Maedayama Eigorō
前田山 英五郎
Personal information
BornHagimori Kanematsu
(1914-05-04)May 4, 1914
Ehime, Japan
DiedAugust 17, 1971(1971-08-17) (aged 57)
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight116.5 kg (257 lb)
Career
StableTakasago
Record306–153–39
DebutJanuary 1929
Highest rankYokozuna (June 1947)
RetiredOctober, 1949
Elder nameTakasago
Championships1 (Makuuchi)
1 (Jūryō)
1 (Makushita)
* Up to date as of June 2020.

Maedayama Eigorō (Japanese: 前田山 英五郎, May 4, 1914 – August 17, 1971) was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Ehime Prefecture. He was the sport's 39th yokozuna.

Career

He was born Hagimori Kanematsu (萩森 金松) in Nishiuwa District. On his school excursion to Ōita in the spring of 1926, he met future yokozuna Futabayama Sadaji, who had not yet joined Tatsunami stable, and was participating in the track meet.[1] After joining Takasago stable in the autumn of 1927, he met Futabayama again. Subsequently, he and Futabayama practiced together regularly after he entered sumo.

Maedayama defeats Futabayama in January 1941.

He made his professional debut in January 1929 using the shikona or ring name Yoshigiyama (喜木山), before changing it to Sadamisaki Eigorō (佐田岬 英五郎) in May 1930. In January 1935 he changed its surname to Maedayama in honour of the surgeon who saved his career after he was forced to sit out the whole of 1934 due to injury.[2]

Maedayama reached the top makuuchi division in January 1937. In May 1938, he was promoted to ōzeki, straight from the fourth komusubi rank, after finishing as tournament runner-up. It was the quickest rise to ōzeki since Ōnishiki in 1916.[2] In January 1941, he defeated ōzeki Haguroyama and yokozuna Futabayama. His strongest technique was harite, or face slap. His technique caused a controversy over harite but Futabayama supported him, insisting it was a legitimate sumo technique.[2]

Maedayama was an ōzeki during the war years, when few tournaments were held, and took his only top division championship in the autumn of 1944, with a 9–1 record.[3] He was promoted to yokozuna in June 1947 after taking part in a three way play-off that also included fellow ōzeki Azumafuji and yokozuna Haguroyama.[4] He was thirty-three years old at the time of his promotion and in his short yokozuna career he was unable to win any further tournament championships, only managing to produce two winning scores. Always a temperamental and controversial figure, he was forced to retire by the Japan Sumo Association in October 1949 after dropping out of a tournament claiming illness, only to be subsequently photographed at a baseball game with Lefty O'Doul.[5]

Retirement from sumo

As Takasago Oyakata in 1956

Maedayama had become head coach of Takasago stable in 1941 while still active in the ring (a practice no longer permitted) and upon his retirement he formally adopted the name Takasago Oyakata. In 1964 he recruited Takamiyama from Hawaii, the first foreigner to succeed in professional sumo. He went on an extended tour of the United States to promote sumo, without the permission of the Sumo Association's directors.[2] He produced yokozuna Asashio Tarō III in 1959 and ōzeki Maenoyama Tarō in 1970. In 1967 he allowed Chiyonoyama's Kokonoe stable into his faction, strengthening the Takasago ichimon (group of stables). He became calmer late in his life and died on August 17, 1971, of cirrhosis of the liver,[2] too early to see Takamiyama become the first foreigner to win a championship in 1972. After his death, foreigners such as ōzeki Konishiki and yokozuna Asashōryū joined his stable.

Career record

Maedayama Eigorō[6]
- Spring
Haru basho, Tokyo
March
Sangatsu basho, varied
Summer
Natsu basho, Tokyo
October
Jūgatsu basho, varied
1929 (Maezumo) (Maezumo) East Jonokuchi #15
33
 
East Jonokuchi #15
42
 
1930 East Jonidan #29
33
 
East Jonidan #29
24
 
East Jonidan #29
51
 
East Jonidan #29
51
 
1931 East Sandanme #20
15
 
East Sandanme #20
33
 
West Sandanme #33
51
 
West Sandanme #33
51
 
1932 East Makushita #17
53
 
East Makushita #17
55
 
East Makushita #7
Sat out due to injury
0011
East Makushita #7
731
 
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Top Division Runner-up Retired Lower Divisions

Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique     Also shown: =Kinboshi; P=Playoff(s)
Divisions: Makuuchi Jūryō Makushita Sandanme Jonidan Jonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna Ōzeki Sekiwake Komusubi Maegashira
  • Through most of the 1930s and 1940s only two tournaments were held a year, and in 1946 only one was held.
- Spring
Haru basho, Tokyo
Summer
Natsu basho, Tokyo
Autumn
Aki basho, Tokyo
1933 West Makushita #14
74
 
West Makushita #3
74
 
Not held
1934 West Jūryō #9
0011
 
East Makushita #7
0011
 
Not held
1935 West Sandanme #5
51
 
East Makushita #14
101
Champion

 
Not held
1936 East Jūryō #12
83
 
West Jūryō #4
101
Champion

 
Not held
1937 East Maegashira #12
74
 
East Maegashira #5
94
 
Not held
1938 East Komusubi #1
112
 
East Ōzeki #1
85
 
Not held
1939 East Ōzeki #1
94
 
East Ōzeki #1
105
 
Not held
1940 West Ōzeki #1
105
 
West Ōzeki #1
114
 
Not held
1941 East Ōzeki #2
123
 
East Ōzeki #2
105
 
Not held
1942 West Ōzeki
2310
 
East Ōzeki
114
 
Not held
1943 West Ōzeki #1
114
 
East Ōzeki #1
96
 
Not held
1944 West Ōzeki #1
96
 
West Ōzeki #1
82
 
West Ōzeki #1
91
 
1945 Not held East Ōzeki #1
124
 
East Ōzeki #2
55
 
1946 Not held Not held East Ōzeki #2
112
 
1947 Not held West Ōzeki #1
91PP
 
West Yokozuna #2
65
 
1948 Not held East Yokozuna #2
0110
 
East Yokozuna #2
362
 
1949 East Yokozuna #2
535
 
West Yokozuna #1
96
 
East Yokozuna #2
Retired
168
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Top Division Runner-up Retired Lower Divisions

Key:  =Kinboshi(s);   d=Draw(s) (引分);   h=Hold(s) (預り)
Divisions: Makuuchi Jūryō Makushita Sandanme Jonidan Jonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna Ōzeki Sekiwake Komusubi Maegashira

See also

References

  1. 名勝負熱戦譜・双葉山-前田山 (in Japanese). Atsuo Tsubota. Archived from the original on 2005-09-26. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Kuroda, Joe (December 2006). "Rikishi of Old". Sumo Fan Magazine. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  3. "Tournament Champions List". Japan Sumo Association. Archived from the original on 2007-08-22. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
  4. "The Yokozuna- A Retrospective". Japan Sumo Association. Archived from the original on 2007-06-29. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
  5. Adams, Andrew (1985). Jesse: Sumo Superstar. Japan Times. ISBN 4-7890-0272-1.
  6. "Maedayama Eigoro Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2007-10-15.
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