Ayawaka Masao - 綾若 真生 (born November 20, 1909 - November 10, 1989) was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Kuroishi, Aomori. He made his debut in January 1925 and wrestled for Dewanoumi stable. He reached the makuuchi division in May 1934. His highest rank was maegashira 5 and he retired in May 1942.
Early Life[]
Katsuo Takahashi was born on November 20, 1909, to a farming family in Kuroishi, Aomori. He was said to be very strong in his youth, carrying two bales of rice with bowl hands and this earned him a good reputation in his local community. He also admired sekiwake Ayagawa who also came from the same area, so he left for Tokyo and joined Dewanoumi stable which housed Ayagawa.
Career[]
Early Career[]
He made his professional debut in January 1925 and was given the shikona "Ayawaka" (綾若) which was derived from his idol Ayagawa. Ayagawa also continued to coach him during his time at Dewanoumi stable. Ayawaka won the sandanme yusho in March 1927 with a perfect 6-0 record and the makushita yusho in January 1930, also with a perfect 6-0 record. He was promoted to juryo in May 1930, however, he left sumo in 1932 due to a strike called the "Shunjuen Incident", which was largely unsuccessful, so he returned to sumo in January 1933 and was promoted to makuuchi in May 1934.
Makuuchi Career[]
Ayawaka was ranked in the top division for a total of 15 tournaments, reaching as high as maegashira 5 in May 1942. He retired from sumo in May 1942 to avoid an inevitable demotion back down to juryo.
Retirement from Sumo[]
After retiring, he ran a seitai in Suginami, Tokyo. He also ran a restaurant called "Ayawaka" (綾若) in Shinjuku, Tokyo. He died on November 10, 1989, at the age of 79.
Fighting Style[]
Ayawaka was a yotsu-sumo wrestler who prefers grappling to pushing and thrusting techniques. He favored a migi-yotsu (left hand outside, right hand inside) position when gripping his opponent's mawashi (belt). His most common kimarite were yorikiri (force out), sotogake (outside leg trip), shitatenage (underarm throw), and yoritaoshi (frontal crush out).
Record[]
Division Results[]
- Total: 164-145-14/308 (30 basho)
- Makuuchi: 89-96-14/184 (15 basho)
- Juryo: 63-49/112 (12 basho)
- Makushita: 6-0/6 (1 basho)
- Sandanme: 6-0/6 (1 basho)
Championships[]
- 1 Makushita Championship (January 1930)
- 1 Sandanme Championship (March 1927)
Shikona History[]
- Ayawaka Eiki (1925.01 - 1929.09)
- Ayawaka Katsuo (1930.01 - 1935.01)
- Ayawaka Masao (1935.05 - 1935.05)
- Ayawaka Katsuo (1936.01 - 1936.01)
- Ayawaka Masao (1936.05 - 1942.05)
Gallery[]
