Tamanoumi Daitarō

Tamanoumi Daitarō, real name Tomohiro Miura, (2 January 1923 – 27 September 1987) was a sumo wrestler from Ōita, Japan. His highest rank was sekiwake. He won a top division tournament championship in 1957. He was later the head coach of Kataonami stable.

Tamanoumi Daitarō
玉乃海 代太郎
Personal information
BornTomohiro Miura
(1923-01-02)2 January 1923
Ōita, Japan
Died27 September 1987(1987-09-27) (aged 64)
Height1.81 m (5 ft 11 12 in)
Weight120 kg (260 lb)
Career
StableNishonoseki
Record390–325–36
DebutMay, 1937
Highest rankSekiwake (January 1957)
RetiredJanuary, 1961
Elder nameKataonami
Championships1 (Makuuchi)
1 (Jonokuchi)
Special PrizesOutstanding Performance (2)
Fighting Spirit (3)
Gold Stars9
Tochinishiki (4)
Chiyonoyama (2)
Haguroyama
Kagamisato
Yoshibayama
* Up to date as of June 2020.

Career

He made his professional debut at the age of 14 in May 1937, joining Nishonoseki stable, then run by active yokozuna Tamanishiki, although upon Tamanishiki's death the following year Tamanoumi Umekichi became his stablemaster. He used the shikona of Fukusumi. However, during a sumo tour of Shanghai in 1940, he got into a drunken argument with a driver. Military police went to the site and he also began to fight with them. Police officers wanted him shot, but ōzeki Haguroyama (later yokozuna) and his stablemaster apologized to them. He survived, but was forced to leave sumo and was drafted into the Japanese army.[1] After escaping a POW camp in Siberia and returning to Japan to work in a shipyard, he was invited to return to sumo in 1950. He was allowed to resume his career in the third makushita division where he had left off, and made the jūryō division in 1951, adopting the Tamanoumi name, and the top makuuchi division the year after, when he was already 29 years old. In May 1953, he faced Haguroyama in the ring for the only time. Tamanoumi defeated the man who had helped save his life, in what was to be the last bout of Haguroyama's career.

Tamanoumi reached his highest rank of sekiwake in 1957 but then was forced to sit out a couple of tournaments through injury. He fell to the maegashira ranks and considered retiring, but came back to win the top division tournament championship in November 1957 (the first time the Kyūshū honbasho had been staged) with a perfect 15–0 score. During that tournament he wore a gold-coloured mawashi, the first wrestler to flout the Japan Sumo Association's rule that only dark colours should be worn.[2] It had been given to him by the chairman of his supporter's club, who was also the head of the shipping company for whom he had worked in his years out of sumo.[3] Because other wrestlers regarded it as a symbol of good luck, and also because NHK began colour broadcasts of sumo matches in 1960, many others have followed Tamanoumi's lead and worn brightly coloured mawashi.[4] He was runner-up in two other tournaments and earned nine kinboshi or gold stars for defeating yokozuna.

Retirement from sumo

He retired in January 1961 at the age of 38, and opened up the Kataonami stable, which he ran until his death. The stable produced the yokozuna Tamanoumi Masahiro. In his later years he was also a somewhat controversial commentator for NHK's sumo coverage.[4]

Personal life

His second wife was a teacher of traditional Japanese music as well as a professional singer.[2]

Career record

Tamanoumi Daitarō[5]
- Spring
Haru basho, Tokyo
Summer
Natsu basho, Tokyo
Autumn
Aki basho, Tokyo
1937 x (Maezumo) Not held
1938 Shinjo
12
 
West Jonokuchi #1
61
Champion

 
Not held
1939 East Jonidan #2
43
 
East Sandanme #27
44
 
Not held
1940 East Sandanme #25
431
 
West Sandanme #23
62
 
Not held
1941 East Makushita #31
35
 
Out of sumo Not held
1942 Out of sumo Out of sumo Not held
1943 Out of sumo Out of sumo Not held
1944 Out of sumo Out of sumo Out of sumo
1945 Not held Out of sumo Out of sumo
1946 Not held Not held Out of sumo
1947 Not held Out of sumo Out of sumo
1948 Not held Out of sumo Out of sumo
1949 Out of sumo Out of sumo Out of sumo
1950 Out of sumo West Makushita #28
123
 
East Makushita #16
114
 
1951 East Makushita #6
114
 
West Jūryō #14
96
 
East Jūryō #8
852
 
1952 East Jūryō #7
114
 
West Jūryō #3
105
 
East Maegashira #18
105
 
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Top Division Runner-up Retired Lower Divisions

Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique     Also shown: =Kinboshi(s); P=Playoff(s)
Divisions: Makuuchi Jūryō Makushita Sandanme Jonidan Jonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna Ōzeki Sekiwake Komusubi Maegashira
- New Year
Hatsu basho, Tokyo
Spring
Haru basho, Osaka
Summer
Natsu basho, Tokyo
Autumn
Aki basho, Tokyo
1953 East Maegashira #9
132
F
West Maegashira #1
78
 
West Maegashira #2
573
East Maegashira #4
87
 
1954 East Maegashira #3
78
 
East Maegashira #4
510
 
West Maegashira #6
663
 
West Maegashira #7
96
 
1955 East Maegashira #5
87
 
East Maegashira #4
78
West Maegashira #4
69
 
West Maegashira #6
87
1956 West Maegashira #3
510
 
East Maegashira #6
105
 
East Maegashira #2
105
East Komusubi
96
O
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Top Division Runner-up Retired Lower Divisions

Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique     Also shown: =Kinboshi(s); P=Playoff(s)
Divisions: Makuuchi Jūryō Makushita Sandanme Jonidan Jonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna Ōzeki Sekiwake Komusubi Maegashira
Year in sumo January
Hatsu basho, Tokyo
March
Haru basho, Osaka
May
Natsu basho, Tokyo
July
Nagoya basho, Nagoya
September
Aki basho, Tokyo
November
Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
1957 West Sekiwake
114
F
East Sekiwake
114
O
East Sekiwake
069
 
Not held
Sat out due to injury
0015
West Maegashira #14
150
F
1958 West Komusubi
510
 
East Maegashira #3
69
West Maegashira #6
114
 
West Komusubi
69
 
East Maegashira #2
105
West Komusubi
87
 
1959 West Sekiwake
96
 
West Sekiwake
492
 
East Maegashira #5
87
 
East Maegashira #2
411
 
West Maegashira #7
96
 
West Maegashira #1
123
 
1960 West Komusubi
411
 
East Maegashira #5
312
 
West Maegashira #13
105
 
West Maegashira #5
411
 
East Maegashira #8
78
 
East Maegashira #9
69
 
1961 East Maegashira #13
Retired
78
Record given as win-loss-absent    Top Division Champion Top Division Runner-up Retired Lower Divisions

Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique     Also shown: =Kinboshi(s); P=Playoff(s)
Divisions: Makuuchi Jūryō Makushita Sandanme Jonidan Jonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna Ōzeki Sekiwake Komusubi Maegashira

See also

References

  1. Newton, Clyde (5 November 2000). "Big guns head for Kyūshū tourney". Japan Times. Retrieved 19 June 2008.
  2. Sharnoff, Lora (1993). Grand Sumo. Weatherhill. ISBN 0-8348-0283-X.
  3. [sumo] Yokozuna Tamanoumi
  4. Gould, Chris (April 2008). "NSK meets NHK" (PDF). Sumo Fan Magazine. Retrieved 28 April 2008.
  5. "Tamanoumi Daitaro Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
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