Miyagiyama Fukumatsu
| Miyagiyama Fukumatsu | |
|---|---|
| 宮城山 福松 | |
 |
|
| Personal information | |
| Born | Fukumatsu Sato February 27, 1895 Iwate, Japan |
| Died | November 19, 1943 (aged 48) |
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 113 kg (249 lb) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Takadagawa |
| Record | 90-69-38-1draw (Makuuchi) |
| Debut | June 1910 |
| Highest rank | Yokozuna (February, 1922) |
| Retired | January 1931 |
| Championships | 2 (Makuuchi, official) 4 (Osaka Makuuchi, unofficial) |
| * Up to date as of October 2007. | |
Miyagiyama Fukumatsu (宮城山 福松, February 27, 1895 – November 19, 1943) was a sumo wrestler from Ichinoseki, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 29th yokozuna. He was the last yokozuna in Osaka sumo.
In the fall of 1909, he joined Dewanoumi stable. He made his professional debut in June 1910. However, he was punched by Kyushuzan Juro and escaped from Tokyo sumo in May 1912. He didn't abandon the idea of becoming a wrestler and moved to Osaka sumo.
He reached the top makuuchi division in 1916 and he was promoted to ōzeki after only 2 tournaments. In January 1920, he won his first championship with an 8-1-1draw record. In March 1921, he fought against wrestlers in Tokyo sumo and defeated sekiwake Genjiyama, ōzeki Tsunenohana, yokozuna Ōnishiki and Kyushuzan. Around this time he reconciled with Kyushuzan.
In June 1921, he won the championship with an 8-2 record. In January 1922, he won the championship with a perfect 10-0 record. After winning two consecutive championships, he was awarded a yokozuna licence. He was absent from two tournaments in 1923 due to a phlegmon on the middle finger of his right hand. In January 1926, he won the championship with a 9-1 record.
In 1927, Osaka Sumo Association disbanded and its wrestlers merged with Tokyo sumo. At that time, Osaka sumo's level was very low and he was not considered not to be strong enough. However, he felt he had to save the honor of Osaka sumo as yokozuna. Although his strength had already declined, he fought tooth and nail and won 2 championships in Tokyo sumo as part of the Osaka contingent of wrestlers. The first of these, in January 1927, was the first tournament to be held under the auspices of the Dai Nihon Ozumo Kyokai (now the Japan Sumo Association). Considering that he had been retained as a yokozuna simply because there was no precedent for demoting one and to allow Osaka sumo to save face, it was regarded as a sensational result.
...
Wikipedia