About Terukuni Manzō
Lived 1919 – 1977 (aged 58). Terukuni Manzō was a Japanese rikishi.
was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Ogachi, Akita. He was the sport's 38th yokozuna. He was promoted to yokozuna without any top division tournament titles to his name, although he later attained two.
Career Born , he later changed his name to . In the summer of 1930, he was scouted by Isegahama, former sekiwake Kiyosegawa Keinosuke, his distant relative. However, he was largely forgotten due to the disruption caused by the Shunjuen Incident of 1932, in which a large number of wrestlers went on strike. After the dispute was settled, he joined Isegahama stable in 1934, making his debut in January 1935 with the Terukuni Manzō shikona or ring name.
He was promoted to the top makuuchi division in May 1939, and reached the ōzeki rank in May 1941. After two tournaments at ōzeki, he finished in a three-way tie for the championship in May 1942 with Futabayama and Akinoumi, on 13–2. The championship was awarded to Futabayama (whom Terukuni had defeated in their individual match) simply because he was of a higher rank, as was the rule at the time. Nevertheless, after the tournament both Terukuni and Akinoumi were promoted to yokozuna. At 23 years of age, Terukuni was the youngest wrestler to reach the yokozuna rank until the promotion of Taihō in 1961. He did well in his yokozuna debut, scoring 14–1, although he finished one win behind Futabayama, who won his last match by default.
Terukuni was a heavy wrestler for his time, weighing over . During World War II, his weight declined due to food shortages. He changed the spelling of his shikona given name to in May 1945, but changed it back in October 1949.
Having been a runner-up on five previous occasions, Terukuni finally won his first championship in September 1950, about eight years after his promotion. He won his second championship in the very next tournament with a perfect 15–0 record.
Three days into the January 1953 tournament, he announced his retirement. After the tournament, Kagamisato was promoted to yokozuna, and a photograph was taken of Terukuni and Kagamisato alongside the other grand champions Chiyonoyama, Azumafuji and Haguroyama. As Terukuni had not yet had his official retirement ceremony, some regard January 1953 as being the only occasion on which there were five yokozuna at the same time.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Terukuni Manzō's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Terukuni Manzō?
Sumo wrestler (1919-1977)
When was Terukuni Manzō born?
Terukuni Manzō was born on 10 January 1919 in Akita.
When did Terukuni Manzō die?
Terukuni Manzō died on 20 March 1977 in Tokyo.
What was Terukuni Manzō's occupation?
Terukuni Manzō was a rikishi.
What nationality was Terukuni Manzō?
Terukuni Manzō was Japanese.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Terukuni Manzō. https://biography.guide/terukuni-manzo/
MLA: "Terukuni Manzō." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/terukuni-manzo/.
Chicago: "Terukuni Manzō." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/terukuni-manzo/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-21 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
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