Kashiwado Tsuyoshi - 柏戸 剛 (born November 29, 1938 - December 8, 1996) was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Kushibiki, Yamagata. He made his debut in September 1954 and last wrestled for Isenoumi stable. He reached the makuuchi division in September 1958 and has eight special prizes and five top division championships. He was the 47th yokozuna and he retired in July 1969.
Early Life[]
Togashi was born in Kushibiki (currently Tsuruoka) in Yamagata prefecture to farmers. In elementary school he participated in basketball, soccer, track and field, and sumo wrestling, and by the time he entered junior high school, he already stood at 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in). He went on to attend Tsuruoka Minami High School and was a member of the sumo club. He was subsequently recruited by Isenoumi stable for professional sumo.
Career[]
Early Career[]
He made his professional debut in September 1954 and initially wrestled under his surname Togashi. He was promoted to sandanme in May 1955 and in his first makushita tournament in May 1956, he won the yusho with a perfect 8-0 record. In September 1957, he posted a 5-3 record and was promoted to juryo in November 1957. At the time of his juryo promotion, he was only 18 years and 10 months old.
Juryo Career[]
In his first tournament as a sekitori, Togashi finished with an 8-7 record. In March 1958 he won the juryo yusho with a strong 12-3 record. He followed with an 11-4 record, but missed out on the yusho after losing the playoff to fellow teenage Wakachichibu. In July 1958 he produced a 12-3 record at the rank of juryo 4 and was promoted to makuuchi in September 1958 at the age of 19 years and 10 months.
Makuuchi Career[]
Kashiwado during his first makuuchi tournament
In only his fourth top division tournament, coinciding with his adoption of the shikona surname Kashiwado, he was runner-up to yokozuna Tochinishiki with a 13–2 record and earned special prizes for Fighting Spirit and Technique. In September 1959 he finished runner-up to yokozuna Wakanohana I with a 12-3 record and earned the Fighting Spirit prize and was promoted to komusubi in November 1959. He went on a strong run posting five winning records and earning five special prizes on the way. He was promoted to ozeki in September 1960.
Ozeki Career[]
Kashiwado finished with a strong 12-3 runner-up performance in his first ozeki tournament. He won his first makuuchi championship in January 1961 with a 13-2 record. He followed with a 12-3 record and was runner-up with yokozuna Asashio. After taking part in a playoff for the championship in September of that year, he was promoted to yokozuna, joining the aging pair of Asashio and Wakanohana who were soon to retire.
Yokozuna Career[]
Kashiwado changed the spelling of his ring name to 柏戸 健志 in May 1962, but changed it back in November 1964. He went on to win five top division championships in total, a long way behind the thirty-two captured by his rival Taiho, who was promoted to yokozuna simultaneously with him.
Kashiwado performs the yokozuna dohyo-iri
He was however a tournament runner-up on no fewer than fifteen occasions. Kashiwado suffered from many injury problems during his career, which led to him being dubbed the "glass yokozuna". He failed to complete four tournaments in a row from January to July 1963. However he made a spectacular comeback in September 1963, winning his first championship as a yokozuna with a perfect 15–0 record. He won his last makuuchi championship in July 1967 with a strong 14-1 tournament. He was listed as a yokozuna on the banzuke for 47 tournaments, which puts him in equal seventh place on the all-time list. He was popular among sumo crowds, appealing to those who found Taiho too dominant. The eight years in which the two shared the yokozuna rank was known as the Hakuho era, a combination of their names (Haku is another reading of Kashi.)
Retirement from Sumo[]
After retiring from active competition in July 1969 Kashiwado remained in the sumo world as an elder, and he opened up his own stable, Kagamiyama, in November 1970. In July 1975 he oversaw the simultaneous promotion of Zaonishiki and Konuma to juryo. He coached Tagaryu to a top division championship in September 1984. He also served as a director of the Sumo Association and was head of the judges committee until 1994.
Death[]
He died of liver failure in 1996, at the age of 58. Taiho was at Kashiwado's bedside and was distraught over his death.
Fighting Style[]
Kashiwado defeats Kitabayama by yoritaoshi (frontal crush out)
Kashiwado's favored kimarite or techniques were migi-yotsu (a left hand outside, right hand inside grip on the opponents mawashi), yorikiri (force out) and tsukidashi (thrust out). In all, about sixty percent of his wins were by either force out or force out and down (yoritaoshi).
Record[]
Division Results[]
- Total: 715-295-140/1003 (84 basho)
- Makuuchi: 599-240-140/832 (66 basho)
- Juryo: 50-25/75 (5 basho)
- Makushita: 33-15/48 (6 basho)
- Sandanme: 21-11/32 (4 basho)
- Jonidan: 6-2/8 (1 basho)
- Jonokuchi: 6-2/8 (1 basho)
Championships[]
- 5 Makuuchi Championships
- 1st (January 1961)
- 2nd (September 1963)
- 3rd (September 1965)
- 4th (January 1966)
- 5th (July 1967)
- 1 Juryo Championship (March 1958)
- 1 Makushita Championship (May 1956)
Achievements[]
- Special Prizes: Technique Prize (4), Fighting Spirit Prize (2), Outstanding Performance Prize (2)
- Record: Tied for 7th most tournaments ranked at yokozuna (47 tournaments)
Shikona History[]
- Togashi Tsuyoshi (1954.09 - 1959.01)
- Kashiwado Tsuyoshi (1959.03 - 1969.07)
Gallery[]
