was a Japanese professional

sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by th ...

wrestler from

Ehime Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,334,841 and a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Toku ...

. He was the sport's 39th ''

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 ...

.''

Career

He was born in Nishiuwa District. On his school excursion to Ōita in the spring of 1926, he met future ''yokozuna''

Futabayama Sadaji was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Oita Prefecture. Entering sumo in 1927, he was the sport's 35th ''yokozuna'' from 1937 until his retirement in 1945. He won twelve ''yūshō'' or top division championships and had a winning streak ...

, who had not yet joined

Tatsunami stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers, formerly the head of the Tatsunami ''ichimon'' or group of stables. As of January 2023 it had 20 wrestlers. Previously situated in sumo's heartland of Ryōgoku nearby the Kokugikan stadium, it briefly moved in ...

, and was participating in the track meet. After joining

Takasago stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Takasago group of stables. It is correctly written in Japanese as "髙砂部屋", but the first of these ''kanji'' is rare, and is more commonly written as "高砂部屋". History The stable was establ ...

in the autumn of 1927, he met Futabayama again. Subsequently, he and Futabayama practiced together regularly after he entered sumo. Maedayama 1941 Scan10052

He made his professional debut in January 1929 using the ''

shikona A is a sumo wrestler's ring name. The tradition of ring names in sumo dates back to the Muromachi period and established itself during the Edo period, where they were used as a means to hide the identities of the . Given by the master to his di ...

'' or ring name , before changing it to 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. Maedayama reached the top ''

makuuchi , or , is the top division of Professional sumo divisions, 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 ...

'' division in January 1937. In May 1938, he was promoted to '' ōzeki'', straight from the fourth ''

komusubi , 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 ...

'' rank, after finishing as tournament runner-up. It was the quickest rise to ''ōzeki'' since Ōnishiki in 1916. 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. 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. He was promoted to ''yokozuna'' in June 1947 after taking part in a three way play-off that also included fellow ''ōzeki''

Azumafuji was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Taitō, Tokyo. He was the sport's 40th ''yokozuna'', and later a professional wrestler. Sumo career Azumafuji's real name was . He made professional debut in January 1936, joining Takasago stab ...

and ''yokozuna'' Haguroyama. 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 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 ...

in October 1949 after dropping out of a tournament claiming illness, only to be subsequently photographed at a

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

game with

Lefty O'Doul Francis Joseph "Lefty" O'Doul (March 4, 1897 – December 7, 1969) was an American professional baseball player and manager. Though he spent eleven seasons in Major League Baseball, most notably for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Phillie ...

Retirement from sumo

Maedayama had become head coach of

in 1941 while still active in the ring (a practice no longer permitted) and upon his retirement he formally adopted the name Takasago

Oyakata The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. A B C D E F G H ...

. In 1964 he recruited Takamiyama from

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, 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. He produced ''yokozuna''

Asashio Tarō III was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Tokunoshima in the Amami Islands. He was the sport's 46th ''yokozuna''. He was also a sumo coach and head of Takasago stable. Career He was born on Tokunoshima in the Amami Islands. Due to the Am ...

in 1959 and ''ōzeki''

Maenoyama Tarō was a sumo wrestler from Osaka Prefecture, Japan. He began his career in 1961, reaching the top makuuchi division in 1966. His highest rank was '' ōzeki'' which he held from 1970 until 1972. He retired in 1974 and became head coach of the Tak ...

in 1970. In 1967 he allowed

Chiyonoyama was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Fukushima, Hokkaidō. He was the sport's 41st ''yokozuna'' from 1951 until 1959. He is regarded as the first "modern" ''yokozuna'' in that he was promoted by the Japan Sumo Association itself and n ...

Kokonoe stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Takasago group of stables. It was formed in 1967 and until 2021 was located in Ishiwara, Sumida, Tokyo. As of January 2023 it had 26 sumo wrestlers, four of whom are of '' sekitori'' rank. It is the mos ...

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 Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, chronic liver failure or chronic hepatic failure and end-stage liver disease, is a chronic condition of the liver in which the normal functioning tissue, or parenchyma, is replaced ...

, too early to see Takamiyama become the first foreigner to win a championship in 1972. After his death, foreigners such as ''ōzeki''

Konishiki Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e (born December 31, 1963), better known by his stage name, , is an American-born Japanese former professional sumo wrestler. Franz LidzMeat Bomb, 05.18.92 - ''Sports Illustrated'' He was the first non-Japanese-born wrest ...

and ''yokozuna'' Asashōryū joined his stable.

Career record

*''Through most of the 1930s and 1940s only two tournaments were held a year, and in 1946 only one was held.''

References

External links

Japan Sumo Association profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maedayama, Eigoro 1914 births 1971 deaths Japanese sumo wrestlers Yokozuna People from Yawatahama, Ehime Sumo people from Ehime Prefecture Deaths from cirrhosis

Career

Retirement from sumo

Career record

See also

References

External links