Wakabayama Sadao

{{Short description|Japanese sumo wrestler (1922–2001)}} {{Infobox sumo wrestler | native_name = 若葉山貞雄 | name = Wakabayama Sadao | image = 200px | birth_name = Sadao Iwahira | birth_date = {{birth date|1922|11|9}} | birth_place = Yame, Fukuoka, Japan | death_date = {{death date and age|2001|1|17|1922|11|9}} | height = {{height|meters=1.73}} | weight = {{convert|94|kg|lb st|abbr=on}} | heya = Tokitsukaze | rank = | record = 413-466-6-1draw | debut = January, 1942 | highestrank = Komusubi (September, 1951) | retireddate = January, 1961 | eldername = Shikoroyama | yushos = 1 (Jūryō) | prizes = 1 (Outstanding Performance) | goldstars = 4 <br />Terukuni (2) <br />Azumafuji (2) | update = June 2020 }} {{Nihongo|'''Wakabayama Sadao'''|若葉山貞雄||November 9, 1922 – January 17, 2001}} was a sumo wrestler from Yame, Fukuoka, Japan. His highest rank was komusubi. He earned four gold stars for defeating yokozuna. After his retirement from active competition in 1961 he became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association under the name Shikoroyama.

==Career== Wakabayama was born in Beijing, China, and was separated from his parents while still a child. He attempted to locate his parents who he believed might have returned to Japan by joining a sumo touring party.<ref name="forum">{{cite web|url=http://www.sumoforum.net/forums/topic/18984-new-recruits-november-2009/?do=findComment&comment=178005|title=New recruits-November 2009|last=madorosumaru|date=5 November 2009|publisher=Sumo Forum|accessdate=26 April 2017}}</ref> Upon joining professional sumo he took the Japanese surname of Iwahira.<ref name="sumoworld">{{cite journal|last=Adams|first=Andy|date=March 2001|title=Ex-Komusubi Wakabayama dies at 78|journal=Sumo World|page=14}}</ref> He was recruited by the active ''yokozuna'' Futabayama and joined his Futabayama stable (later Tokitsukaze stable) in January 1942. He used Iwahira as his fighting name until one tournament after he was promoted to the top ''makuuchi'' division, when he adopted the ''shikona'' of Wakabayama, taking two characters from his head coach Futabayama. His birthplace was recorded on the banzuke as Yame, Fukuoka, although he later changed his surname to Aoyama (his wife's) and his birthplace to Omiya, Saitama.<ref name="forum"/> His promotion followed his ''yusho'' or tournament championship in the ''juryo'' division in November 1946, the only tournament held that year. Following his strong performance in the May 1951 tournament, where he defeated two ''yokozuna'' and won the Outstanding Performance Prize, he was promoted to ''komusubi'' in September 1951, which was to be his highest rank. He fought in the top division for 49 tournaments with a win/loss record of 326/383. He was demoted from ''makuuchi'' in November 1959 after recording only one win against 14 losses. He competed in the ''juryo'' division until announcing his retirement after the January 1961 tournament.

==Retirement from sumo== Following his retirement Wakabayama remained with the Japan Sumo Association as an elder under the name Shikoroyama Oyakata, and worked as a coach at Tokitsukaze stable until reaching the mandatory retirement age of 65 in November 1987.

==Death== Wakabayama died of a cerebral thrombosis on January 17, 2001, in Fukushima. He was 78.<ref name="sumoworld"/>

==Family== Wakabayama's son-in-law Masashi Onami was a sumo wrestler in the Tatsutagawa stable, fighting as Wakashinobu and reaching a highest rank of makushita 51. Three of his grandsons also became sumo wrestlers, all fighting out of the Arashio stable. The first was Onami (now Wakatakamoto) in 2009, followed by Goshi (now Wakamotoharu) in 2011. Wakatakakage, an amateur champion at Toyo University, joined as a ''sandanme tsukedashi'' entrant in March 2017, reached the ''makuuchi'' division in November 2019 and won the 2022 Osaka tournament.<ref>[https://www.sumo.or.jp/webroot/EnSumoDataRikishi/profile/3761/index.php/ Unknown]{{dead link|date=March 2023| fix-attempted=yes}} </ref>

==Fighting style== Wakabayama was small for a sumo wrestler at {{height|meters=1.73}} and {{convert|94|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, but he was a noted technician.<ref name="sumoworld"/> His favourite techniques included ''ashitori'' (leg grab) and ''shitatehineri'' (twisting underarm throw).

