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Tanikaze Kajinosuke

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Tanikaze Kajinosuke was a legendary sumo wrestler from the Edo period in Japan. He is known as a very important figure in the history of the sport. While he is officially listed as the fourth yokozuna, he was effectively the first. This is because he was among the first to receive the title during his lifetime.

Yokozuna promotion 1789
Yokozuna promotion 1789

A yokozuna is the highest rank a sumo wrestler can reach. People remember him for his incredible strength and his many victories in the ring. He was a true star of his era.

Tanikaze was a very impressive athlete with a powerful body. He stood 189 cm tall and weighed 169 kg. This made him much larger than most Japanese men at that time. He was known for having a strong back and very quick feet. He was also described as being short in the waist. These traits helped him move quickly during his matches. His skill allowed him to win 258 bouts in the top division. He lost only 14 times during those matches.

His career began in the Miyagi District of Mutsu Province. He became an apprentice to a wrestler named Sekinoto in 1768. Later, he moved to Edo-sumo to compete at a higher level. The Date clan gave him a new ring name, or shikona. In 1776, he changed his name to Tanikaze. He even had a brother named Dategaseki Moriemon who became a top wrestler too. They were the second pair of brothers to reach the highest division.

Yokozuna promotion 1789
Yokozuna promotion 1789

Tanikaze set many records that lasted for a very long time. From March 1778 to February 1782, he won 63 matches in a row. This was the longest winning streak in sumo at that time. His record stayed unbroken for 150 years until another wrestler named Futabayama won 69 matches in 1938. On November 19, 1789, he was granted a special yokozuna license. He and Onogawa Kisaburō were the first to receive this honor while alive.

Yokozuna promotion 1789
Yokozuna promotion 1789

They were both ranked as sekiwake when they got the title.

Today, we can still see how much people loved Tanikaze. Many colorful woodblock prints, called nishiki-e, show him participating in bouts. He was even chosen to represent sumo in a famous print about the three best entertainments in Edo. He also appears in a modern manga series called Record of Ragnarok. Sadly, Tanikaze died in 1795 at the age of 44 from influenza. He was still an active wrestler when he passed away. His name became so respected that no one else was allowed to use it.

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