Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) Stable Oitekaze Name Unryu Kyukichi | Weight 135 kg (298 lb) Debut November, 1847 | |
 | ||
Died June 15, 1890(1890-06-15) (aged 68) Record 127-32-55
15draws-5holds(Makuuchi) | ||
Unryū Kyūkichi (雲龍 久吉, 1822 – June 15, 1890; aka Unryū Hisakichi) was a sumo wrestler from Yanagawa, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 10th yokozuna.
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Career
He was born in Yanagawa, Fukuoka. He lost his parents and grandmother in 1833. He made his debut in Osaka sumo in May 1846. He moved to Edo in 1847. He was promoted to the top makuuchi division in February 1852.
Unryū was a strong wrestler at the beginning of his career. He won four consecutive championships upon entering the top makuuchi division. On the occasion of Matthew C. Perry's visit to Japan, he had an opportunity to display his wrestling prowess in a tournament Perry and his military advisors attended. He was promoted to ōzeki in January 1858.
He was awarded a yokozuna licence in September 1861, but by that time he had already passed his peak and was unable to win a significant number of bouts after that. In the top makuuchi division, he won 127 bouts and lost 32 bouts, recording a winning percentage of 79.9.
Retirement from sumo
After his retirement in February 1865, he remained in the sumo world as an elder. He was the chairman (fudegashira) of Tokyo sumo in the early Meiji period, and he acquired a reputation for honesty.
The name of one style of yokozuna dohyō-iri (the yokozuna ring entering ceremony) came from him. His ritual dance was said to be beautiful but it isn't proven that he performed the ritual dance in the Unryū style. His style is said to have been imitated by Tachiyama Mineemon, but Tachiyama's style is called shiranui style now. This was due to sumo scholar Kozo Hikoyama, who without researching properly, labelled Tachiyama's style as being that of Shiranui Kōemon, whereas it was in fact created by Unryū. Hikoyama was such an authority that no one contradicted him, and the Shiranui name has stuck.
Top division record
*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.