Futabayama Sadaji
Encyclopedia
Futabayama Sadaji born as Akiyoshi Sadaji (龝吉 定次) in Oita Prefecture
, Japan
, was the 35th Yokozuna in sumo
wrestling, from 1937 until 1945. He won twelve top division championships and had a winning streak of 69 consecutive bouts, an all-time record. Despite his dominance he was extremely popular with the public. After his retirement he was head coach of Tokitsukaze stable
and chairman of the Japan Sumo Association
.
, he worked on fishing boats as young boy. He joined professional sumo in March 1927 at the age of 15, recruited by Tatsunami stable
. He entered the top makuuchi
division at the beginning of 1932. He was promoted from the middle of the second juryo division to maegashira 4, as many top division wrestlers had just gone on strike (the so called "Shunjuen Incident"), and the Japan Sumo Association
needed to fill the gaps in the ranks. However, he soon proved himself worthy of the promotion, finishing as runner-up in his second top division tournament.
Futabayama is particularly remembered for achieving the longest run of consecutive victories
in sumo bouts, with 69, a record that still stands today. This represents an unbeaten run which stretched over three years. In a sport where matches often last a few seconds, and a brief lapse in concentration can lead to a loss this is an exceptional achievement. It began on January 7, 1936 at the rank of sekiwake. During this run he was promoted to ozeki and then yokozuna. It generated such excitement among the public that the Sumo Association extended the number of days per tournament from 11 to 13, and then to 15. He was finally defeated on January 3, 1939 by maegashira Akinoumi
(later a yokozuna himself). He lost more to illness than to a superior opponent, as he was suffering from amoebic dysentery
at the time.
Futabayama won a total of twelve tournament championships, during a period in which there were only two tournaments held each year. His total remained a record until the number of tournaments was increased to six a year in the 1950s. However, the percentage of championships won in his makuuchi career still compares favorably to the wrestlers who have surpassed his total in the six tournament a year era.
Futabayama was noted for being exceptionally good at the initial phase of a sumo match, the tachi-ai
. He is believed to have never made a false start. Although he was not particularly large, he had excellent balance. One of his most feared techniques was uwatenage
, or outer arm throw (also a favourite of another great yokozuna, Chiyonofuji).
After his retirement Futabayama revealed he was actually blind in one eye, due to an injury suffered in his youth, making his achievements even more remarkable.
He was one of the first top wrestlers to break away from the tradition of marrying his stablemaster's daughter, instead choosing a young heiress from a rich Kansai
family. Their reception was held in April 1939 at the Tokyo Kaikan. (His coach's daughter married Haguroyama
instead.)
with barely any spectators, and Futabayama dropped out after the first day. He did not take part in the November 1945 tournament and announced his retirement during it, claiming that he objected to the newly enlarged dohyo
that the Sumo Association had introduced at the behest of the American occupying authorities. However, he had actually made a decision to retire a year earlier, having suffered a loss to Azumafuji, another future yokozuna.
Futabayama had become head of his own stable, Futabayama Dojo, in 1941 whilst still an active wrestler, and upon his retirement he adopted the Tokitsukaze elder name and renamed his heya Tokitsukaze stable
. It grew to become one of sumo's largest stables by the 1950s, and Futabayama produced several strong wrestlers including yokozuna Kagamisato and ozeki Kitabayama and Yutakayama
. He remained in charge of the stable until his death in 1968. From 1957 he was also head of the Japan Sumo Association
. In his time as chairman he introduced a number of important reforms, such as giving monthly salaries to wrestlers ranked in the top two divisions, and enforcing a mandatory retirement age of 65 for elders
and referees
.
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 120%"
|-
!
!Spring
!March
!Summer
!October
|-
|1932
|West Maegashira #4 (5-3)
|West Maegashira #4 (8-2)
|East Maegashira #2 (6-5)
|bgcolor=gray|sat out due to injury
|-
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 120%"
|-
!
!Spring
!Summer
!Autumn
|-
|1933
|East Maegashira #5 (9-2)
|East Maegashira #2 (4-7)
|no tournament held
|-
|1934
| West Maegashira #4 (6-5)
| West Maegashira #1 (6-5)
| no tournament held
|-
|1935
|East Komusubi (4-6-1draw)
|East Maegashira #1 (4-7)
| no tournament held
|-
|1936
|East Maegashira #3 (9-2) ☆
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Sekiwake (11-0)
| no tournament held
|-
|1937
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Ōzeki (11-0)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Ōzeki (13-0)
| no tournament held
|-
|1938
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Yokozuna (13-0)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Yokozuna (13-0)
| no tournament held
|-
|1939
|East Yokozuna (9-4)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Yokozuna (15-0)
|no tournament held
|-
|1940
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Yokozuna (14-1)
|East Yokozuna (7-5-3)
|no tournament held
|-
|1941
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Yokozuna (14-1)
|West Yokozuna (13-2)
|no tournament held
|-
|1942
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Yokozuna (14-1)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Yokozuna (13-2)
|no tournament held
|-
|1943
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Yokozuna (15-0)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Yokozuna (15-0)
|no tournament held
|-
|1944
|East Yokozuna (11-4)
|East Yokozuna (9-1)
|East Yokozuna (4-3-3)
|-
|1945
|no tournament held
|West Yokozuna (1-0-6)
|bgcolor=gray|Retired
|-
{|
| Green Box=Tournament Championship
| ☆= Number of Kinboshi
.
|}
Oita Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan on Kyūshū Island. The prefectural capital is the city of Ōita.- History :Around the 6th century Kyushu consisted of four regions: Tsukushi-no-kuni 筑紫国, Hi-no-kuni 肥国, and Toyo no kuni...
