Tanikaze Kajinosuke

was a Japanese sumo wrestler from the Edo period. Officially recognized as the fourth yokozuna, he was however effectively the first, as he was the first (along with Onogawa) to be awarded the title during his lifetime. He achieved great fame and, though championships from this period are unofficial, he achieved the equivalent of 21 tournament championships. He was also the coach of Raiden Tameemon.

Early career Tanikaze was born in Miyagi District, Mutsu Province (now Wakabayashi, Sendai). He was known for having an outstanding physique from an early age and became an apprentice of a wrestler named Sekinoto in 1768. Later Sekinoto inherited the name Isenoumi. With a height of 189 cm and a weight of 169 kg, Tanikaze was extremely large in comparison with most Japanese men of his era. In April of the following year, he went to Edo-sumo and was given the shikona, or ring name, by the Date clan. He briefly held the title of , 'guest ōzeki'. Kanban-ōzeki were sumo wrestlers who were listed as ōzeki in the ranking simply because they were big and good-looking enough to briefly fill a gap when an official ōzeki was absent. Tanikaze was recognised for his ability and had to relinquish his title, dropping to maegashira, from where he retained his san'yaku rank on merit. In 1776, he changed his ring name to , starting with the May 1776 Osaka tournament.

Winning streak From March 1778 to February 1782, Tanikaze scored 63 consecutive victories. During this period, he only lost one bout to Onogawa Kisaburō in February 1782. This streak was recorded as the longest run of consecutive victories in sumo bouts at that time. This record remained unbroken until Futabayama, 150 years later, who scored 69 consecutive victories in 1938. At the time however, rikishi travelled freely between Edo, Kyoto and Osaka, and performed at each tournament. Although Tanikaze wrestled in other cities and gained a record of 98 consecutive wins, his official record for consecutive victories generally refers to '63 consecutive victories in the Edo main tournament'.

Death and posthumous influence Sekiwake Onogawa Kisaburō (left) and Tanikaze Kajinosuke (right) are given shimenawa belts representing their future status of yokozuna. They are the first wrestlers in sumo history to be given this status in their lifetime. On 9 January 1795, Tanikaze contracted influenza, which spread throughout Edo, and died suddenly at the age of 44 while still active. The wrestler who succeeded Tanikaze as ōzeki was Raiden Tameemon, who was an apprentice of Tanikaze. The Tanikaze shikona became a prestigious name in the Edo-sumo association and several wrestlers were given the opportunity to take it, but all declined. Today, the name is said to be , meaning that it is a name which is no longer allowed to be used. They were the second pair of brothers in sumo history to both reach makuuchi.

Homage Tanikaze is the wrestler chosen to represent sumo in the popular nishiki-e 'The three pleasures of Edo', representing the three most popular entertainments at the time (sumo, kabuki and yoshiwara).

Tanikaze makes an appearance in the Record of Ragnarok manga series, where he appears on flashbacks at the time of his retirement and cheers on Raiden during his fight.

Top division record The actual time the tournaments were held during the year in this period often varied. Tanikaze's first three tournaments were as a "guest" ōzeki, see above. Tanikaze's record for the Spring 1776 tournament is unknown. 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.