Shintakayama Ichiro

Shintakayama Ichiro - 新高山 一郎 (born March 5, 1920 - date of death unknown) was a Taiwanese professional sumo wrestler from Taichung. He made his debut in May 1940 and wrestled for Hanakago stable. His highest rank was makushita 15 and he retired in November 1946.

## **Early Life**

Yiyue Zhuo (Hokkien: Toh ûi-iok) was born in Dajia District in Taichung, Taiwan. At the time, Taiwan was still under Japanese rule. He initially worked as a blacksmith before leaving for Japan where he joined Hanakago stable in 1940.

## **Career**

He made his professional debut in May 1940 and was given the shikona "Shintakayama" (新高山), named after Xingaoshan, a mountain in Nantou County, Taiwan, which was the highest peak in the Empire of Japan. Standing at 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in), he was also one of the tallest sumo wrestlers of his time. He was promoted to sandanme in May 1942 and makushita in November 1944. He was given the new shikona "Izuminishiki" (泉錦) in November 1946, but retired from sumo all together after the tournament.

## **Retirement from Sumo**

### **Professional Wrestling Career**

After retiring, he remained in Japan where he worked as a professional wrestler under the ring name "Tsunagorô Rashômon" (羅生門 綱五郎). He worked for Rikidozan's Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance (JWA) where he wrestled from 1954 to 1956. During his time in JWA, Tsunagorô Rashômon pioneered the "big men" wrestling style in Japan.

### **Acting Career**

Aside from wrestling, he also acted in multiple Japanese films such as *Rikidozan no tetsuwan kyojin (1954)*, *Jazz on Parade 1956 nen: Uramachi no otenba musume (1956)*, *The Geisha Boy (1958)*, *The Shogun Travels Incognito (1959)*, and *The Sun's Burial (1960)*. His most notable role was in the 1961 samurai film, Yojimbo, where he played Kannuki the Giant. His last movie was *Korera no shiro* in 1965.

### **Later Career**

He returned to Taiwan in 1976 where he served as a judo instructor at the Chien Tan Overseas Youth Activity Center. It is unclear what he did after that and his later life and death still remain unknown.

## **Personal Life**

* Having grown up in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial era, he spoke fluent Japanese and was often mistaken for a Japanese. As a result, many Japanese mistook him as Giant Baba, a pioneer of the Japanese Pro Wrestling scene.
* There was a sumo wrestler who wrestled during the Tenpo Era (1830-1844) under the name "Tsunagoro Rashomon" (羅生門 綱五郎). It is presumed that there is no relation between that wrestler and Shintakayama.
* It is unconfirmed if Shintakayama suffered from gigantism or acromegaly, but it is likely due to his physical features.

## **Record**

### **Division Results**

* **Total:** 41-36-6/77 (13 basho)
* **Makushita:** 6-6-5/12 (3 basho)
* **Sandanme:** 20-21-1/41 (6 basho)
* **Jonidan:** 10-6/16 (2 basho)
* **Jonokuchi:** 5-3/8 (1 basho)

## **Shikona History**

* Shintakayama Ichiro (1940.05 - 1945.11)
* Izuminishiki Ichiro (1946.11 - 1946.11)

## **Gallery**

Shintakayama teaches sumo at a Taiwanese school (c. 1943)Shintakayama returns to Taiwan after retiring from sumo (c. 1946)Shintakayama serves as a judo instructor in Taiwan (c. 1976)
## **See Also**

* List of Taiwanese Sumo Wrestlers
* List of Tallest Sumo Wrestlers

## **Sources**

* Shintakayama Ichiro Japanese Wikipedia Article
* Shintakayama Ichiro Rikishi Information
* Taichung Cultural Center (台中文化中心)