Maruyama Gondazaemon

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丸山権太左衛門
Maruyama Gondazaemon
Personal information
Birth name	芳賀銀太夫 Haga Gindayu
Date of birth	December 23, 1713 (1713-12-23)
Place of birth	Miyagi, Japan
Date of death	November 14, 1749 (aged 35)
Height	1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)
Weight	170 kg (370 lb)
Career*
Heya	Nanatsumori
Debut	c. Genbun
Highest rank	Yokozuna (August 1749)
Retired	November, 1749
* Career information is correct as of September 2007.

Maruyama Gondazaemon (丸山権太左衛門, December 23, 1713, Miyagi province - November 14, 1749) was a sumo wrestler. He is officially recognised as the third yokozuna (grand champion). His real name was Haga Gindayu (芳賀銀太夫, Haga Gindayu^?). He came from a village in the Sendai Domain (part of what is now Miyagi prefecture).

1 Career
2 References
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Career

Maruyama entered sumo around the Genbun era. His height was 197cm and his weight was 170kg. He was promoted to west ozeki in 1737 at the age of just 17. According to tradition, he lost only 2 bouts after that promotion. He left Edo to fight in Osaka sumo.

He is considered a strong wrestler but it hasn't been proven that he was awarded a yokozuna license. In honor of him, the house of Yoshida Tsukasa allowed him to be their disciple in August 1749 but this did not confer him the status of yokozuna. However, there are tales told that he wore a black-and-white rope. Though it wasn't a traditional shimenawa, Masahiko Nomi conjectured that it may have been related to the shimenawa.

He died in Nagasaki while an active sumo wrestler on November 14, 1749 possibly from dysentery. There is his grave in Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture. There is his statue in Yoneyama, Tome, Miyagi Prefecture.^[1]