, 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...
, was the 35th Yokozuna in sumo
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...
wrestling, from 1937 until 1945. He won twelve top division championships and had a winning streak of 69 consecutive bouts, an all-time record. Despite his dominance he was extremely popular with the public. After his retirement he was head coach of Tokitsukaze stable
Tokitsukaze stable
The is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Tokitsukaze group of stables. It was originally founded in 1769 and was dominant during the Taishō period. In its modern form it dates from 1941 when it was established by Futabayama, who was still an active wrestler at the time. Initially known as...
and chairman of 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...
.
Career
Born in UsaUsa, Oita
' is a city located in Ōita Prefecture, Japan. Usa is famous for being the location of the Usa Shrine, built in 725, the head shrine of all of Hachiman shrines in Japan.Usa is made up of three areas.*Usa, the area surrounding the Usa Shrine...
, he worked on fishing boats as young boy. He joined professional sumo in March 1927 at the age of 15, recruited by Tatsunami stable
Tatsunami stable
is a stable of sumo wrestlers, and the head stable of the Tatsunami ichimon or group.-History:The stable is one of the most prestigious in sumo. It was originally founded in 1876 by Onigazaki, but the current incarnation dates from 1915...
. He entered 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 at the beginning of 1932. He was promoted from the middle of the second juryo division to maegashira 4, as many top division wrestlers had just gone on strike (the so called "Shunjuen Incident"), and 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...
needed to fill the gaps in the ranks. However, he soon proved himself worthy of the promotion, finishing as runner-up in his second top division tournament.
Futabayama is particularly remembered for achieving the longest run of consecutive victories
Winning streak (sports)
In sports, a winning streak refers to a consecutive number of games won. A winning streak can be held by a team, as in baseball, football, basketball, hockey, or by an individual, as in tennis...
in sumo bouts, with 69, a record that still stands today. This represents an unbeaten run which stretched over three years. In a sport where matches often last a few seconds, and a brief lapse in concentration can lead to a loss this is an exceptional achievement. It began on January 7, 1936 at the rank of sekiwake. During this run he was promoted to ozeki and then yokozuna. It generated such excitement among the public that the Sumo Association extended the number of days per tournament from 11 to 13, and then to 15. He was finally defeated on January 3, 1939 by maegashira Akinoumi
Akinoumi Setsuo
Akinoumi Setsuo was a sumo wrestler from Hiroshima, Japan. He was the sport's 37th Yokozuna.-Career:Akinoumi made his professional debut in February 1932 and reached the top makuuchi division in January 1938. He was the man who ended Futabayama's record 69 bout winning streak in January 1939...
(later a yokozuna himself). He lost more to illness than to a superior opponent, as he was suffering from amoebic dysentery
Amoebic dysentery
Amoebic dysentery is a type of dysentery caused primarily by the amoeba Entamoeba histolytica. Amoebic dysentery is transmitted through contaminated food and water. Amoebae spread by forming infective cysts which can be found in stools, and spread if whoever touches them does not sanitize their...
at the time.
Futabayama won a total of twelve tournament championships, during a period in which there were only two tournaments held each year. His total remained a record until the number of tournaments was increased to six a year in the 1950s. However, the percentage of championships won in his makuuchi career still compares favorably to the wrestlers who have surpassed his total in the six tournament a year era.
Futabayama was noted for being exceptionally good at the initial phase of a sumo match, the tachi-ai
Tachi-ai
The tachi-ai is the initial charge between two sumo wrestlers at the beginning of a bout.There are several common techniques that wrestlers use at the tachi-ai, with the aim of getting a decisive advantage in the bout:...
. He is believed to have never made a false start. Although he was not particularly large, he had excellent balance. One of his most feared techniques was uwatenage
Kimarite
Kimarite are winning techniques in a sumo bout. For each bout in a Grand Sumo tournament , a sumo referee, or gyoji, will decide and announce the type of kimarite used by the winner...
, or outer arm throw (also a favourite of another great yokozuna, Chiyonofuji).
After his retirement Futabayama revealed he was actually blind in one eye, due to an injury suffered in his youth, making his achievements even more remarkable.
He was one of the first top wrestlers to break away from the tradition of marrying his stablemaster's daughter, instead choosing a young heiress from a rich Kansai
Kansai
The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, and Shiga. Depending on who makes the distinction, Fukui, Tokushima and even Tottori Prefecture are also included...
family. Their reception was held in April 1939 at the Tokyo Kaikan. (His coach's daughter married Haguroyama
Haguroyama Masaji
Haguroyama Masaji was a sumo wrestler from Nakanokuchi, Niigata, Japan. He was the sport's 36th yokozuna. He was a yokozuna for a period of twelve years and three months dating from his promotion to that rank in May 1941 until his retirement in September 1953, which is an all-time record...
instead.)
