Old basho pics

[Akinomaki 40,281]

Mienoumi wins against Wajima on day 15 Nagoya 1979 to force a 14-1 ketteisen that he lost - but that got him the yokozuna promotion, after a 13-2 jun-yusho the previous basho and one yusho so far, which had brought him ozeki promotion: just 8 basho (only 4 for all 15 days) as yokozuna with 2 yusho followed.

[ScottyJoyJrBebe 97]

In this day and age, 13-2 J and 14-1 D would not cut it for Yokozuna. However, Mienoumi is a case of "working man makes it to the top" so I defer.

[hamcornheinz 839]

In this day and age, 13-2 J and 14-1 D would not cut it for Yokozuna. However, Mienoumi is a case of "working man makes it to the top" so I defer.

It might, since he already had a yusho under his belt. If there weren't three yokozuna now it very well might.

[ScottyJoyJrBebe 97]

In this day and age, 13-2 J and 14-1 D would not cut it for Yokozuna. However, Mienoumi is a case of "working man makes it to the top" so I defer.

It might, since he already had a yusho under his belt. If there weren't three yokozuna now it very well might.

I think of Asahifuji and his 5 tournament (almost)run, but also see your point in that there were 3 Yokozuna during that time as well. Some people never get a break, but some do.

[Yubinhaad 11,631]

I have a few pictures that would fit here. First, a look at three key bouts of the early Haku-Ho jidai, the rivalry between Kashiwado and Taiho which would last throughout the 1960s.

1960 Hatsu - 19-year-old Taiho makes his Makuuchi debut with a bang, winning all of his first 11 bouts, a feat which has never been repeated since. However, the winning streak came to an end on Day 12 when he fought Kashiwado, then a Komusubi, for the first time. Kashiwado threw the newcomer with a shitatedashinage as he began a sansho-laden run of four basho which saw him promoted to Ozeki.

1961 Aki - By now the rivals were both Ozeki. Kashiwado won their honwari torikumi on Day 14, and both ended the basho with 12-3 records, alongside unheralded Maegashira Myobudani. In the kettei-sen, Taiho took his revenge by beating his fellow Ozeki with an utchari (pictured), and then defeated Myobudani to take the yusho. Both Kashiwado and Taiho were promoted to Yokozuna following the basho.

1963 Aki - Kashiwado's 'Resurrection Yusho' came after he had missed or withdrawn from four consecutive basho due to injury. He and Taiho met on senshuraku with 14-0 records, only the second such encounter between two Yokozuna. Kashiwado forced Taiho out of the ring to win his first yusho as a Yokozuna, and the only zensho yusho of his career.

[Yubinhaad 11,631]

Kotogahama began his career in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, joining Nishonoseki-beya in late 1945. He was joined there a year later by Wakanohana, later the 45th Yokozuna. The two young rikishi slept in the keikoba itself, close to the dohyo, and would wake in the early hours to begin intense keiko sessions together. Wakanohana would later move out with the new Shibatayama-beya (quickly changed to Hanakago) in 1952, while Kotogahama would do the same with the new Sadogatake-beya in 1955. As Maegashira, each joined the elite club of rikishi to win kinboshi in three consecutive basho.

Kotogahama in what must have been a spectacular peacock kesho-mawashi, sponsored by a Kansai koenkai:

Kotogahama's punishing keiko regime allowed him to focus relentlessly on honing his technique, in particular leg trips and throws. His left uchigake was unrivalled and earned him over 100 wins during his career. His technical skills saw him win five Gino-sho in the three years leading up to his Ozeki promotion. In 1958 Hatsu, the middle basho of his Ozeki run, four of his eleven wins were by uchigake, notably against Yokozuna Tochinishiki on Day 12 (pictured below).

The yusho in that basho would ultimately be won by Kotogahama's old stablemate Wakanohana, who secured his promotion to Yokozuna as a result. Kotogahama served as an attendant in Wakanohana's dohyo-iri, pictured below as tachimochi at his inaugural tsunauchi.

