Kanreki dohyō-iri
In sumo wrestling, a kanreki dohyō-iri (Japanese: 還暦土俵入り) is a ring-entering ceremony (dohyō-iri) performed by a former yokozuna in celebration of his 60th birthday (called kanreki in Japanese). If he is a toshiyori (a sumo elder), the ceremony is usually held at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan, the main sumo hall in Tokyo. Otherwise, if retired, at another location. A red tsuna is worn, instead of the usual white tsuna. Reaching your 60th birthday is an important occasion in Japan and is celebrated by wearing a red item. This is commonly known as an akatsuna (赤綱) but this term is unofficial. If the dew-sweeper or sword-bearer is a former yokozuna, he wears his own tsuna.[1]
Kanreki performed at Kokugikan
Wrestlers are listed using their ring name, followed by their then toshiyori name in brackets.
| Year | Wrestler | Dew-sweeper | Sword-bearer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Tochigiyama (Kasugano) | Akinoumi Setsuo (Fujishima) | Haguroyama Masaji (active) |
| 1956 | Tsunenohana Kan'ichi (Dewanoumi) | Chiyonoyama Masanobu (active) | Futabayama Sadaji (Tokitsukaze) |
| 1985 | Tochinishiki Kiyotaka (Kasugano) | Sadanoyama Shinmatsu (Dewanoumi) | Wakanohana Kanji I (Futagoyama) |
| 1988 | Wakanohana Kanji I (Futagoyama) | Takanosato Toshihide (Naruto) | Wakanohana Kanji II (Magaki) |
| 2000 | Taihō Kōki (special toshiyori) | Chiyonofuji Mitsugu (Kokonoe) | Kitanoumi Toshimitsu (special toshiyori) |
| 2013 | Kitanoumi Toshimitsu[2] (special toshiyori) | Takanohana Kōji (special toshiyori) | Chiyonofuji Mitsugu (Kokonoe) |
Kagamisato Kiyoji (Tatsutagawa), Tochinoumi Teruyoshi (Kasugono), Sadanoyama Shinmatsu (Sakaigawa) and Kotozakura Masakatsu (Sadogatake) wore red tsuna but did not perform dohyō-iri. Asashio Tarō (Takasago) had a red tsuna made, but died aged 58 without performing the ceremony.
Kanreki performed at other locations
| Year | Wrestler | Dew-sweeper | Sword-bearer | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | Tachiyama Mineemon | Tachienoumi Namiemon (Kise) | Tachihikari Den'emon (Naruto) | Ueno Seiyōken |
| 2002 | Kitanofuji Katsuaki | Hokutoumi Nobuyoshi (Hakkaku) | Chiyonofuji Mitsugu (Kokonoe) | Hotel East 21 |
| 2007 | Mienoumi Tsuyoshi (Musashigawa) | Miyabiyama Tetsushi (active) | Dejima Takeharu (active) | Hotel Grand Pacific Meridian[3] |
Minanogawa Tōzō, Akinoumi Setsuo and Wajima Hiroshi also reached the age of sixty years whilst retired, but did not perform a kanreki dohyō-iri. Mienoumi performed an early kanreki dohyō-iri seven months before his 60th birthday, on the 25th anniversary of the founding of Musashigawa stable.
References
- ↑ Hall, Mina (1997). The Big Book of Sumo (Paperback). Berkeley, CA, USA: Stone Bridge Press. p. 89. ISBN 1-880656-28-0.
- ↑ "北の湖が還暦土俵入り 理事長在任中では25年ぶり" (in Japanese). Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun. 9 June 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
- ↑ "武蔵川親方が土俵入り 来年２月で還暦に" (in Japanese). 47NEWS. 2007-06-16. Retrieved 2012-10-02.