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Sadao Wakabayama
Sumo wrestler

Sadao Wakabayama

The basics

Quick Facts

Intro
Sumo wrestler
Places
Work field
Gender
Male
Place of birth
Saitama Prefecture, Japan
Age
78 years
The details (from wikipedia)

Biography

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.

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. Upon joining professional sumo he took the Japanese surname of Iwahira. 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. 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.

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 and reached the makuuchi division in November 2019.

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. 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.
                                           
-Spring
Haru basho, Tokyo
Summer
Natsu basho, Tokyo
Autumn
Aki basho, Tokyo
1942(Maezumo)West Jonokuchi #6
7–1
 
Not held
1943West Jonidan #32
6–2
 
East Sandanme #46
5–3
 
Not held
1944East Sandanme #14
6–2
 
West Makushita #30
3–2
 
East Makushita #20
2–3
 
1945Not heldEast Makushita #23
5–0
 
East Makushita #2
4–1
 
1946Not heldNot heldWest Jūryō #6
10–5
Champion

 
1947Not heldEast Maegashira #17
4–6
 
East Maegashira #18
6–5
 
1948Not heldEast Maegashira #15
4–7
 
West Maegashira #19
5–6
 
1949West Maegashira #19
8–5
 
East Maegashira #11
8–7
 
West Maegashira #9
6–9
 
1950East Maegashira #11
7–8
 
West Maegashira #11
7–8
 
West Maegashira #12
8–7
 
1951West Maegashira #9
10–5
 
West Maegashira #2
8–7
O
West Komusubi
6–9
 
1952East Maegashira #1
3–12
 
West Maegashira #7
10–5
 
West Maegashira #1
7–8
               
-New Year
Hatsu basho, Tokyo
Spring
Haru basho, Osaka
Summer
Natsu basho, Tokyo
Autumn
Aki basho, Tokyo
1953East Maegashira #3
2–13
 
West Maegashira #9
7–8
 
East Maegashira #10
8–7
 
West Maegashira #7
6–9
 
1954West Maegashira #11
10–5
 
West Maegashira #4
6–9
East Maegashira #6
4–11
 
West Maegashira #10
8–7
 
1955West Maegashira #8
9–6
 
West Maegashira #4
7–8
 
East Maegashira #5
3–12
 
East Maegashira #11
10–5
 
1956West Maegashira #4
7–8
 
West Maegashira #4
6–9
 
East Maegashira #7
7–8
 
East Maegashira #8
5–10
 
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(s); 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 sumoJanuary
Hatsu basho, Tokyo
March
Haru basho, Osaka
May
Natsu basho, Tokyo
July
Nagoya basho, Nagoya
September
Aki basho, Tokyo
November
Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
1957West Maegashira #12
9–6
 
West Maegashira #9
4–5–6
 
West Maegashira #12
8–7
 
Not heldEast Maegashira #10
6–9
 
West Maegashira #12
7–8
 
1958West Maegashira #13
9–6
 
West Maegashira #10
9–6
 
East Maegashira #6
3–12
 
East Maegashira #15
9–6
 
East Maegashira #13
8–6–1draw
 
East Maegashira #12
5–10
 
1959East Maegashira #19
9–6
 
East Maegashira #13
7–8
 
West Maegashira #14
9–6
 
West Maegashira #11
5–10
 
East Maegashira #14
7–8
 
East Maegashira #13
1–14
 
1960East Jūryō #3
8–7
 
East Jūryō #1
6–9
 
West Jūryō #3
5–10
 
West Jūryō #9
5–10
 
West Jūryō #12
8–7
 
West Jūryō #11
5–10
 
1961East Jūryō #19
Retired
2–13
xxxxx
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(s); P=Playoff(s)
Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan— Jonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna — Ōzeki — Sekiwake — Komusubi — Maegashira
The contents of this page are sourced from Wikipedia article. The contents are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
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