| 太刀山 峯右衞門 Tachiyama Mineemon |
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|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | Kyuhachi Makise August 15, 1877 Toyama, Japan |
| Died | March 4, 1941 (aged 63) |
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Weight | 150 kg (330 lb) |
| Career | |
| Heya | Tomozuna |
| Record | 211-30-73(11 draws) |
| Debut | May, 1900 |
| Highest rank | Yokozuna (February, 1911) |
| Retired | January, 1918 |
| Yūshō | 11 (Makuuchi) |
| * Career information is correct as of July 2007. | |
Tachiyama Mineemon (太刀山 峯右衞門, August 15, 1877 - April 3, 1941) was a sumo wrestler from Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 22nd Yokozuna. He was well known for his extreme strength and skill. He won 99 out of 100 matches from 1909 to 1916 (not counting draws), and also won eleven top division tournament championships (two of them unofficial).
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Tachiyama joined Tomozuna stable at the insistence of Taisuke Itagaki and Tsugumichi Saigo.[1] However, he was so strong that most of the wrestlers in the stable were unable to practice with him. Therefore, Hitachiyama Taniemon became his practical coach. He was promoted to yokozuna in February 1911.
His most feared skill was tsuki, or pushing.[2] On the 3rd day of June 1910 tournament, komusubi Kohitachi Yoshitaro flew over spectators by Tachiyama's thrust and then fell on the 4th line of seats. Kohitachi was wounded and left the tournament. Tachiyama is reported to have waved a shell weighing 400 kg (880 lb) with one arm.[3] He was, however, good on the mawashi as well.[4]
Much taller and stronger than his contemporaries, Tachiyama never had a losing record (make-koshi) in his eighteen year career, and whilst at the yokozuna rank lost only three bouts.[4] He once won 43 bouts in a row, lost one to Nishinoumi Kajirō II, then won another 56 in a row.[4] If he had not lost that match (which he later admitted was deliberate, to help out his rival yokozuna who was struggling at the time),[4] he would have set an all time record of 100 consecutive wins. As it stands, his second streak of 56 bouts, which began on the 9th day of the January 1912 tournament, is the fifth best in history after Futabayama, Tanikaze, Hakuho and Umegatani I.[4]
His run ended on the 8th day of May 1916 tournament, when he was finally defeated by Tochigiyama Moriya. On the final day of January 1917 tournament, he was defeated by Ōnishiki Uichirō. Tochigiyama and Ōnishiki were pupils of Hitachiyama. After this second loss, he retired.
In 1917, he said to wrestlers, "I give one bale of rice if you can walk around a Dohyo shouldering me." A boy, who had not made his debut of the professional sumo yet, acceded to his request. He failed at the first attempt but achieved at the 2nd attempt.[5] After about 15 years, the boy became yokozuna Tamanishiki San'emon.
His style of dohyo-iri (yokozuna ring entering ceremony) came to be known as shiranui after it was imitated by later yokozuna Haguroyama. However, he insisted that his style was Unryū Kyūkichi's style.[6]
His sheer strength and physical presence drew comparisons with Raiden Tameemon,[7] but also meant he was perhaps less popular with the general public than his predecessors Hitachiyama and Umegantani II.
After retiring from active competition he was briefly an elder of the Sumo Association under the name Azumazeki, but he left the sumo world in May 1919. He became the first yokozuna to perform kanreki dohyō-iri, in 1937.
*Two championships before establishment of yusho system in 1909 are not admitted officially
*There was no fusensho system until March 1927
*All top division wrestlers were usually absent on the 10th day until 1909
| January | May | |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | East Maegashira #9 (6-3-1) | East Maegashira #2 (4-4-1-1draw) |
| 1904 | East Maegashira #2 (7-2-1) | East Maegashira #1 (8-1-1) |
| 1905 | East Maegashira #1 (7-1-1-1hold) | East Sekiwake (5-2-2-1draw) |
| 1906 | East Sekiwake (7-2-1) | East Sekiwake (4-1-5) |
| 1907 | East Sekiwake (5-1-3-1draw) | East Sekiwake (8-1-1) |
| 1908 | East Sekiwake (6-2-1-1hold) | East Sekiwake (7-1-1-1draw) |
| 1909 | West Sekiwake (6-1-2-1draw) | West Ōzeki (8-2)* |
| 1910 | West Ōzeki (6-0-1-2draws-1hold) | West Ōzeki (9-0-1draw)* |
| 1911 | West Ōzeki (8-0-1draw-1hold) | West Yokozuna (10-0)* |
| 1912 | East Yokozuna (8-1-1draw) | West Yokozuna (10-0) |
| 1913 | Sat out due to injury | East Yokozuna (10-0) |
| 1914 | East Yokozuna (10-0) | West Yokozuna (8-0-1-1hold) |
| 1915 | Sat out due to injury | West Yokozuna (10-0)* |
| 1916 | Sat out due to injury | West Yokozuna (9-1) |
| 1917 | East Yokozuna (9-1) | Sat out due to injury |
| 1918 | retired | x |
*tournament actually held one month later than listed.
| Green Box=Tournament Championship |
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| Yokozuna is not a successive rank, and more than one wrestler can share the title | ||