Dewanohana Kuniichi
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real name Kuniichi Ichikawa (國一市川), was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Komatsu, Ishikawa (
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
). His highest rank was ''
maegashira , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...
'' 1. After retiring from active competition in 1940, he took on a position as coach at
Dewanoumi stable is a heya (sumo), stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ''Glossary of sumo terms#ichimon, ichimon'' or group of stables. It has a long, prestigious history. Its current head coach is former ''maegashira'' Oginohana Akikazu, Oginohana. ...
, later ascending to head coach from 1960 to 1968 following the death of
Tsunenohana was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Okayama. He was the sport's 31st ''yokozuna''. Career He was born . He made his professional debut in January 1910 and reached the top ''makuuchi'' division in May 1917. He won his first top divis ...
. He then was elected
chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...
(''rijichō'') of the
Japan Sumo Association The , officially the ; sometimes abbreviated JSA or NSK, and more usually called Sumo Kyōkai, is the governing body that operates and controls Professional sports, professional sumo wrestling, called , in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Min ...
under the name of Musashigawa from 1968 to 1974. Unlike most of his contemporaries, he had a business education background.


Dewanoumi succession turmoil

Dewanohana became head coach at his stable because he was considered old enough for the responsibility, in contrast to recently retired ''
yokozuna , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers ('' rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the o ...
'' Chiyonoyama who also sought the title. In 1965, Dewanohana's daughter married active ''yokozuna''
Sadanoyama was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Nagasaki Prefecture. He was the sport's 50th ''yokozuna''. After his retirement he was the head coach of Dewanoumi stable and served as head of the Japan Sumo Association. Career Born in Arikawa, ...
, with the avowed objective of the latter inheriting the
Dewanoumi stable is a heya (sumo), stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ''Glossary of sumo terms#ichimon, ichimon'' or group of stables. It has a long, prestigious history. Its current head coach is former ''maegashira'' Oginohana Akikazu, Oginohana. ...
following the conclusion of his career. This practice was common in the world of sumo, since '' kabu'' were traditionally inherited within the same family or between an apprentice and his master. However, it also denied Chiyonoyama the opportunity to inherit the Dewanoumi name, as he had expected it being a senior ''yokozuna'' and coach (under the name Kokonoe) at the stable. Sadanoyama being formally recognized as heir in 1967 created a turmoil which resulted in Chiyonoyama resolving to break away from the Dewanoumi stable to found the Kokonoe stable with 10 wrestlers (including then ''ōzeki''
Kitanofuji was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Asahikawa, Hokkaidō. He made his professional debut in 1957, reaching the top ''makuuchi'' division in 1964. He was the sport's 52nd ''yokozuna'', a rank he attained in 1970. He won ten tournament ...
). Due to this founding breaking the unwritten rule of not allowing ''oyakata'' independence from the stable (dating back to Hitachiyama), Dewanohana after a long debate permitted the creation and expelled Chiyonoyama from the Dewanoumi ''ichimon''.


Japan sumo association chairmanship

Having handed over the Dewanoumi ''kabu'' and stable to his freshly retired son-in-law Sadanoyama in March 1968, Dewanohana, now under the name of Musashigawa, was elected ''rijichō'' following the sudden death of the previous Association head Tokitsukaze (former ''yokozuna''
Futabayama was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Oita Prefecture. Entering sumo in 1927, he was the sport's 35th ''Yokozuna (sumo), yokozuna'' from 1937 until his retirement in 1945. He won twelve ''yūshō'' or top division championships and had ...
) in December of the same year. His presidency was marked by several attempts to modernize Sumo, including the introduction of video refereeing (1969) or the renovation of Kuramae Kokugikan (1971). As of 2023 he remains the only former wrestler to ascend to the chairmanship of the modern Japan Sumo Association without having reached at least the rank of ''ōzeki'' as an active competitor.


Later life and death

Approaching his mandatory retirement at 65 years of age, Musashigawa was succeeded as chairman by Kasugano (former ''yokozuna''
Tochinishiki was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Tokyo. He was the sport's 44th ''makuuchi#Yokozuna, yokozuna''. He won ten top division ''yūshō'' or tournament championships and was a rival of fellow ''yokozuna'' Wakanohana Kanji I, Wakanohana ...
) in February 1974, although he exceptionally remained a member of the Association to serve as an advisor after his 65th birthday, continuing to use the Musashigawa name. In January 1976 he retired from the Association to become director of the Sumo Museum under his civilian name Kuniichi Ichikawa, a position he held for the rest of his life. Ichikawa's achievements in serving professional sumo were recognized with the
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
(Blue Ribbon) in 1970, and the
Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese Order (distinction), order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six c ...
(Third Class) in 1979. Ichikawa died on May 30, 1987, at the age of 78. After his death, the Japan Sumo Association held an official Association funeral on June 2 to honor his achievements. Posthumously he was bestowed with the senior fifth rank in the Japanese court rank system.


Career record

*''In 1927 Tokyo and Osaka sumo merged and four tournaments a year in Tokyo and other locations began to be held.''


See also

*
Glossary of sumo terms The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. A B C D E F G H ...
*
List of past sumo wrestlers This is a list of prominent past wrestlers (either retired or deceased) in the sport of professional sumo. They are listed in order of the year and tournament month that they made their professional debuts. The information listed below was gleaned ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dewanohana, Kuniichi 1909 births Japanese sumo wrestlers Sumo people from Ishikawa Prefecture 1987 deaths