Nishinoumi Kajiro - 西ノ海 嘉治郎 (born February 6, 1880 - January 27, 1931) was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Nishinoomote, Kagoshima. He made his debut in January 1900 and last wrestled for Izutsu stable. He reached the makuuchi division in May 1906 and has one top division championship. He was the 25th yokozuna and he retired in May 1918.
Early Life[]
Kyuhachi Makise was born the second son of a farmer in Kagoshima on February 6, 1880. At the age of 15, he was scouted by Izutsu Oyakata (the 16th yokozuna Nishinoumi Kajiro I). He was recommended by his neighbors to join professional sumo due to his large build. He ultimately agreed and joined Izutsu stable.
Career[]
Early Career[]
He made his professional debut in January 1900 and was given the shikona "Tanegashima" (種子ヶ島) which was the name of the island where he grew up on. After five years in the unsalaried ranks, he was promoted to juryo and was given the shikona "Nishikinada" (錦洋). After two tournaments in juryo, he was promoted to makuuchi in May 1906.
Makuuchi Career[]
In his top division debut, Nishikinada finished with a winning record and was eventually promoted to sekiwake in January 1908. In June 1906 he changed his shikona to "Nishinoumi Nadaemon" (西ノ海 灘右エ門). After four consecutive tournaments ranked as sekiwake, he was promoted to ozeki in January 1910.
Ozeki Career[]
Nishinoumi prepares to perform the yokozuna dohyo-iri
In his ozeki debut, Nishinoumi could only manage two wins with the majority of matches finishing as draws or holds (see abolished sumo systems/rules for more information). In January 1912 he finished runner-up to Tachiyama with a 7-1-2draws record. In January 1914 he was given the shikona "Nishinoumi Kajiro" (西ノ海 嘉治郎) which was used by his stablemaster.
Yokozuna Career[]
Nishinoumi was awarded a yokozuna licence by the house of Yoshida Tsukasa in February 1916 after winning a championship at January 1916 tournament. He was 36 years old at the time of his promotion, making him the oldest wrestler to be promoted to yokozuna in the 20th century. In the top makuuchi division, he won 106 bouts and lost 38 bouts, recording a winning percentage of 73.6. He was the only wrestler to defeat Tachiyama between 1909 and 1916, his victory in January 1912 preventing Tachiyama from recording 100 straight wins (he had a winning streak of 43 before, and 56 after their bout). Tachiyama claimed many years later that Nishinoumi's win over him had been yaocho (fixed), but there is little evidence for this.
Retirement from Sumo[]
After his retirement, he was an elder known as Izutsu and produced many top division wrestlers, such as Yokozuna Nishinoumi Kajiro III. During his tenure Izutsu's influence in the Japan Sumo Association increased, but he was accused of using his position unfairly by his opponents after he added a director to the Sumo Association's board from his own ichimon or stable group. He eventually committed suicide by hanging on January 27, 1931.
Personal Life[]
His adopted daughter's grandsons are Sakahoko Akihiro and Terao Tsunefumi.
Fighting Style[]
Nishinoumi was a yotsu-sumo wrestler who prefers grappling to pushing and thrusting techniques. He favored a hidari-yotsu (right hand outside, left hand inside) position when gripping his opponent's mawashi (belt). He was also fond of employing tsuppari, a series of rapid thrusts to the chest.
Record[]
Division Results[]
- Total: 117-43-70-29draws-11holds/200 (28 basho)
- Makuuchi: 106-38-70-27draws-9holds/180 (25 basho)
- Juryo: 11-5-2draws-2holds/20 (2 basho)
Championships[]
- 1 Makuuchi Championships
Shikona History[]
- Tanegashima (1900.01 - 1905.01)
- Nishikinada Yosaburo (1905.05 - 1909.01)
- Nishinoumi Nadaemon (1909.06 - 1913.05)
- Nishinoumi Kajiro (1914.01 - 1918.05)
Gallery[]
