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Ichinoya Tōtarō

1856 – 1923

Japanese sumo wrestler

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About Ichinoya Tōtarō

Lived 1856 – 1923 (aged 66). Ichinoya Tōtarō was a Japanese rikishi.

was a Japanese sumo wrestler from Minamitsugaru District, Aomori Prefecture (now Inakadate, Aomori), Japan. His highest rank was ōzeki. He is the third ōzeki from Aomori Prefecture and the first promoted at this rank in 55 years, after Akitsukaze's promotion in 1834.

Career Ichinoya became the disciple of Takasago Uragorō, the founder of the current incarnation of Takasago stable, in May 1880. In May 1883, he was promoted to sumo's highest division, makuuchi, after only 6 tournaments in the lower divisions. Since his ascension to this division, there has always been at least one wrestler from Aomori prefecture in the makuuchi division. In his first tournament in this division, he won the championship. Ichinoya rose rapidly through the ranks, reaching rank of komusubi in 1887 for the January tournament. Gaining a reputation as a prodigy, he was considered along with Nishinoumi I and Ōdate, as one of the , meaning "The Takasago Trio", to emphasize the potential of these three wrestlers. At this tournament, he won his second championship. However, as the yūshō system was not introduced until 1909, these championship victories are now considered unofficial. After this championship, he was promoted directly to the rank of sekiwake and, following two good tournaments in 1888, he was promoted to the second-highest rank in professional sumo, ōzeki. Ichinoya's ōzeki career, however, only lasted two tournaments and he was demoted back to sekiwake for the January 1890 tournament. Following his demotion, he continued to wrestle in the san'yaku ranks for another three years before retiring as a wrestler after the May 1892 tournament.

After retiring, he did not remain in the Sumo Association, but returned to his homeprefecture of Aomori and toured around the countryside, leading a local sumo group, living to the age of 66.

In 1953, his grandson (Ryōichi Sudo) also became a professional wrestler within Kasugano stable. He adopted his grandfather's shikona, or ring name, in March 1957 and became . Promoted to makuuchi in 1961, his highest rank was maegashira 4.

Top division record The actual time the tournaments were held during the year in this period often varied. Championships for the best record in a tournament were not recognized or awarded before the 1909 summer tournament, and the unofficial championships above are historically conferred. For more information, see yūshō.

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Also known as
Tōtarō Ichinoya

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Ichinoya Tōtarō's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Ichinoya Tōtarō?

Japanese sumo wrestler

When was Ichinoya Tōtarō born?

Ichinoya Tōtarō was born on 25 March 1856 in Aomori Prefecture.

When did Ichinoya Tōtarō die?

Ichinoya Tōtarō died on 15 February 1923.

What was Ichinoya Tōtarō's occupation?

Ichinoya Tōtarō was a rikishi.

What nationality was Ichinoya Tōtarō?

Ichinoya Tōtarō was Japanese.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Ichinoya Tōtarō

· Wikidata: Q11352328

· DBpedia: Ichinoya Tōtarō

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Ichinoya Tōtarō. https://biography.guide/ichinoya-totaro/

MLA: "Ichinoya Tōtarō." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ichinoya-totaro/.

Chicago: "Ichinoya Tōtarō." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ichinoya-totaro/.

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