Unryū Kyūkichi

Unryū Kyūkichi (Japanese: 雲龍 久吉, 1822 – June 15, 1890; name also read as Unryū Hisakichi) was a Japanese sumo wrestler from Yanagawa, Chikugo Province. He was the sport's 10th yokozuna.

Unryū Kyūkichi
雲龍 久吉
Woodblock print of Unryū by Utagawa Kunisada II, 1864
Personal information
BornShiozuka Kyūkichi
1822
Yanagawa, Chikugo, Japan
DiedJune 15, 1890(1890-06-15) (aged 68)
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight135 kg (298 lb)
Career
StableOitekaze
Record127-32-55
15draws-5holds(Makuuchi)
DebutNovember, 1847
Highest rankYokozuna (September 1861)
RetiredFebruary, 1865
Championships7 (Makuuchi, unofficial)
* Up to date as of October 2007.

Career

He was born Shiozuka Kyūkichi (塩塚 久吉) in Yanagawa, Fukuoka, but would later changed his name to Satō Kitarō (佐藤 喜太郎). He lost his parents and grandmother in 1833.[1] He made his debut in Osaka sumo in May 1846. He moved to Edo in 1847. He was promoted to the top makuuchi division in February 1852.

Unryū was a strong wrestler at the beginning of his career. He had the equivalent of four consecutive championships upon entering the top makuuchi division (those this was before the championship system established in 1909). On the occasion of Matthew C. Perry's visit to Japan, he had an opportunity to display his wrestling prowess in a tournament Perry and his military advisors attended.[1] He was promoted to ōzeki in January 1858.

He was awarded a yokozuna licence in September 1861, but by that time he had already passed his peak and was unable to win a significant number of bouts after that. In the top makuuchi division, he won 127 bouts and lost 32 bouts, recording a winning percentage of 79.9.

Retirement from sumo

Unryū Kyūkichi as an elder

After his retirement in February 1865, he remained in the sumo world as an elder. He was the chairman (fudegashira) of Tokyo sumo in the early Meiji period, and he acquired a reputation for honesty.[2]

The name of one style of yokozuna dohyō-iri (ring entering ceremony) came from him. His ritual dance was said to be beautiful but it isn't proven that he performed the ritual dance in the Unryū style. His style is said to have been imitated by Tachiyama Mineemon,[3] but Tachiyama's style is called shiranui style now. This was due to sumo scholar Kozo Hikoyama, who without researching properly, labelled Tachiyama's style as being that of Shiranui Kōemon, whereas it was in fact created by Unryū. Hikoyama was such an authority that no one contradicted him, and the Shiranui name has stuck.[4]

Top division record

  • The actual time the tournaments were held during the year in this period often varied.
Unryu[5]
- Spring Winter
1852 East Maegashira #7
801
1d
Unofficial

 
East Maegashira #3
711
1draw
Unofficial

 
1853 East Maegashira #2
602
1d 1h
Unofficial

 
East Maegashira #1
802
Unofficial

 
1854 East Komusubi
331
3d

 
East Komusubi
511
2d 1h

 
1855 Called off due to fire Not held
1856 East Komusubi
414
1h

 
East Sekiwake
901
Unofficial

 
1857 East Sekiwake
71
 
East Sekiwake
711
1h
Unofficial

 
1858 East Ōzeki
523
 
Called off due to fire
1859 East Ōzeki
523
 
East Ōzeki
314
1d 1h

 
1860 East Ōzeki
521
2d

 
East Ōzeki
511
 
1861 East Ōzeki
316
 
East Ōzeki
721
 
1862 East Ōzeki
622
 
East Ōzeki
612
1d
Unofficial

 
1863 East Ōzeki
433
 
East Ōzeki
511
2d

 
1864 East Ōzeki
531
1d

 
East Ōzeki
433
 
1865 East Ōzeki
Retired
0010
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Retired Lower Divisions

Key:   d=Draw(s) (引分);   h=Hold(s) (預り);   nr=no result recorded
Divisions: Makuuchi Jūryō Makushita Sandanme Jonidan Jonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: 
Yokozuna (not ranked as such on banzuke until 1890)
Ōzeki Sekiwake Komusubi Maegashira

*Championships for the best record in a tournament were not recognized or awarded before the 1909 summer tournament and the above unofficial championships are historically conferred. For more information see yūshō.

See also

References

  1. 雲龍久吉…土俵入りに名残す横綱(福岡県柳川市) (in Japanese). Yomiuri Shimbun. Archived from the original on 2008-05-29. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
  2. 雲龍 久吉 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2008-07-04.
  3. "The 11th Yokozuna Shiranui Koemon". Sumo Fan Magazine. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
  4. Castella, Stehane; Perran, Thierry (February 2006). "History and evolution of the tsuna since 1789". Le Monde Du Sumo. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
  5. "Unryu Hisakichi Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
Preceded by
Hidenoyama Raigorō
10th Yokozuna
1861–1865
Succeeded by
Shiranui Kōemon
Yokozuna is not a successive rank, and more than one wrestler can hold the title at once
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.