Terukuni Manzō facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Terukuni Manzō |
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| 照國 万藏 | |
Terukuni, circa 1943
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| Personal information | |
| Born | Suga Manzō January 10, 1919 Akita, Japan |
| Died | March 20, 1977 (aged 58) |
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 161 kg (355 lb) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Isegahama |
| Record | 313-110-74 |
| Debut | January 1935 |
| Highest rank | Yokozuna (May 1942) |
| Retired | January, 1953 |
| Elder name | Isegahama |
| Championships | 2 (Makuuchi) 1 (Jūryō) 1 (Makushita) |
| Gold Stars | 1 (Minanogawa) |
| * Up to date as of June 2020. | |
Terukuni Manzō (Japanese: 照國 万藏, January 10, 1919 – March 20, 1977) was a famous Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He came from Akita, Japan. He became the 38th yokozuna, which is the highest rank in sumo.
What's interesting is that he became a yokozuna even before winning any major tournaments in the top division. But don't worry, he later won two big championships!
Contents
Terukuni's Sumo Journey
Terukuni Manzō was born Suga Manzō. Later, he changed his name to Ono Manzō. In 1930, a former sumo champion named Isegahama noticed his talent. Isegahama was also a distant relative of his.
However, his start in sumo was a bit tricky. There was a big strike by many wrestlers in 1932, called the Shunjuen Incident. After this problem was fixed, he officially joined the Isegahama stable in 1934. He started wrestling in January 1935, using the ring name (or shikona) Terukuni Manzō.
Rising Through the Ranks
Terukuni quickly moved up in the sumo world. In May 1939, he reached the top division, called makuuchi. By May 1941, he had climbed to the rank of ōzeki, which is just below yokozuna.
In May 1942, he had an amazing tournament. He tied for the championship with two other great wrestlers, Futabayama and Akinoumi. All three had 13 wins and 2 losses. Back then, if there was a tie, the wrestler with the highest rank won the championship. So, Futabayama, who was already a yokozuna, was given the title.
Even though Terukuni didn't win the championship, his strong performance led to something even bigger. After that tournament, both Terukuni and Akinoumi were promoted to yokozuna! Terukuni was only 23 years old, making him one of the youngest wrestlers ever to reach this top rank at that time.
Life as a Yokozuna
When Terukuni first became a yokozuna, he did very well. He won 14 matches and lost only 1 in his first tournament at this rank.
Terukuni was quite a heavy wrestler for his time, weighing over 160 kilograms (about 350 pounds). During World War II, it was hard to get enough food. Because of this, his weight went down. He even changed the spelling of his ring name for a while but later changed it back.
After being a runner-up five times, Terukuni finally won his first championship in September 1950. This was about eight years after he became a yokozuna. He then won his second championship in the very next tournament, winning all 15 of his matches!
Retirement from Sumo
Terukuni announced his retirement from sumo in January 1953. After he retired, another wrestler named Kagamisato became a yokozuna. A famous photo was taken with Terukuni and Kagamisato, along with the other yokozuna of that time.
Because Terukuni hadn't had his official retirement ceremony yet, some people believe that January 1953 was the only time there were five yokozuna wrestling at the same time!
Life After Wrestling
After retiring from sumo, Terukuni became a coach. He took over as the head coach of the Isegahama stable, which was the sumo training stable he belonged to. He helped train new wrestlers, and one of his students, Kiyokuni Katsuo, even became an ōzeki.
Terukuni passed away in 1977 when he was 58 years old. He had already planned for Kiyokuni to take over the stable when he was gone.
Images for kids
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Terukuni holding the Emperor's Cup after winning the January 1951 tournament
See also
- Glossary of sumo terms
- List of past sumo wrestlers
- List of sumo tournament top division champions
- List of yokozuna
