Daikirin Takayoshi
Encyclopedia
Daikirin Takayoshi (born Masakatsu Tsutsumi, 20 June 1942 - 4 August 2010) was a sumo
wrestler from Saga Prefecture
, Japan
. He began his professional career in 1958 and reached his highest rank of ozeki twelve years later in 1970. He retired in 1974, and until June 2006 he was an elder of the Sumo Association under the name Oshiogawa.
, he joined Nishonoseki stable
and made his professional debut in May 1958. He initially fought under his own surname of Tsutsumi. After four years in the lower ranks he reached sekitori
status in May 1962 upon promotion to the juryo division, and changed his shikona
to Kirinji. He did not make an immediate impact but in May 1963 took the juryo yusho
or championship with a 13-2 score which pushed him up to Juryo 1. A 10-5 record in the next tournament saw him enter the top makuuchi
division for the first time but he had to pull out halfway into his debut tournament and returned to the second division.
After suffering some more injury problems he finally won promotion back to makuuchi in July 1965. He slowly climbed up the maegashira ranks before earning three kinboshi
in successive tournaments from May to September 1966, defeating yokozuna Kashiwado twice, and then Sadanoyama. (He did not have to face the most successful yokozuna, Taiho
, because they were members of the same stable). His 11-4 score in the September tournament saw him promoted to sekiwake. He remained in the sanyaku ranks for the next seven tournaments, earning several awards
, before dropping back briefly to the maegashira ranks. In March 1968 at komusubi rank he defeated Sadanoyama, the winner of the previous two tournaments, in what was to be the yokozunas last ever bout. Daikirin went on to finish runner-up, his final day defeat handing the yusho to maegashira Wakanami, who did not face any yokozuna or ozeki during the tournament.
Kirinji remained comfortably within the sanyaku ranks for the next two years, but with mainly 8-7 and 9-6 scores he was not a candidate for ozeki promotion. He was runner-up for the second time (to Kitanofuji) in November 1969, and in the July and September tournaments of 1970 he finally managed to put together two strong performances in a row, scoring 12-3 each time, and was promoted to ozeki at the age of 28. To mark the occasion he adopted a new shikona, Daikirin.
Daikirin remained as an ozeki for 25 tournaments over four years. He was unable to win a championship, although he was a runner-up twice more, to Tamanoumi
in July 1971 and Wajima
in May 1972. However he was also kadoban
(in danger of relegation) a number of times. In November 1974, having barely maintained his rank with an 8-7 record in the previous tournament, he retired from sumo on the fourth day at the age of 32.
under the name Oshiogawa. In 1975, upon the death of his old stablemaster (former ozeki Sagonohana), he expected to inherit Nishonoseki stable, but could not come to agreement with Saganohana's widow. After former sekiwake Kongo
's engagement to Saganohana's daughter was announced, Oshiogawa realised he now had no chance of taking over so instead he broke away and established his own Oshiogawa stable. He attempted to take a number of high ranking wrestlers with him, such as Aobajo and Tenryu
, but Nishonoseki stable objected to this. The Japan Sumo Association
intervened and Tenryu was forced to return to Nishonoseki and, disallusioned, quit to become a professional wrestler. Meanwhile, in addition to Aobajo, Oshiogawa produced a number of other sekitori such as Masurao Hiroo
, Enazakura, Wakatoba and Wakakirin. In March 2005, with Oshiogawa approaching the mandatory retirement age and no obvious successor available, his stable was absorbed into the affiliated Oguruma stable
. Oshiogawa retired from his position in the Sumo Association a year before reaching the mandatory retirement age, in June 2006. He died of pancreatic cancer
in August 2010.
Sumo
is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...
wrestler from Saga Prefecture
Saga Prefecture
is located in the northwest part of the island of Kyūshū, Japan. It touches both the Sea of Japan and the Ariake Sea. The western part of the prefecture is a region famous for producing ceramics and porcelain, particularly the towns of Karatsu, Imari, and Arita...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He began his professional career in 1958 and reached his highest rank of ozeki twelve years later in 1970. He retired in 1974, and until June 2006 he was an elder of the Sumo Association under the name Oshiogawa.
Career
Born in Morodome in the city of SagaSaga, Saga
is the capital of Saga Prefecture, located on the island of Kyūshū, Japan.Saga was the capital of Saga Domain in the Edo period, and largest city of former Hizen Province....
, he joined Nishonoseki stable
Nishonoseki Stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Nishonoseki group of stables named after it. It first appeared in the late eighteenth century and was re-established in its current form in 1935 by the 32nd Yokozuna Tamanishiki while still active...
and made his professional debut in May 1958. He initially fought under his own surname of Tsutsumi. After four years in the lower ranks he reached sekitori
Sekitori
A sekitori is a sumo wrestler who is ranked in one of the top two professional divisions: makuuchi and juryo.Currently there are 70 rikishi in these divisions...
status in May 1962 upon promotion to the juryo division, and changed his shikona
Shikona
A shikona is a sumo wrestler's ring name.As with standard Japanese names, a shikona consists of a 'surname' and a 'given' name, and the full name is written surname first. However, the given name is rarely used outside formal or ceremonial occasions. Thus, the former yokozuna Asashōryū Akinori is...
to Kirinji. He did not make an immediate impact but in May 1963 took the juryo yusho
Yusho
A Yūshō is a tournament championship in sumo. It is awarded in each of the six annual honbasho or official tournaments, to the wrestler who wins the most number of bouts. Yūshō are awarded in all six professional sumo divisions...
or championship with a 13-2 score which pushed him up to Juryo 1. A 10-5 record in the next tournament saw him enter the top makuuchi
Makuuchi
or is the top division of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers , ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments....
division for the first time but he had to pull out halfway into his debut tournament and returned to the second division.
