Futabayama Sadaji

Futabayama Sadaji - 双葉山 定次 (born February 9, 1912 - December 16, 1968) was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Usa, Oita. He made his debut in March 1927 and wrestled for Tatsunami stable. He reached the makuuchi division in February 1932 and has one kinboshi and twelve top division championships. He was the 35th yokozuna and he retired in November 1945.

## **Early Life**

Sadaji Akiyoshi was born in Usa, Oita, on February 9, 1912. At the age of five, he injured his right eye with a blowgun which left him blind in the eye. Akiyoshi excelled in academics, but due to the failure of his father's business, he had to support the family and was to continue his education. He went on to work on fishing boats prior to joining professional sumo.

## **Career**

### **Early Career**

He joined professional sumo in March 1927 at the age of 15, recruited by Tatsunami stable, and was given the shikona "Futabayama" (双葉山). He steadily rose up the ranks of the banzuke, reaching sandanme in January 1929 and makushita in January 1930. In March 1931, he posted a 5-2 record at the rank of makushita 3 and was promoted to juryo for the following May 1931 tournament.

### **Juryo Career**

At the time of his juryo promotion he was only 19 years and 3 months old and was the youngest sekitori. He could only manage a 3-8 record in his first tournament but did not face demotion back down to makushita. He followed with a 7-4 record in October 1931. He did not compete in the January 1932 tournament and was promoted to makuuchi in February 1932 due to a lack of top division wrestlers.

### **Makuuchi Career**

He entered the top makuuchi division at the beginning of 1932. He was promoted from the middle of the second juryo division to maegashira 4, as many top division wrestlers had just gone on strike (the so-called "Shunjuen Incident"), and the Japan Sumo Association needed to fill the gaps in the ranks. However, he soon proved himself worthy of the promotion, finishing as runner-up in his second top division tournament.

He was promoted to komusubi in January 1935 and rose to sekiwake in May 1936. In his sekiwake debut, he claimed his first yusho with a perfect 11-0 record and was promoted to ozeki in January 1937. This was the beginning of his 3-year legendary winning streak.

### **Ozeki Career**

In his ozeki debut, Futabayama finished with a perfect 11-0 record to extend his win streak to 27 bouts. He followed with a perfect 13-0 record in May 1937 and his promotion to yokozuna was confirmed after the tournament.

### **Yokozuna Career**

Going into the January 1938 tournament, he was already at a 40 bout win streak and he extended to 53 by claiming his 4th consecutive zensho-yusho (perfect tournament) with a 13-0 record. He finished the following May 1938 tournament with yet another 13-0 record. He also broke Tanikaze's 160 year record of 63 consecutive wins as he had accumulated 66 connective wins following the end of the May 1938 tournament.

    The streak generated such excitement among the public that the Sumo Association extended the number of days per tournament from 11 to 13, and then to 15. He was finally defeated on January 3, 1939 by maegashira Akinoumi (later a yokozuna himself). He lost more to illness than to a superior opponent, as he was suffering from amoebic dysentery at the time.

Nevertheless, Futabayama followed by claiming his sixth championship with a perfect 15-0 record. In the subsequent January 1940 tournament, he took his seventh his championship with a 14-1 record. In May 1940, Futabayama withdrew on the 12th day of the tournament due to pain in his lumbar region. Regardless, he returned in the following January 1941 tournament and won his eight championship with a 14-1 record. In January 1942 he scored a 13-2 record and won his ninth championship. He followed with a 13-2 record to claim his tenth championship.

In the subsequent January and May 1943 tournament he took his eleventh and twelfth yusho with perfect 15-0 records. He was runner-up to stablemate Haguroyama in May 1944 with a 9-1 record, but this proved to be his last dominant showing.

Futabayama won a total of twelve tournament championships, during a period in which there were only two tournaments held each year. His total remained a record until the number of tournaments was increased to six a year in the 1950s. However, the percentage of championships won in his makuuchi career still compares favorably to the wrestlers who have surpassed his total in the six tournament a year era.

He suffered from amoebic dysentery again in November 1944 and subsequently withdrew from the tournament again on the seventh day. He returned in June 1945 and defeated Sagamigawa, but he pulled out after the first day and this proved to be his last professional bout.

