Hitachiyama Taniemon

Japanese: 常陸山谷右衛門 - ひたちやま・たにえもん

Year of death: June 19, 1922
Year of birth: January 19, 1874 (Meiji 7)
A sumo wrestler from the Meiji period. The 19th Yokozuna. Born in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, the son of a Mito domain samurai. His real name was Ichigeya. For generations, the Ichige family served as archery instructors for the domain. He was born with exceptional bone structure and looks. He moved to Tokyo to take the entrance exams for Tokyo Senmon Gakko (Waseda University), but in the spring of 1891, at the urging of his uncle Naito Takaharu, he became a disciple of Dewa Kaiunemon, a senior from the same town. He fell into a slump during his time in the makushita division, and left during a tour to join Osaka sumo. When he returned to Tokyo in 1897, he was already said to have the strength to become an ozeki. He entered the makushita division in 1897, was ozeki in 1901, and was promoted to Yokozuna along with Umegaya Totaro (the second generation) in 1903. His wrestling style was as dynamic as his personality. He always accepted the challenge, and after letting his opponent take it to his heart's content, he would either suddenly throw him away or casually lift him up and carry him, literally displaying the Yokozuna style of sumo. 174cm, 146kg. His total record in the top division was 150 wins, 15 losses, 22 draws, and 2 reserves, with 7 championships and 32 consecutive wins. Together with his rival Umegatani, he ushered in the golden age of sumo known as the Ume-Hitachi era, and with this popularity as a backdrop, the Ryogoku Kokugikan was built in 1942. In 1940, he traveled to the United States with three of his disciples, visited President Roosevelt at the White House and performed a dohyo-iri, achieving the fruits of friendly diplomacy. After retiring in 1914 (Taisho 3), he took on the name Dewanoumi (the 5th), and trained many top division wrestlers in addition to two Yokozuna and two Ozeki, building the largest stable in the sumo world. He instructed his disciples that "sumo wrestlers are not entertainers, they are warriors," and worked to improve the social status of sumo wrestlers, earning him the nicknames "Kakusei" and "Odai." He was also known as a heavy drinker and a womanizer. He wrote "Sumo Taikan" (1914).

(Kimura Shonosuke 28th)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：大正11.6.19(1922)
生年：明治7.1.19(1874)
明治期の力士。19代横綱。水戸藩士の子として茨城県水戸に生まれる。本名市毛谷。代々市毛家は藩の弓術指南役を務めた。生まれながらにして骨格,容貌ともに非凡。東京専門学校(早稲田大)受験のため上京したが,明治24(1891)年春,叔父内藤高治のすすめで同郷の先輩出羽海運右衛門の弟子となる。幕下時代にスランプに陥り,巡業中に脱走して大坂相撲に加わる。30年東京に帰参した時はすでに大関の力ありといわれた。32年入幕,34年大関,36年梅ケ谷藤太郎(2代)と共に横綱に推される。取り口は性格同様に豪快無比。必ず受けて立ち,相手に存分に取らせてからおもむろに振り飛ばすか,無造作に吊り上げて運ぶという文字通りの横綱相撲をみせた。174cm,146kg。幕内通算成績150勝15敗22分け2預かり,優勝7回,32連勝がある。好敵手梅ケ谷と共に梅・常陸時代と呼ばれる角界の黄金期をもたらし,この人気を背景に42年両国国技館が建設された。40年門弟3人と共に渡米し,ホワイトハウスにルーズベルト大統領を訪ねて土俵入りを披露し,親善外交の実をあげた。大正3(1914)年引退して出羽海(5代)を襲名,2横綱2大関のほか数多くの幕内力士を育て,角界一の大部屋を築く。「力士は芸人に非ず,武士である」と弟子を指導し,力士の社会的地位向上に努めて「角聖」「御大」と呼ばれた。酒豪,艶福家としても知られた。『相撲大鑑』(1914)を著した。

(木村庄之助28代)

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