==Pre-modern top division record== *''The New Year tournament began and the Spring tournament returned to Osaka in 1953.'' {{Sumo record box start 1933-1952|Wakabayama Sadao<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sumodb.sumogames.de/Rikishi.aspx?r=3876|title=Wakabayama Sadao Rikishi Information|publisher=Sumo Reference|accessdate=26 April 2017}}</ref>}} {{Sumo record year start|1942}} {{Basho|maezumou}} {{Basho|jk|6|w|7|1}} {{Basho|note|'''Not held'''}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start|1943}} {{Basho|jo|32|w|6|2}} {{Basho|sa|46|e|5|3}} {{Basho|note|'''Not held'''}}

{{Sumo record year start|1944}} {{Basho|sa|14|e|6|2}} {{Basho|ma|30|w|3|2}} {{Basho|ma|20|e|2|3}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start|1945}} {{Basho|note|'''Not held'''}} {{Basho|ma|23|e|5|0}} {{Basho|ma|2|e|4|1}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start|1946}} {{Basho|note|'''Not held'''}} {{Basho|note|'''Not held'''}} {{Basho|j|6|w|10|5<br />Champion}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start|1947}} {{Basho|note|'''Not held'''}} {{Basho|m|17|e|4|6}} {{Basho|m|18|e|6|5}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start|1948}} {{Basho|note|'''Not held'''}} {{Basho|m|15|e|4|7}} {{Basho|m|19|w|5|6}} {{Sumo record year end}}

{{Basho|m|19|w|8|5}} {{Basho|m|11|e|8|7}} {{Basho|m|9|w|6|9}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start|1950}} {{Basho|m|11|e|7|8}} {{Basho|m|11|w|7|8}} {{Basho|m|12|w|8|7}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start|1951}} {{Basho|m|9|w|10|5}} {{Basho|m|2|w|8|7|||O|*|*}} {{Basho|k||w|6|9}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start|1952}} {{Basho|m|1|e|3|12}} {{Basho|m|7|w|10|5}} {{Basho|m|1|w|7|8|||*}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record box end}} {{Sumo record box start 1953-1956}} {{Sumo record year start|1953}} {{Basho|m|3|e|2|13}} {{Basho|m|9|w|7|8}} {{Basho|m|10|e|8|7}} {{Basho|m|7|w|6|9}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start|1954}} {{Basho|m|11|w|10|5}} {{Basho|m|4|w|6|9|||*}} {{Basho|m|6|e|4|11}} {{Basho|m|10|w|8|7}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start|1955}} {{Basho|m|8|w|9|6}} {{Basho|m|4|w|7|8}} {{Basho|m|5|e|3|12}} {{Basho|m|11|e|10|5}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start|1956}} {{Basho|m|4|w|7|8}} {{Basho|m|4|w|6|9}} {{Basho|m|7|e|7|8}} {{Basho|m|8|e|5|10}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record box end}}

==Modern top division tournament record== *''Since the addition of the Kyushu tournament in 1957 and the Nagoya tournament in 1958, the yearly schedule has remained unchanged.'' {{Sumo record box start}} {{Sumo record year start|1957}} {{Basho|m|12|w|9|6}} {{Basho|m|9|w|4|5|6}} {{Basho|m|12|w|8|7}} {{Basho|note|'''Not held'''}} {{Basho|m|10|e|6|9}} {{Basho|m|12|w|7|8}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start|1958}} {{Basho|m|13|w|9|6}} {{Basho|m|10|w|9|6}} {{Basho|m|6|e|3|12}} {{Basho|m|15|e|9|6}} {{Basho|m|13|e|8|6|1draw}} {{Basho|m|12|e|5|10}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start|1959}} {{Basho|m|19|e|9|6}} {{Basho|m|13|e|7|8}} {{Basho|m|14|w|9|6}} {{Basho|m|11|w|5|10}} {{Basho|m|14|e|7|8}} {{Basho|m|13|e|1|14}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start|1960}} {{Basho|j|3|e|8|7}} {{Basho|j|1|e|6|9}} {{Basho|j|3|w|5|10}} {{Basho|j|9|w|5|10}} {{Basho|j|12|w|8|7}} {{Basho|j|11|w|5|10}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record year start|1961}} {{Basho|intai|rank=j|r-no=19|tozai=e|win=2|loss=13}} {{Basho|}} {{Basho|}} {{Basho|}} {{Basho|}} {{Basho|}} {{Sumo record year end}} {{Sumo record box end}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wakabayama, Sadao}} Category:1922 births Category:2001 deaths Category:Japanese sumo wrestlers Category:Komusubi Category:People from Yame Category:Sumo wrestlers from Fukuoka Prefecture Category:20th-century Japanese sportsmen