Umegatani Tōtarō I facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Umegatani Tōtarō I |
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| 梅ヶ谷 藤太郎 | |
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| Personal information | |
| Born | Oe Tōtarō March 16, 1845 Shiwa, Chikuzen, Japan |
| Died | May 15, 1928 (aged 83) |
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 105 kg (231 lb) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Minato → Tamagaki |
| Record | 116-6-78 18 draws-2 holds(Makuuchi) |
| Debut | March, 1871 |
| Highest rank | Yokozuna (February, 1884) |
| Retired | May, 1885 |
| Elder name | Ikazuchi |
| Championships | 9 (Makuuchi, unofficial) |
| * Up to date as of June 2020. | |
Umegatani Tōtarō I (born March 16, 1845 – died May 15, 1928) was a famous Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He came from a town called Haki, which is now part of Fukuoka Prefecture. He became the 15th yokozuna, which is the highest rank in sumo. Many people thought he was the strongest wrestler since the time of other legendary sumo champions like Tanikaze and Raiden.
Umegatani's Sumo Journey
Umegatani's real name was Oe Tōtarō. There's a fun story that says he drank sake (Japanese rice wine) instead of milk when he was a baby! When he was about 12 years old, he started learning at a temple school and began wrestling. By the time he was 16, people called him "Chikuzen Muteki," which means 'invincible' in his home region.
At 16, he joined the Osaka Sumo Association. He took his first shikona, or ring name, which was Umegae. Later, he moved to the Minato stable and changed his ring name to Umegatani. This new name honored his hometown, Umegaya.
After a big change in Japan called the Meiji Restoration in 1868, he joined the Osaka Sumo Tournament in March 1869. He quickly moved up to the rank of komusubi. Umegatani wasn't a huge wrestler, but he was incredibly strong. He reached the rank of ōzeki in Osaka sumo, which is the second-highest rank.
However, Umegatani wasn't happy with just being an ōzeki in Osaka. So, he decided to leave Osaka sumo and move to Tokyo sumo in December 1870. He had to start his career all over again from the lowest ranks. He joined Tamagaki stable in Tokyo. Because he left Osaka sumo, many wrestlers there didn't like him. But no one in Osaka could beat him. In a special tournament in December 1874, he won eight matches in a row and became the champion.
In 1876, while he was performing in Fukuoka Prefecture, he met some rebels. This led to a fight between the wrestlers and the rebels. But Umegatani stayed calm and helped to bring peace to the area.
Between 1876 and 1881, Umegatani was almost unbeatable in Tokyo sumo. He won 58 matches in a row! This amazing winning streak was only stopped when he lost to another ōzeki named Wakashima. This streak is one of the best in sumo history. After that, he continued to win 35 matches in a row until the May 1884 tournament.
Becoming a Yokozuna
In February 1884, Umegatani was given the special yokozuna license. This license came from both the Yoshida family (who were important in Tokyo sumo) and the Gojō family (who were important in Osaka sumo). Umegatani chose the Yoshida license. This choice was a big deal and helped decide which family would be more powerful in the sumo world.
After he became a yokozuna, he received three special ceremonial aprons called keshō-mawashi from a very important person named Itō Hirobumi.
The Emperor Meiji himself asked Umegatani to perform his special ring-entering ceremony and even wrestle in front of him. Umegatani's match was against a wrestler named Ōdate. It was a very exciting and close fight that ended in a draw. The Emperor loved it! This event helped make sumo much more popular, especially after its popularity had gone down a bit after the Meiji Restoration.
Life After Sumo
Umegatani had an amazing record in the top makuuchi division. He won 116 matches and only lost 6! This means he won about 95.1% of his matches, which is the highest winning percentage for any yokozuna.
After he stopped wrestling, he worked for a long time as a director in the Tokyo Sumo Association. He used the elder name Ikazuchi. During his time as a coach, he trained another yokozuna named Umegatani Tōtarō II, who later married his daughter.
Umegatani also helped raise money to build the first Ryōgoku Kokugikan stadium in 1909. This is a famous sumo arena. There's a story that when someone asked him what he could offer as a guarantee for the money, he just showed his strong muscles. That was enough to convince them!
When Umegatani II retired in 1915, Umegatani I passed on his sumo stable and his elder name to him. The Sumo Association gave Umegatani I an honorary title, "Ōrai," which means 'Great Thunderbolt,' and he became an advisor.
Umegatani lived to be 83 years old, making him the longest-living yokozuna ever. He even lived nine months longer than Umegatani Totaro II. He is one of the few yokozuna who lived to a very old age. He is buried at the Jisso-ji temple in Ōta, Tokyo.
See also
- Glossary of sumo terms
- List of past sumo wrestlers
- List of yokozuna
