Wakashima Gonshirō

Wakashima Gonshirō
若島 権四郎
Personal information
Born	Gonshirō Takahashi January 19, 1876 Chiba, Japan
Died	October 23, 1943 (aged 67)
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	116 kg (256 lb)
Career
Stable	Tomozuna, Nakamura
Record	82-33-13draws (Makuuchi)
Debut	May, 1891
Highest rank	Yokozuna (April, 1905)
Retired	January, 1907
Championships	4 (Osaka makuuchi, unofficial)
* Up to date as of October 2007.

Wakashima Gonshirō (若島 権四郎, January 19, 1876 – October 23, 1943) was a sumo wrestler from Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 21st yokozuna.

Career

Wakashima was the first official yokozuna from Osaka sumo. He began his career in Tokyo sumo at the Tomozuna stable, joining in May 1891 at the age of 15. He reached the top makuuchi division in 1896, peaking at maegashira 7. He was very popular with geisha, but his interest in this side of life caused his progress in sumo to slacken. In addition, he suffered from smallpox. He left in January 1898, joining Osaka sumo, and entering Nakamura stable. It is believed he was awarded the Osaka sumo yokozuna licence by the Gojo family in January 1903 though the evidence is obscure. In June 1903, he fought against wrestlers in Tokyo sumo. He gave a very strong performance, defeating yokozuna Umegatani Tōtarō II and emerged as a threat to the dominance of the strongest yokozuna in Tokyo sumo, Hitachiyama.^[1] His strength was acknowledged when, after a series of meetings between the Osaka and Tokyo sumo associations, he was awarded a yokozuna license by the Yoshida family in April 1905. The only wrestler active in Osaka sumo to ever receive this recognition.^[1] He retired at the early age of 31 in January 1907 owing to an injury suffered in a cycling accident in September 1905, Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Tokyo sumo top division record

Wakashima^[2]

-	Spring	Summer
1896	West Maegashira #12 4–2–1 3d	West Maegashira #7 1–7–1 1h
1897	West Maegashira #12 1–7–2	West Maegashira #14 4–5–1
1898	West Maegashira #13 3–5–1 1d	Sat out
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Retired Lower Divisions Key:d=Draw(s) (引分);   h=Hold(s) (預り) Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna — Ōzeki — Sekiwake — Komusubi — Maegashira

Osaka sumo top division record

• Osaka sumo existed independently for many years before merging with Tokyo sumo in 1926. 1-2 tournaments were held yearly, though the actual time they were held was often erratic.
• In his first Osaka tournament Wakashima competed at makuuchi, but was unranked.

Wakashima Gonshiro^[3]

	First	Second
1898	Maegashira 4–1–3 1d	West Maegashira #12 7–2
1899	West Maegashira #8 7–1–1	Not held
1900	West Komusubi 7–0–1 1d 1h Unofficial	Not held
1901	West Ōzeki 7–0–1 1h Unofficial	Not held
1902	East Ōzeki 8–0 1h Unofficial	Not held
1903	East Yokozuna 8–1	East Yokozuna 4–0–4 1d
1904	East Yokozuna 6–1–2	East Yokozuna 7–1–1 1d
1905	Sat out	East Yokozuna 8–0–1 1d Unofficial
1906	Sat out	Sat out
1907	Retired –
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Retired Lower Divisions Key:d=Draw(s) (引分);   h=Hold(s) (預り) Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna — Ōzeki — Sekiwake — Komusubi — Maegashira

*Championships for the best record in a tournament were not recognized or awarded in Osaka sumo before its merger with Tokyo sumo, and the unofficial championships above are historically conferred. For more information, see yūshō.

See also

• Glossary of sumo terms
• List of past sumo wrestlers
• List of yokozuna

References

1. "68 Yokozuna in 400 Years". Le Monde Du Sumo. June 2005. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
2. "Wakashima Daigoro Rikishi Information". Sumo References. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
3. "NAME Rikishi Information" (in Japanese). 横綱力士幕内星取表.

External links

• (Japanese) his record
• (Japanese) list of championship winners in Osaka sumo