Retirement from sumo
The June 1945 tournament was held in a bomb-damaged KokugikanRyogoku Kokugikan
, also known as Sumo Hall, is an indoor sporting arena located in the Ryōgoku neighborhood of Sumida, one of the 23 wards of Tokyo in Japan, next to the Edo-Tokyo Museum. It is the third building built in Tokyo associated with the name kokugikan. The current building was opened in 1985 and has a...
with barely any spectators, and Futabayama dropped out after the first day. He did not take part in the November 1945 tournament and announced his retirement during it, claiming that he objected to the newly enlarged dohyo
Dohyo
thumb|A dohyōThe dohyō is the ring in which sumo wrestling bouts are held. A modern dohyo is a circle of rice-straw bales 4.55 meters in diameter, mounted on a square platform of clay 6.7m on a side, and 34 to 60 cm high. The surface is covered by sand.A new dohyō is built prior to each...
that the Sumo Association had introduced at the behest of the American occupying authorities. However, he had actually made a decision to retire a year earlier, having suffered a loss to Azumafuji, another future yokozuna.
Futabayama had become head of his own stable, Futabayama Dojo, in 1941 whilst still an active wrestler, and upon his retirement he adopted the Tokitsukaze elder name and renamed his heya Tokitsukaze stable
Tokitsukaze stable
The is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Tokitsukaze group of stables. It was originally founded in 1769 and was dominant during the Taishō period. In its modern form it dates from 1941 when it was established by Futabayama, who was still an active wrestler at the time. Initially known as...
. It grew to become one of sumo's largest stables by the 1950s, and Futabayama produced several strong wrestlers including yokozuna Kagamisato and ozeki Kitabayama and Yutakayama
Yutakayama Katsuo
Yutakayama Katsuo is a former sumo wrestler from Niigata, Japan. His highest rank was ozeki. Although he never managed to win a top division tournament championship he was a runner-up on eight occasions...
. He remained in charge of the stable until his death in 1968. From 1957 he was also head of 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...
. In his time as chairman he introduced a number of important reforms, such as giving monthly salaries to wrestlers ranked in the top two divisions, and enforcing a mandatory retirement age of 65 for elders
Toshiyori
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...
and referees
Gyoji
A Gyōji is a referee in professional sumo wrestling in Japan.Gyōji usually enter the sumo world as teenagers and remain employees of the Sumo Association until they retire aged 65.-Responsibilities:...
.
Top division record
*Two tables represent a change in the tournament system over the years{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 120%"
|-
!
!Spring
!March
!Summer
!October
|-
|1932
|West Maegashira #4 (5-3)
|West Maegashira #4 (8-2)
|East Maegashira #2 (6-5)
|bgcolor=gray|sat out due to injury
|-
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 120%"
|-
!
!Spring
!Summer
!Autumn
|-
|1933
|East Maegashira #5 (9-2)
|East Maegashira #2 (4-7)
|no tournament held
|-
|1934
| West Maegashira #4 (6-5)
| West Maegashira #1 (6-5)
| no tournament held
|-
|1935
|East Komusubi (4-6-1draw)
|East Maegashira #1 (4-7)
| no tournament held
|-
|1936
|East Maegashira #3 (9-2) ☆
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Sekiwake (11-0)
| no tournament held
|-
|1937
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Ōzeki (11-0)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Ōzeki (13-0)
| no tournament held
|-
|1938
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Yokozuna (13-0)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Yokozuna (13-0)
| no tournament held
|-
|1939
|East Yokozuna (9-4)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Yokozuna (15-0)
|no tournament held
|-
|1940
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Yokozuna (14-1)
|East Yokozuna (7-5-3)
|no tournament held
|-
|1941
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Yokozuna (14-1)
|West Yokozuna (13-2)
|no tournament held
|-
|1942
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Yokozuna (14-1)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Yokozuna (13-2)
|no tournament held
|-
|1943
|bgcolor=#66FF00|West Yokozuna (15-0)
|bgcolor=#66FF00|East Yokozuna (15-0)
|no tournament held
|-
|1944
|East Yokozuna (11-4)
|East Yokozuna (9-1)
|East Yokozuna (4-3-3)
|-
|1945
|no tournament held
|West Yokozuna (1-0-6)
|bgcolor=gray|Retired
|-
- The wrestler's East/West designation, rank, and win/loss record are listed for each tournament.
- A third figure in win-loss records represents matches sat-out during the tournament (usually due to injury)
{|
| Green Box=Tournament Championship
| ☆= Number of Kinboshi
Kinboshi
Kinboshi is a notation used in professional sumo wrestling to record a lower-ranked wrestler's victory over a yokozuna....
.
|}
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 past sumo wrestlers
- List of sumo tournament winners
- List of yokozuna