Maedayama Eigoro

Maedayama Eigoro - 前田山 英五郎 (born May 4, 1914 - August 17, 1971) was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Kisuki, Ehime. He made his debut in January 1929 and wrestled for Takasago stable. He reached the makuuchi division in January 1937 and has 1 championship. He was the 39th yokozuna and he retired in October 1949.

## **Early Life**

He was born Hagimori Kanematsu (萩森 金松) in Kisuki Village, Nishiuwa District, Ehime. On his school excursion to Oita in the spring of 1926, he met future yokozuna Futabayama Sadaji, who had not yet joined Tatsunami stable, and was participating in the track meet. After joining Takasago stable in the autumn of 1927, he met Futabayama again. Subsequently, he and Futabayama practiced together regularly after he entered sumo.

## **Career**

### **Early Career**

He made his professional debut in January 1929 using the shikona or ring name Yoshigiyama (喜木山), before changing it to Sadamisaki Eigoro (佐田岬 英五郎) in May 1930. He reached sandanme in January 1931 and makushita in January 1932. After two years in makushita, he was promoted to juryo in January 1934.

### **Juryo Career**

Prior to his juryo debut, he severely injured his right arm and had to pull out of two consecutive tournaments which caused him to fall back down to sandanme. In January 1935 he changed his shikona to Maedayama in honor of the surgeon who saved his career after he was forced to sit out the whole of 1934 due to injury. Upon returning, he won the makushita yusho in May 1935 and was re-promoted back to juryo in January 1936. In his first tournament back, Maedayama posted a strong 8-3 record. He followed by winning the juryo yusho with a 10-1 record and was promoted to makuuchi in January 1937.

### **Makuuchi Career**

In his top division debut, Maedayama finished with a 7-4 record and followed with a 9-4 record in May 1937 to earn a promotion to komusubi in January 1938. In his san'yaku debut, he finished runner-up to Futabayama with an 11-2 record and was straight promoted to ozeki in May 1938. It was the quickest rise to ozeki since Onishiki in 1916.

### **Ozeki Career**

In January 1941, he defeated ozeki Haguroyama and yokozuna Futabayama. His strongest technique was harite, or face slap. His technique caused a controversy over harite but Futabayama supported him, insisting it was a legitimate sumo technique.

Maedayama was an ozeki during the war years, when few tournaments were held, and took his only top division championship in the autumn of 1944, with a 9–1 record. He was promoted to yokozuna in June 1947 after taking part in a three way play-off that also included fellow ozeki Azumafuji and yokozuna Haguroyama.

### **Yokozuna Career**

He was thirty-three years old at the time of his promotion and in his short yokozuna career he was unable to win any further tournament championships, only managing to produce two winning scores.

## **Retirement from Sumo**

Always a temperamental and controversial figure, he was forced to retire by the Japan Sumo Association in October 1949 after dropping out of a tournament claiming illness, only to be subsequently photographed at a baseball game with Lefty O'Doul.

Maedayama had become head coach of Takasago stable in 1941 while still active in the ring (a practice no longer permitted) and upon his retirement he formally adopted the name Takasago Oyakata. In 1964 he recruited Takamiyama from Hawaii, the first foreigner to succeed in professional sumo. He went on an extended tour of the United States to promote sumo, without the permission of the Sumo Association's directors. He produced yokozuna Asashio Taro III in 1959 and ozeki Maenoyama Taro in 1970. In 1967 he allowed Chiyonoyama's Kokonoe stable into his faction, strengthening the Takasago ichimon (group of stables). He became calmer late in his life and died on August 17, 1971 of cirrhosis of the liver, too early to see Takamiyama become the first foreigner to win a championship in 1972. After his death, foreigners such as ozeki Konishiki and yokozuna Asashoryu joined his stable.

## **Fighting Style**

Maedayama was a yotsu-sumo wrestler who prefers grappling to pushing and thrusting techniques. He favored a hidari-yotsu (right hand outside, left hand inside) position when gripping his opponent's mawashi (belt). His most common kimarite was yorikiri (force out) followed by tsuridashi (lift out). He was posted noted for being one of the first wrestlers to regularly employ harite, or face slap, which caused some controversy.

## **Record**

### **Division Results**

* **Total:** 306-153-50/451 (52 basho)
* **Makuuchi:** 206-104-39/303 (27 basho)
* **Juryo:** 18-4/22 (3 basho)
* **Makushita:** 41-20-11/61 (9 basho)
* **Sandanme:** 19-11/30 (5 basho)
* **Jonidan:** 15-9/24 (4 basho)
* **Jonokuchi:** 7-5/11 (2 basho)

### **Championships**

* 1 **Makuuchi** Championship (November 1944)
* 1 **Juryo** Championship (May 1936)
* 1 **Makushita** Championship (May 1935)

## **Shikona History**

* Yoshigiyama (1929.01 - 1930.03)
* Sadamisaki Eigoro (1930.05 - 1934.05)
* Maedayama Eigoro (1935.01 - 1949.10)

## **Gallery**

Maedayama Eigoro - (Retrieved from the Nihon Sumo Kyokai)Maedayama's tegata
## **Sources**

* Maedayama Eigoro Japanese Wikipedia Article
* Maedayama Eigoro Rikishi Information