| 雲龍 久吉 Unryū Kyūkichi |
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| Personal information | |
| Born | Kyūkichi Shiozuka 1822 Yanagawa, Fukuoka, Japan |
| Died | June 15, 1890 (aged 68) |
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Weight | 135 kg (300 lb) |
| Career | |
| Heya | Oitekaze |
| Record | 127-32-55 15draws-5holds(Makuuchi) |
| Debut | November, 1847 |
| Highest rank | Yokozuna (September 1861) |
| Retired | February, 1865 |
| Yūshō | 7 (Makuuchi, unofficial) |
| * Career information is correct as of October 2007. | |
Unryū Kyūkichi (雲龍 久吉, 1822 – June 15, 1890; aka Unryū Hisakichi) was a sumo wrestler from Yanagawa, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 10th Yokozuna.
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He was born in Yanagawa, Fukuoka. He lost his parents and grandmother in 1833.[1] He made an Osaka sumo debut in May 1846. He moved to Edo in 1847. He was promoted to the top makuuchi division in February 1852.
Unryu was a strong wrestler at the beginning of his career. He won four consecutive championships upon entering the top makuuchi division. He presented his power before the military of Matthew C. Perry.[1] He was promoted to Ozeki 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 many more bouts. In the top makuuchi division, he won 127 bouts and lost 32 bouts, recording a winning percentage of 79.9.
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, but he also acquired credit for his honesty.[2]
The name of one style of Yokozuna Dohyo-iri (the yokozuna ring entering ceremony) came from him. His ritual dance was said to be beautiful but it isn't proved 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 Koemon, 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]
*1-2 tournaments were held yearly in this period, though the actual time they were held was often erratic
*Championships from this period were unofficial
*Yokozuna were not listed as such on the ranking sheets until 1890
*There was no fusensho system until March 1927
*All top division wrestlers were usually absent on the 10th day until 1909
| First | Second | |
|---|---|---|
| 1852 | East Maegashira #7 (8-0-1-1draw) | East Maegashira #3 (7-1-1-1draw) |
| 1853 | East Maegashira #2 (6-0-2-1draw-1hold) | East Maegashira #1 (8-0-2) |
| 1854 | East Komusubi (3-3-1-3draws) | East Komusubi (5-1-1-2draws-1hold) |
| 1855 | tournament called off due to fire | no tournament held |
| 1856 | East Komusubi (4-1-4-1hold) | East Sekiwake (9-0-1) |
| 1857 | East Sekiwake (7-1) | East Sekiwake (7-1-1-1hold) |
| 1858 | East Ōzeki (5-2-3) | tournament called off due to fire |
| 1859 | East Ōzeki (5-2-3) | East Ōzeki (3-1-4-1draw-1hold) |
| 1860 | East Ōzeki (5-2-1-2draws) | East Ōzeki (5-1-1) |
| 1861 | East Ōzeki (3-1-6) | East Ōzeki (7-2-1) |
| 1862 | East Ōzeki (6-2-2) | East Ōzeki (6-1-2-1draw) |
| 1863 | East Ōzeki (4-3-3) | East Ōzeki (5-1-1-2draws) |
| 1864 | East Ōzeki (5-3-1-1draw) | East Ōzeki (4-3-3) |
| 1865 | retired | x |
| Green Box=Tournament Championship |
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| Yokozuna is not a successive rank, and more than one wrestler can share the title | ||