Kagamisato Kiyoji
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Kiyoji Okuyama | |
| Date of birth | April 30, 1923 | |
| Place of birth | Tonai, Aomori, Japan | |
| Date of death | February 29, 2004 (aged 80) | |
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 81⁄2 in) | |
| Weight | 161 kg (350 lb) | |
| Career* | ||
| Heya | Tokitsukaze | |
| Record | 415-189-28 | |
| Debut | January, 1941 | |
| Highest rank | Yokozuna (January, 1953) | |
| Retired | January, 1958 | |
| Yusho | 4 (Makuuchi) 1 (Sandanme) 1 (Jonidan) |
|
| Special Prizes | Outstanding Performance (1) Fighting Spirit (1) |
|
| Gold stars | 2 (Maedayama, Azumafuji) | |
|
* Career information is correct as of September 2007. |
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Kagamisato Kiyoji (鏡里 喜代治, April 30, 1923 - February 29, 2004) was a sumo wrestler. He was the sport's 42nd Yokozuna.
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[edit] Career
He was born Kiyoji Okuyama in a small fishing village in Sannohe District, Aomori Prefecture. He came from a poor family as his father had died when he was very young, and he had to support his mother when his older siblings left the house.[1] He was already large as a teenager and soon spotted by a wrestler named Kagamiiwa and invited to join sumo.[1] More interested in basketball, and with his mother also reluctant, the young Okuyama initially refused, but after his family was provided with financial assistance he eventually travelled to Tokyo to repay Kagamiiwa's kindness.[1] In the summer of 1940, he joined the now retired Kagamiiwa's Kumegawa stable. He made his professional debut in January 1941 and was given the shikona or sumo name of Kagamisato. When the great yokozuna Futabayama Sadaji established his own stable, Kagamisato followed his stablemaster there, and it was later renamed Tokitsukaze stable).
He was promoted to the top makuuchi division in June 1947. In October 1949 he defeated two yokozuna and produced a fine 12-3 score, also becoming the first wrestler to win two special prizes in the same tournament. He was promoted from the maegashira ranks to sekiwake, third from the top. He reached the second highest ozeki rank just four tournaments after that. Having been a runner-up on four previous occasions, he reached the top yokozuna rank after finally winning his first top division championship in January 1953. There had been four yokozuna competing in that tournament, but all had performed badly, with Terukuni announcing his retirement. Keen to have a strong yokozuna, the Japan Sumo Association overrode the initial objections of the Yokozuna Deliberation Committee and promoted him.[1]
During his yokozuna career he won three more tournament titles, all with 14-1 scores, but also had some less impressive results. A somewhat reserved figure, he was perhaps less popular with the public than some of his higher profile yokozuna rivals such as Tochinishiki and Wakanohana I.[1] He also had a difficult relationship with the press.[1]
In the January 1958 tournament, his rival Yoshibayama Junnosuke retired from being an active sumo wrestler. Kagamisato announced that if he failed to win at least ten bouts, he too would retire.[1] He finished 9-6 and kept his word by announcing his retirement on the final day. He had had a chronic knee problem for many years and felt he had reached his physical limit.[1]
[edit] Retirement from sumo
After his retirement he remained with the Sumo Association as an elder. He briefly became head of Tokitsukaze stable after the death of Futabayama but was forced out as Futabayama's widow wanted Yutakayama to take over. As a result he switched to the Tatsutagawa elder name and opened up his own Tatsutagawa stable in 1971.[1] He reached the mandatory retirement age in April 1988 and stood down, passing the stable over to former sekiwake Aonosato. He had not managed to produce any top division wrestlers in that time. He remained a heavy man, weighing around 110kg in his later years, but he still lived until the age of 80, making him one of the longest lived yokozuna of all time.[1]
[edit] Top division record
Note: Two tournaments a year were held in 1947 and 1948, three in 1949-52, four in 1953-56, five in 1957 and six in 1958.
| January Hatsu basho, Tokyo |
March Haru basho, Osaka |
May Natsu basho, Tokyo |
July Nagoya basho, Nagoya |
September Aki basho, Tokyo |
November Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | x | x | East Maegashira #14 7–3 |
x | East Maegashira #8 5–6 |
x |
| 1948 | x | x | East Maegashira #10 6–5 |
x | East Maegashira #9 6–5 |
x |
| 1949 | West Maegashira #7 8–5 |
x | East Maegashira #4 8–7 |
x | East Maegashira #1 12–3 OF★★ |
x |
| 1950 | East Sekiwake 11–4 |
x | East Sekiwake 9–6 |
x | East Sekiwake 8–7 |
x |
| 1951 | West Sekiwake 11–4 |
x | West Ōzeki 10–5 |
x | West Ōzeki 12–3 |
x |
| 1952 | East Ōzeki 11–4 |
x | West Ōzeki 11–4 |
x | East Ōzeki 12–3 |
x |
| 1953 | East Ōzeki 14–1 |
West Yokozuna 10–5 |
West Yokozuna 12–3 |
x | East Yokozuna 9–6 |
x |
| 1954 | East Yokozuna 13–2 |
East Yokozuna 10–5 |
East Yokozuna 11–4 |
x | West Yokozuna 9–6 |
x |
| 1955 | East Yokozuna 10–5 |
West Yokozuna 4–5–6 |
East Yokozuna 11–4 |
x | West Yokozuna 14–1 |
x |
| 1956 | East Yokozuna 14–1 |
East Yokozuna 8–7 |
East Yokozuna 9–6 |
x | West Yokozuna 14–1 |
x |
| 1957 | East Yokozuna 3–5–7 |
West Yokozuna 11–4 |
West Yokozuna 10–5 |
x | West Yokozuna 8–7 |
Sat out due to injury |
| 1958 | East Yokozuna 9–6 |
x | x | x | x | x |
| Record given as win-loss-absent Championship Retired Demoted from makuuchi Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique Also shown: ★=Kinboshi |
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