Tanikaze Kajinosuke

Tanikaze was a famous sumo wrestler. He was very big and strong. He was much larger than most men.

He was a great fighter. He won 63 matches in a row. This was a very long winning streak.

Tanikaze was one of the first yokozuna. This is a very special title. He was a very popular star.

He even had a brother who wrestled. They were both top wrestlers. This was very rare.

Tanikaze died when he was 44. He had a sickness called influenza. People still remember him today.

Tanikaze Kajinosuke was a famous sumo wrestler. He lived during the Edo period in Japan.

He was very large for his time. He stood 189 cm tall. He also weighed 169 kg. This made him much bigger than most men.

Tanikaze was a great fighter. He had a strong back and quick feet. He won 63 matches in a row. This was a huge winning streak. It was the longest record at that time. His record stood for 150 years.

He was one of the first yokozuna. A yokozuna is a top rank in sumo. He and another wrestler, Onogawa, were given this title. They were the first to get it while they were still alive.

This was a very special honor.

Tanikaze was a very popular star. Many colorful woodblock prints of him still exist. He even had a brother who was a top wrestler. They were the second pair of brothers to reach the top division. Tanikaze died at age 44 from influenza. He was still a very active wrestler then.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Tanikaze Kajinosuke was a legendary sumo wrestler during Japan's Edo period. He is a central figure in the history of the sport. While he is officially recorded as the fourth yokozuna, he is effectively considered the first. This distinction exists because he was among the first wrestlers to receive the title during his lifetime.

Earlier yokozuna were only awarded the title after they had passed away. Tanikaze helped transform the status of the rank. He was a massive athlete for his era. He stood 189 cm tall and weighed 169 kg. This size made him much larger than most Japanese men at the time.

Tanikaze's physical style was defined by a unique combination of power and speed. He was described as having a strong back and very quick feet. He was also noted for being short in the waist. These traits allowed him to move with agility despite his great weight. He was an expert in the mechanics of sumo. His skill resulted in a dominant record in the top makuuchi division. He won 258 bouts and lost only 14. This gave him an incredible winning percentage of 94.9 percent.

His career followed a path of steady professional growth. He began as an apprentice to a wrestler named Sekinoto in 1768. He was born in the Miyagi District of Mutsu Province. Later, he moved to Edo-sumo to compete at a higher level. The Date clan provided him with a shikona, which is a ring name. He briefly held the title of kanban-ōzeki. These were guest ōzeki who filled gaps in the rankings. They were chosen because they were large and good-looking. However, Tanikaze was a true talent. He eventually relinquished the guest title to earn his rank through merit. In May 1776, he adopted the ring name Tanikaze.

Tanikaze established records that defined the sport for generations. From March 1778 to February 1782, he achieved 63 consecutive victories. This was the longest winning streak in sumo during his era. This record remained unbroken for 150 years. It was finally surpassed in 1938 by Futabayama, who won 69 matches in a row. At that time, rikishi traveled between Edo, Kyoto, and Osaka. Tanikaze actually achieved a record of 98 consecutive wins when traveling between cities. However, his official Edo tournament record is cited as 63. After his long streak ended, he immediately won another 43 bouts in a row.

On November 19, 1789, Tanikaze reached a historic milestone. He and the wrestler Onogawa Kisaburō were granted a special yokozuna license by the Yoshida family. This was a major change in how the title functioned. At the time, yokozuna was an honorary title. It was not listed on the banzuke, which is the official ranking sheet. Because of this, both Tanikaze and Onogawa were still ranked as sekiwake when they received the honor. They were also among the first to perform the yokozuna dohyō-iri. This is a special ring-entering ceremony.

Tanikaze's influence extended far beyond his own matches. He served as a coach for the famous wrestler Raiden Tameemon. Raiden was a leading figure during the Tenmei and Kansei eras. Even Tanikaze's family was connected to the sport. His younger brother, Dategaseki Moriemon, also became a top-division wrestler. They were only the second pair of brothers in sumo history to reach the makuuchi division. Tanikaze's legacy is also preserved through art. Many nishiki-e, or colorful woodblock prints, depict him in action. He was even chosen to represent sumo in the famous 'Three Pleasures of Edo' series.

Tanikaze's life ended during a period of widespread illness. On January 9, 1795, he contracted influenza. The disease was spreading quickly through the city of Edo. He died suddenly at the age of 44 while he was still an active wrestler. His death left a void in the sumo world. His name became so prestigious that the Tanikaze shikona was eventually retired. It is now considered a name that is no longer allowed to be used. He is buried in his hometown of Wakabayashi, Sendai. His tomb remains a monument to his massive impact on Japanese culture.