## **Retirement from Sumo**

The June 1945 tournament was held in a bomb-damaged Kokugikan with barely any spectators, and Futabayama dropped out after the first day. He did not take part in the November 1945 tournament and announced his retirement during it, claiming that he objected to the newly enlarged dohyo that the Sumo Association had introduced at the behest of the American occupying authorities. However, he had actually made a decision to retire a year earlier, having suffered a loss to Azumafuji, another future yokozuna.

Futabayama had become head of his own stable, Futabayama Dojo, in 1941 whilst still an active wrestler (a practice now forbidden), and upon his retirement he adopted the Tokitsukaze elder name and renamed his heya Tokitsukaze stable. It grew to become one of sumo's largest stables by the 1950s, and Futabayama produced several strong wrestlers including yokozuna Kagamisato and ozeki Kitabayama and Yutakayama. He remained in charge of the stable until his death from hepatitis in 1968.

From 1957 he was also chairman (rijicho) of the Japan Sumo Association. In his time as chairman he introduced a number of important reforms, such as giving monthly salaries to wrestlers ranked in the top two divisions, and enforcing a mandatory retirement age of 65 for elders and referees. These reforms were first introduced by sekiwake Tenryu who went on strike in 1932 with a number of other wrestlers and was later invited by Futabayama to talk as a witness.

### **Death**

Towards his later years, Futabayama became ill and was repeatedly hospitalized. On December 16, 1968, he was readmitted to The University of Tokyo Hospital where he died due to hepatitis. He was 56 years old.

## **Personal Life**

He was one of the first top wrestlers to break away from the tradition of marrying his stablemaster's daughter, instead choosing a young heiress from a rich Kansai family. Their reception was held in April 1939 at the Tokyo Kaikan. (His coach's daughter married Haguroyama instead.)

After his retirement Futabayama revealed he was actually blind in one eye, due to an injury suffered in his youth, making his achievements even more remarkable.

## **Fighting Style**

Futabayama was noted for being exceptionally good at the initial phase of a sumo match, the tachi-ai. He was an expert at the gonosen no tachiai or receiving his opponent's charge and immediately countering it. He is believed to have never made a false start. Although he was not particularly large, he had excellent balance. One of his most feared techniques was uwatenage, or overarm throw.

## **Record**

### **Division Results**

* **Total:** 348-116-33-1d/463 (51 basho)
* **Makuuchi:** 276-68-33-1d/343 (31 basho)
* **Juryo:** 10-12/22 (3 basho)
* **Makushita:** 25-13/38 (6 basho)
* **Sandanme:** 15-9/24 (4 basho)
* **Jonidan:** 10-8/18 (3 basho)
* **Jonokuchi:** 9-3/12 (2 basho)
* **Shinjo:** 3-3/6 (1 basho)

### **Championships**

* 12 **Makuuchi** Championships
	+ 1st (May 1936)
	+ 2nd (January 1937)
	+ 3rd (May 1937)
	+ 4th (January 1938)
	+ 5th (May 1938)
	+ 6th (May 1939)
	+ 7th (January 1940)
	+ 8th (January 1941)
	+ 9th (January 1942)
	+ 10th (May 1942)
	+ 11th (January 1943)
	+ 12th (May 1943)

### **Achievements**

* **Kinboshi:** (1) Musashiyama
* **Record:** **1st** most consecutive wins (69 consecutive wins)
* **Record:** **2nd** best top division win ratios of the modern era (80.2%)
* **Record:** Tied for **2nd** most undefeated championships (8 undefeated championships)
* **Record:** Tied for **5th** most consecutive championships (5 consecutive championships)
* **Record:** Tied for **8th** most career championships (12 championships)

## **Shikona History**

* Futabayama Sadakichi (1927.03 - 1932.03)
* Futabayama Sadaji (1932.05 - 1934.01)
* Futabayama Sadabee (1934.05 - 1936.05)
* Futabayama Sadaji (1937.01 - 1945.11)

## **Gallery**

Futabayama Sadaji - (Retrieved from the Nihon Sumo Kyokai)Futabayama's tegata
## **Sources**

* Futabayama Sadaji Japanese Wikipedia Article
* Futabayama Sadaji Rikishi Information