After suffering some more injury problems he finally won promotion back to makuuchi in July 1965. He slowly climbed up the maegashira ranks before earning three kinboshi
Kinboshi
Kinboshi is a notation used in professional sumo wrestling to record a lower-ranked wrestler's victory over a yokozuna....
in successive tournaments from May to September 1966, defeating yokozuna Kashiwado twice, and then Sadanoyama. (He did not have to face the most successful yokozuna, Taiho
Taiho Koki
Taihō Kōki is the 48th Yokozuna in the Japanese sport of sumo wrestling. He is generally regarded as the greatest sumo wrestler of the post-war period. He became a yokozuna in 1961 at the age of 21, the youngest ever at the time, and he won a record 32 tournaments between 1960 and 1971...
, because they were members of the same stable). His 11-4 score in the September tournament saw him promoted to sekiwake. He remained in the sanyaku ranks for the next seven tournaments, earning several awards
Sansho (Sumo)
Sanshō are the three special prizes awarded to top division sumo wrestlers for exceptional performance during a sumo honbasho or tournament. The prizes were first awarded in November 1947.-Criteria:...
, before dropping back briefly to the maegashira ranks. In March 1968 at komusubi rank he defeated Sadanoyama, the winner of the previous two tournaments, in what was to be the yokozunas last ever bout. Daikirin went on to finish runner-up, his final day defeat handing the yusho to maegashira Wakanami, who did not face any yokozuna or ozeki during the tournament.
Kirinji remained comfortably within the sanyaku ranks for the next two years, but with mainly 8-7 and 9-6 scores he was not a candidate for ozeki promotion. He was runner-up for the second time (to Kitanofuji) in November 1969, and in the July and September tournaments of 1970 he finally managed to put together two strong performances in a row, scoring 12-3 each time, and was promoted to ozeki at the age of 28. To mark the occasion he adopted a new shikona, Daikirin.
Daikirin remained as an ozeki for 25 tournaments over four years. He was unable to win a championship, although he was a runner-up twice more, to Tamanoumi
Tamanoumi Masahiro
Tamanoumi Masahiro , was a sumo wrestler, born in Aichi, Japan. He was the sport's 51st yokozuna.-Career:...
in July 1971 and Wajima
Wajima Hiroshi
is a former sumo wrestler and professional wrestler from Nanao, Ishikawa, Japan. He was sumo's 54th Yokozuna. He won a total of 14 tournament championships or yusho during his career and retired in March 1981....
in May 1972. However he was also kadoban
Kadoban
Kadoban is a Japanese term commonly interpreted to mean "in a corner". It may refer to:*In the board game Go, a game whose loss may alter a player's handicap or decide a match: see Professional go handicaps...
(in danger of relegation) a number of times. In November 1974, having barely maintained his rank with an 8-7 record in the previous tournament, he retired from sumo on the fourth day at the age of 32.
Retirement from sumo
He remained in the sumo world as an elderToshiyori
A toshiyori is a sumo elder of the Japan Sumo Association. Also known as oyakata, former wrestlers who reached a sufficiently high rank are the only people eligible...
under the name Oshiogawa. In 1975, upon the death of his old stablemaster (former ozeki Sagonohana), he expected to inherit Nishonoseki stable, but could not come to agreement with Saganohana's widow. After former sekiwake Kongo
Kongo Masahiro
Kongō Masahiro is a former sumo wrestler from Hokkaidō, Japan. His highest rank was sekiwake. He is now a sumo coach and head of the Nishonoseki stable.-Career:...
's engagement to Saganohana's daughter was announced, Oshiogawa realised he now had no chance of taking over so instead he broke away and established his own Oshiogawa stable. He attempted to take a number of high ranking wrestlers with him, such as Aobajo and Tenryu
Genichiro Tenryu
Genichiro Tenryu , real name Genichiro Shimada , is a Japanese professional wrestler. At age 13, he entered sumo wrestling and stayed there for 13 years, after which he turned to Western-style professional wrestling...
, but Nishonoseki stable objected to this. The Japan Sumo Association
Japan Sumo Association
The is the body that operates and controls professional sumo wrestling in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Rikishi , gyōji , tokoyama , and yobidashi , are all on the Association's payroll, but the organisation is run...
intervened and Tenryu was forced to return to Nishonoseki and, disallusioned, quit to become a professional wrestler. Meanwhile, in addition to Aobajo, Oshiogawa produced a number of other sekitori such as Masurao Hiroo
Masurao Hiroo
is a Japanese former sumo wrestler, born in Itoda, Fukuoka Prefecture. Making his professional debut in 1979, he reached the top division in 1985. His highest rank was sekiwake and he won five special prizes in his top division career. He was one of the lightest wrestlers in the top division, and...
, Enazakura, Wakatoba and Wakakirin. In March 2005, with Oshiogawa approaching the mandatory retirement age and no obvious successor available, his stable was absorbed into the affiliated Oguruma stable
Oguruma Stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Nishonoseki group of stables. In its modern form it dates from 1987 when it was founded by Kotokaze, a former Sadogatake stable wrestler. He gives all his new recruits shikona with the suffix "kaze" , taken from his own fighting name. The first wrestler...
. Oshiogawa retired from his position in the Sumo Association a year before reaching the mandatory retirement age, in June 2006. He died of pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
in August 2010.
Top division record
See also
- Glossary of sumo termsGlossary of sumo termsThe following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. azukari : Hold. A kind of draw. After a mono-ii, the gyōji or the shimpan "holds" the result if it was too close to call...
- List of sumo tournament second division winners
- List of past sumo wrestlers