Takamiyama Daigorō
| Takamiyama Daigorō | |
|---|---|
| 高見山大五郎 | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | Jesse Kuhaulua June 16, 1944 Territory of Hawaii |
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Weight | 204 kg (450 lb; 32.1 st) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Takasago |
| Record | 812-845-22 |
| Debut | March, 1964 |
| Highest rank | Sekiwake (September, 1972) |
| Retired | May, 1984 |
| Championships | 1 (Makuuchi) 1 (Jonidan) 1 (Jonokuchi) |
| Special Prizes | Outstanding Performance (6) Fighting Spirit (5) |
| Gold Stars | 12 Wajima (7) Sadanoyama Kashiwado Kitanofuji Kotozakura Kitanoumi |
| * Up to date as of August 2007. | |
Takamiyama Daigorō 高見山大五郎 (born 16 June 1944 as Jesse James Wailani Kuhaulua) is a former sumo wrestler, the first foreign born rikishi to win the top division championship (in 1972). His highest rank was sekiwake. His active career spanned twenty years from 1964 to 1984, and he set a number of longevity records, including most tournaments ranked in the top makuuchi division, and most consecutive top division appearances. He is also the first foreign born wrestler ever to take charge of a training stable, founding Azumazeki stable in 1986. His most successful wrestler was fellow Hawaiian Akebono who reached the highest rank of yokozuna in 1993. He retired as a coach in 2009.
Kuhaulua was born in Happy Valley, Maui to parents who were mostly of Hawaiian descent. Due to his impressive height of 6 foot 2 inches (189 cm) and 280 pounds (127 kg), he was recruited as a tackle for the Henry Perrine Baldwin High School football team. His football coach noticed that he had weak legs and hips, and recommended that he train his lower body through sumo, a sport popular among the local Japanese-American community. He joined a local amateur sumo club and it was there that he was spotted by visiting professional sumo wrestlers from Japan. He was eventually recruited by the head coach of Takasago stable, former yokozuna Maedayama. After graduating from Baldwin High School in Wailuku in 1963 he left for Tokyo on February 22, 1964 to join Takasago stable as a new recruit.
...
Wikipedia