2007. | |
Tanikaze Kajinosuke (Japanese: 谷風梶之助, September 8, 1750 – February 27, 1795) was a super famous Japanese sumo wrestler who lived a long time ago, during the Edo period. He is officially known as the fourth yokozuna, which is the highest rank in sumo. But actually, he was the very first yokozuna to get this special title while he was still alive! He became incredibly famous. Even though official championships weren't given back then, he won what would be like 21 tournaments. He also trained another famous sumo wrestler named Raiden Tameemon.
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Tanikaze's Early Sumo Career
Tanikaze was born Kaneko Yoshirō (金子 与四郎) in a place called Miyagi District in Japan. From a young age, he was known for being very strong and having a big body. In 1768, he started training with a wrestler named Sekinoto. Sekinoto later became known as Isenoumi. Tanikaze was 189 centimeters tall and weighed 169 kilograms. This was huge for a Japanese man back then!
In 1769, he went to Edo (which is now Tokyo) to wrestle sumo. There, he was given his special wrestling name, or shikona, which was Tatsugaseki' (達ヶ関). For a short time, he was called a kanban-ōzeki (看板大関). This was like a 'guest ōzeki. These wrestlers were listed as ōzeki (a high rank) mainly because they looked big and impressive, not always because of their wrestling skill. They often filled in when a real ōzeki wasn't there. But Tanikaze was truly talented, so he moved down to a lower rank called maegashira. From there, he earned his way back up through his amazing skills. In 1776, he changed his wrestling name to Tanikaze Kajinosuke (谷風 梶之助).
Tanikaze's Amazing Winning Streak
Tanikaze had an incredible winning streak from March 1778 to February 1782. He won 63 matches in a row! During this time, he only lost one match to another wrestler named Onogawa Kisaburō in February 1782. This was the longest winning streak in sumo history at that time. This record stood for 150 years until Futabayama broke it in 1938 with 69 wins.
Back then, sumo wrestlers traveled a lot. They wrestled in different cities like Edo, Kyoto, and Osaka. If you count all his wins from all cities, Tanikaze actually had 98 wins in a row! But his official record for consecutive wins usually refers to the 63 wins in the main Edo tournaments. After losing to Onogawa, Tanikaze went on another winning streak, winning 43 matches in a row!
Becoming a Yokozuna
On November 19, 1789, Tanikaze and Onogawa were given a very special yokozuna license by the Yoshida family. This was a huge honor! They were also the first two sumo wrestlers ever allowed to perform a special ceremony called the yokozuna dohyō-iri. This is a special dance that only yokozuna can do.
When they became yokozuna, Tanikaze and Onogawa were actually ranked as sekiwake (a lower rank than ōzeki). This is because back then, the yokozuna title was more like an honorary award, not a rank on the official list of wrestlers (called the banzuke). So, even though Tanikaze is officially the 4th yokozuna in sumo history, he was really the first to get the title while he was alive. The first three yokozuna were given the title after they had already passed away.
Tanikaze's Death and Lasting Impact
On January 9, 1795, Tanikaze got sick with influenza, which was spreading in Edo. He sadly died suddenly at the age of 44. He was still an active wrestler when he passed away. At the time of his death, he was on another winning streak of 35 matches! He was a leading figure in sumo during his time.
In the top sumo division, called makuuchi, Tanikaze won 258 matches and only lost 14. This means he won almost 95% of his matches! Tanikaze was buried in his hometown of Wakabayashi, Sendai. His tomb is now a monument in a neighborhood there.
The wrestling name 'Tanikaze' became very special in the Edo-sumo association. Several wrestlers were offered the chance to use it, but they all said no. Today, the name is considered tome-na (とめ‐な), which means it's a name that is no longer allowed to be used by new wrestlers.
Tanikaze was a very popular rikishi (sumo wrestler). Unlike many other wrestlers from his time, lots of beautiful Japanese woodblock prints, called nishiki-e, and pictures of him wrestling still exist today.
Tanikaze's Fighting Style
People at the time said Tanikaze had amazing strength. He was known as a true expert in sumo. He was described as being quick on his feet and having a strong back. He was very skilled at his sport.
Tanikaze's Family
Tanikaze had a younger brother named Dategaseki Moriemon (1756-1807). He was also a sumo wrestler! Dategaseki Moriemon even reached the top sumo division in 1791. They were only the second pair of brothers in sumo history to both reach the makuuchi division.
Honoring Tanikaze
Tanikaze was chosen to represent sumo in a famous Japanese woodblock print called 'The three pleasures of Edo'. This artwork showed the three most popular entertainments of that time: sumo, kabuki (a type of Japanese theater), and yoshiwara (a famous entertainment district).
Tanikaze also appears in the Record of Ragnarok manga series. In the story, he is shown in flashbacks when he retired and is seen cheering for Raiden during his fight.
See also
- List of sumo record holders
- List of yokozuna
- Glossary of sumo terms
- List of past sumo wrestlers