As for Kotogahama himself, he secured his Ozeki promotion after the next basho thanks to a 13-2 record, losing out in a yusho kettei-sen against then-Ozeki Asashio. That was the closest he would get to winning the yusho, as his five-year stint as an Ozeki was regularly interrupted by injury. Kotogahama retired in November 1962 as the oldest Ozeki in the post-war era, a record which stood until 2007 when Kaio surpassed it.

[Yubinhaad 11,631]

As a schoolboy, Takanohana had been a champion swimmer and was seen as a potential member of the Japanese team for the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. Despite the reluctance of his family, however, he swapped the swimming pool for the dohyo and joined Futagoyama-beya in 1965, as just another deshi of his shisho (and older brother), former Yokozuna Wakanohana I. Fighting under his family name, 18-year-old Hanada was promoted to Juryo (pictured below with his shisho) as the youngest shin-Juryo in history. He is still in fourth place in that category, with the record now held by his son, later the 65th Yokozuna Takanohana.

Takanohana won his first Makuuchi yusho in the 1975 Haru basho. Yokozuna Kitanoumi won their honwari torikumi on senshuraku to leave both men with 13-2 records and force a kettei-sen. In that, Takanohana gained control with a deep inside left grip and a front mawashi grip with his right, forcing Kitanoumi out of the ring to win the title (pictured below). Three basho later, Takanohana would win his second and last yusho withanother kettei-sen victory against the same opponent.

Takanohana's 50-basho stint as an Ozeki stood as the record for many years. While he didn't manage to earn promotion to Yokozuna, he was described as the sumo world's greatest contributor by former Sekiwake Tamanoumi, who served as an NHK commentator for many years. After retirement, Takanohana raised his two sons to become Yokozuna - here they check out the banzuke for the 1988 Natsu basho, the first to include Wakahanada and Takahanada.

[Yubinhaad 11,631]

One more post for this thread before we get into with the new banzuke and build-up for the Nagoya basho.

The 1984 Aki basho was always going to be memorable, being the last basho to be held in the Kuramae Kokugikan. It would also be remembered for the Makuuchi yusho race, which saw two Maegashira battle it out for the title. The two bouts we'll see here took place on Day 14.

Maegashira 12 Tagaryu had never previously won more than nine bouts in a basho, but on Day 14 he was the sole leader of the yusho race and faced Ozeki Wakashimazu, who was fighting for promotion to Yokozuna following a superb zensho yusho in the previous basho. In the form of his life, Tagaryu kept his head glued to Wakashimazu's chest and controlled the bout. Wakashimazu tried a last-ditch throw at the edge but the momentum carried him out, and the well-earned victory meant that Tagaryu maintained his lead in the yusho race. For Wakashimazu the third loss effectively ended his promotion hopes, and he never seriously challenged for promotion again.

After a quiet Makuuchi debut in the previous basho, Maegashira 6 Konishiki burst into life in this one, winning his first kinboshi on Day 11 against Takanosato. On Day 14 he faced Yokozuna Chiyonofuji, needing to win in order to stay one behind Tagaryu in the yusho race. Chiyonofuji was overwhelmed by the raw power of Konishiki's pushing attack, and the oshidashi win kept the yusho race alive for the final day.

As it turned out, neither Maegashira would win their final bout. Konishiki was thrown down by Ozeki Kotokaze, handing the yusho to Tagaryu before he also lost against Ozeki Asashio. Following his shock win, Tagaryu returned to being an elevator rikishi, traversing the Maegashira ranks for the next five years before finally retiring in 1991.

The final picture shows Konishiki in the 1986 Natsu basho, grimacing in pain as his right knee gives way at the end of an epic bout against then-Ozeki Kitao (later the 59th Yokozuna Futahaguro). Konishiki was dogged by further knee problems combined with (and probably caused by) his increasing weight, although he would claim three Makuuchi yusho in the early part of the Heisei era.

[Atenzan 1,074]

I might be wrong but wasn't Futahaguro the 60th yokozuna?

Edit: I wasn't wrong, Takanosato was the 59th. Great stuff btw!

Edited June 26, 2016 by McBugger