Inazuma Raigorō

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In this Japanese shikona name, the surname is Inazuma.
Inazuma Raigorō
稲妻 雷五郎
Inazuma Raigoro.jpg
19th century print of Inazuma
Personal information
BornNemoto Saisuke
1802
Awazaki, Hitachi Province, Japan
DiedMarch 29, 1877(1877-03-29) (aged 75)
Tokyo Prefecture, Empire of Japan
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight142 kg (313 lb)
Career
StableSadogatake
Record130-13-73
14draws-3holds-1no result
(Makuuchi)
DebutFebruary 1821
Highest rankYokozuna (September 1830)
RetiredNovember 1839
Championships10 (Makuuchi, unofficial)
* Up to date as of October 2007.

Inazuma Raigorō (Japanese: 稲妻 雷五郎, 1802 – March 29, 1877) was a Japanese sumo wrestler from Awazaki, Hitachi Province. He was the sport's 7th yokozuna.

Career[]

Born Nemoto Saisuke (根本 才助), his birth date is ambiguous. According to a strong theory, he was born in 1802. Another claimed that he was born in 1795. If the former is correct, he was the youngest yokozuna until the promotion of Umegatani Tōtarō II in 1903. If the latter is correct, he died at the age of 82.

He worked under the Matsudaira clan in Izumo, where legendary sumo wrestler Raiden worked.[1] Inazuma entered Edo sumo in February 1821 and was promoted to the top makuuchi division in October 1824. He reached the highest rank of ōzeki on ability alone, after only 6 tournaments (some ōzeki of the period were merely given the rank because of their size or status). Ōnomatsu was his rival. They differed in that Inazuma hated false starts at the tachi-ai, or the initial phase of sumo bouts.

As an Osaka based wrestler, Inazuma was awarded a yokozuna licence by the Gojo family in July 1828. This licence was disputed, but, in September 1830, he was also awarded a yokozuna licence by the house of Yoshida Tsukasa in Edo, and thus has been accepted as an official yokozuna.

In the top makuuchi division, he won 130 bouts and lost only 13 bouts, achieving a winning percentage of 90.9.[2] After his retirement, he moved to Matsue but he returned to Tokyo in the Meiji period.

Top division record[]

  • The actual time the tournaments were held during the year in this period often varied.
Inazuma[3]
- Spring Winter
1824 x West Maegashira #5
7–0–2
1h
Unofficial
 
1825 West Komusubi
5–2–3
 		 West Komusubi
8–1–1
Unofficial
 
1826 West Sekiwake
6–1–2
1d
 		 West Sekiwake
7–0–1
1d 1h
 
1827 West Sekiwake
5–0–2
Unofficial
 		 Not enrolled
1828 Not enrolled West Ōzeki
4–1–5
 
1829 West Ōzeki
6–0–1
Unofficial
 		 West Ōzeki
8–0–1
1d
Unofficial
 
1830 West Ōzeki
8–0–2
Unofficial
 		 West Ōzeki
6–1–2
1h
 
1831 West Ōzeki
3–1–6
 		 West Ōzeki
8–0
Unofficial
 
1832 Not held West Ōzeki
8–0–1
1d
Unofficial
 
1833 West Ōzeki
9–0
1d
Unofficial
 		 Not enrolled
1834 Not enrolled Not enrolled
1835 West Ōzeki
5–0–3
2d
 		 West Ōzeki
6–2–2
 
1836 Sat out West Ōzeki
3–0–7
 
1837 West Ōzeki
5–0–4
1d
Unofficial
 		 West Ōzeki
5–1–1
2d 1nr
 
1838 West Ōzeki
3–0–3
 		 Sat out
1839 West Ōzeki
1–3–5
1d
 		 West Ōzeki
Retired
4–0–3
3d
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Retired Lower Divisions

Key:   d=Draw(s) (引分);   h=Hold(s) (預り);   nr=no result recorded
Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: 
Yokozuna (not ranked as such on banzuke until 1890)
Ōzeki — Sekiwake — Komusubi — Maegashira

*Championships for the best record in a tournament were not recognized or awarded before the 1909 summer tournament and the above unofficial championships are historically conferred. For more information see yūshō.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ 稲妻雷五郎の像 (in Japanese). Joyo Living. 2007-08-17. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
  2. ^ Kuroda, Joe (February 2006). "A Shot At the Impossible-Yokozuna Comparison Through The Ages". sumofanmag.com. Retrieved 2008-06-22.
  3. ^ "Inazuma Raigoro Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2007-09-26.


Preceded by
Ōnomatsu Midorinosuke 		7th Yokozuna
1830–1839 		Succeeded by
Shiranui Dakuemon
Yokozuna is not a successive rank, and more than one wrestler can hold the title at once
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