Wakabayama Sadao

Wakabayama Sadao (若葉山 貞雄, November 9, 1922 – January 17, 2001) was a sumo wrestler from Yame, Fukuoka, Japan. His highest rank was komusubi. He earned four gold stars for defeating yokozuna. After his retirement from active competition in 1961 he became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association under the name Shikoroyama.

Wakabayama Sadao
若葉山 貞雄
Personal information
BornSadao Iwahira
(1922-11-09)November 9, 1922
Yama, Fukuoka, Japan
DiedJanuary 17, 2001(2001-01-17) (aged 78)
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight94 kg (207 lb; 14.8 st)
Career
StableTokitsukaze
Record413-466-6-1draw
DebutJanuary, 1942
Highest rankKomusubi (September, 1951)
RetiredJanuary, 1961
Elder nameShikoroyama
Championships1 (Jūryō)
Special Prizes1 (Outstanding Performance)
Gold Stars4
Terukuni (2)
Azumafuji (2)
* Up to date as of June 2020.

Career

He was born in Beijing, China, and was separated from his parents while still a child. He attempted to locate his parents who he believed may have returned to Japan by joining a sumo touring party.[1] Upon joining professional sumo he took the Japanese surname of Iwahira.[2] He was recruited by the active yokozuna Futabayama and joined his Futabayama stable (later Tokitsukaze stable) in January 1942. He used Iwahira as his fighting name until one tournament after he was promoted to the top makuuchi division, when he adopted the shikona of Wakabayama, taking two characters from his head coach Futabayama. His birthplace was recorded on the banzuke as Yame, Fukuoka, although he later changed his surname to Aoyama (his wife's) and his birthplace to Omiya, Saitama.[1] His promotion followed his yusho or tournament championship in the juryo division in November 1946, the only tournament held that year. Following his strong performance in the May 1951 tournament, where he defeated two yokozuna and won the Outstanding Performance Prize, he was promoted to komusubi in September 1951, which was to be his highest rank. He fought in the top division for 49 tournaments with a win/loss record of 326/383. He was demoted from makuuchi in November 1959 after recording only one win against 14 losses. He competed in the juryo division until announcing his retirement after the January 1961 tournament.

Retirement from sumo

Following his retirement Wakabayama remained with the Japan Sumo Association as an elder under the name Shikoroyama Oyakata, and worked as a coach at Tokitsukaze stable until reaching the mandatory retirement age of 65 in November 1987.

Death

He died of a cerebral thrombosis on January 17, 2001, in Fukushima. He was 78.[2]

Family

His son-in-law Masashi Onami was a sumo wrestler in the Tatsutagawa stable, fighting as Wakashinobu and reaching a highest rank of makushita 51. Three of his grandsons also became sumo wrestlers, all fighting out of the Arashio stable. The first was Onami (now Wakatakamoto) in 2009, followed by Goshi (now Wakamotoharu) in 2011. Wakatakakage, an amateur champion at Toyo University, joined as a sandanme tsukedashi entrant in March 2017, reached the makuuchi division in November 2019 and won the 2022 Osaka tournament.[3]

Fighting style

Wakabayama was small for a sumo wrestler at 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) and 94 kg (207 lb), but he was a noted technician.[2] His favourite techniques included ashitori (leg grab) and shitatehineri (twisting underarm throw).

Pre-modern top division record

  • The New Year tournament began and the Spring tournament returned to Osaka in 1953.
Wakabayama Sadao[4]
- Spring
Haru basho, Tokyo
Summer
Natsu basho, Tokyo
Autumn
Aki basho, Tokyo
1942 (Maezumo) West Jonokuchi #6
71
 
Not held
1943 West Jonidan #32
62
 
East Sandanme #46
53
 
Not held
1944 East Sandanme #14
62
 
West Makushita #30
32
 
East Makushita #20
23
 
1945 Not held East Makushita #23
50
 
East Makushita #2
41
 
1946 Not held Not held West Jūryō #6
105
Champion

 
1947 Not held East Maegashira #17
46
 
East Maegashira #18
65
 
1948 Not held East Maegashira #15
47
 
West Maegashira #19
56
 
1949 West Maegashira #19
85
 
East Maegashira #11
87
 
West Maegashira #9
69
 
1950 East Maegashira #11
78
 
West Maegashira #11
78
 
West Maegashira #12
87
 
1951 West Maegashira #9
105
 
West Maegashira #2
87
O
West Komusubi
69
 
1952 East Maegashira #1
312
 
West Maegashira #7
105
 
West Maegashira #1
78
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
- New Year
Hatsu basho, Tokyo
Spring
Haru basho, Osaka
Summer
Natsu basho, Tokyo
Autumn
Aki basho, Tokyo
1953 East Maegashira #3
213
 
West Maegashira #9
78
 
East Maegashira #10
87
 
West Maegashira #7
69
 
1954 West Maegashira #11
105
 
West Maegashira #4
69
East Maegashira #6
411
 
West Maegashira #10
87
 
1955 West Maegashira #8
96
 
West Maegashira #4
78
 
East Maegashira #5
312
 
East Maegashira #11
105
 
1956 West Maegashira #4
78
 
West Maegashira #4
69
 
East Maegashira #7
78
 
East Maegashira #8
510
 
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

Modern top division tournament record

  • Since the addition of the Kyushu tournament in 1957 and the Nagoya tournament in 1958, the yearly schedule has remained unchanged.
Year in sumo January
Hatsu basho, Tokyo
March
Haru basho, Osaka
May
Natsu basho, Tokyo
July
Nagoya basho, Nagoya
September
Aki basho, Tokyo
November
Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
1957 West Maegashira #12
96
 
West Maegashira #9
456
 
West Maegashira #12
87
 
Not held East Maegashira #10
69
 
West Maegashira #12
78
 
1958 West Maegashira #13
96
 
West Maegashira #10
96
 
East Maegashira #6
312
 
East Maegashira #15
96
 
East Maegashira #13
861draw
 
East Maegashira #12
510
 
1959 East Maegashira #19
96
 
East Maegashira #13
78
 
West Maegashira #14
96
 
West Maegashira #11
510
 
East Maegashira #14
78
 
East Maegashira #13
114
 
1960 East Jūryō #3
87
 
East Jūryō #1
69
 
West Jūryō #3
510
 
West Jūryō #9
510
 
West Jūryō #12
87
 
West Jūryō #11
510
 
1961 East Jūryō #19
Retired
213
x x x x x
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

See also

References

  1. madorosumaru (5 November 2009). "New recruits-November 2009". Sumo Forum. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  2. Adams, Andy (March 2001). "Ex-Komusubi Wakabayama dies at 78". Sumo World: 14.
  3. https://www.sumo.or.jp/webroot/EnSumoDataRikishi/profile/3761/index.php/
  4. "Wakabayama Sadao Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
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