[sumo] Sekiwake Shinobuyama

[Joe Kuroda]

Although this may not be of interest to many here but
someone at SumoForum suggested I may want to post here
as well to let everyone know about one special rikishi
from half a century ago.

The rikishi's name is Shinobuyama Sadaharu and his
highest rank was sekitori, an accomlishment but not
extraordinary one. People like him are remembered
because his story is told and retold by the townfolk
where he was born. Generations of kids from the town
grew up hearing his story - the man of perseverance.

An expert in Moro-zashi, Shinobuyama played a vital
sidekick role during the Wakanohana-Tochinishiki Era
as he regularly picked up Gino-sho in those days.

He initially came to Tokyo to join Takasago Beya but
somehow arrived at Jinmaku Beya within Onogawa group.
During a training session prior to the 1941 January
Basho, he suffered a major injury after he got a
Saba-Ori and dislocated his right thigh joint but
recovered sufficiently to win Sandanme Yusho at the
1944 May Basho.

At the end of World War II in May 1945 he was called
on to a military duty and was transferred to Korean
Peninsula. In August 1945 after the Japan's defeat, he
was captured and taken to a Russian prison facility.
He made a successful escape and using an alias hiding
his military background, made his way back to Seoul.
He was able to get back to Japan eventually in March
1946.

He made his comeback as Azumayama from Onogawa Beya in
November 1946. He made his Juryo debut in November
1947 but fell out three times but finally made
Makuuchi in September 1950. Despite being a small
heya, Onogawa Beya became well known for its
technically skilled rikishis like Komusubi Naruyama,
Sekiwake Kainoyama (also known as Shinoburyu) and
Shinobuyama. Their shisho, former Maegashira 2
Kinkazan was known only for his simple tsuppari move,
they were often praised for proficiency "even though
the shisho lacked finess and dexterity."

On the Day 1 of 1954 September Basho, Shinobuyama got
his both hands into yokozuna Azumafuji and beat him by
sotogake. While Azumafuji finally decided to retire in
the basho, Shinobuyama entered the basho only a month
after his appendix surgery which left him with severe
infection but he prevailed by winning 10 bouts but had
to go back to the surgery table soon after the basho.

Being small, only weighing 105 kg and 177 cm tall by
this time, Shinobuyama worked harder than anyone else
and came up with his own unique training methods. He
used to strengthen his left hand by picking up beans
and rice grains with chopsticks using his left hand
only. He used to put iron stab around his shoes and
stand on one foot for hours in a Yamanote line train
without hanging on to anything to improve his balance
(Yamanote line circles around Tokyo).

He used iron bats to train his arm muscles and wrap
bandages around his body when he went to bed so his
opponent could not have easily placed their arm
between his arm and body. He even walked with his arms
tightened to his sides that his walk even became well
known and called "Shinobuyama Walk" (at the time
"Monroe Walk" became popular). He even studied
Wakanohana'shikiri on the cover of a sumo magazine for
days so he could find a way to beat him and he
eventually did.

His cheerful personality attracted many younger women
and high school and college girls even formed
Shinobuyama clubs and started gathered around at cafes
and fruit parlors to talk about him.

He kept a detail memo on each rikishi he faced and
often spent all night thinking of a good strategy to
beat his opponent. In 1955 after 15 years in Ozumo, he
finally made it to Sanyaku. As komusubi he left good
enough records but time and time again, due to a
smaller size of his heya, he was often overlooked for
Sansho awards and passed up for the promotion. He
became sick of politics in Ozumo and was ready to give
it all up. Then one night he had a dream of his late
mother who initially was solidly set against him
becoming a rikishi. In the dream, she told him,
"Sakae, this is the world you yourself chosen for
yourself. How can you run away from it for somemthing
like this? You should be working as hard as you can as
if you are grabbing onto a rock."

>From the next day forward, he even trained harder than
ever before and finally in 1958, he has achieved his
dream of becoming a sekiwake. It has been 18 long
years of hardships and perseverance for him and he
could not stop his tears from flowing down his cheeks.
Shinobuyama was already 33 years old. Then he even
attempted for ozeki but all those years of going
against larger rikishis took a heavy toll on his body
as he started suffering excruciating pains from a
hernia and decided to retire as he truly felt he
reached his physical limit.

After retiring from active career, he became
Yamahibiki oyakata and had a dream of one day owning
his own heya and developing new rikishis but due to an
illness he had to give it up and left the Kyokai and
managed an apartment in Fukagawa area of Tokyo.

He passed away in 1977 at the age of 52 years old.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sekiwake Shinobuyama Sadaharu
Real Name: Sakae Honma 
Born: March 21, 1925
Died: September 2, 1977
From: Hobara-machi, Date-gun, Fukushima Prefecture
Shikona: Honma->Azumayama->Honma->Shinobuyama
Heya: Onogawa->Jinmaku->Onogawa
Dohyo debut: May 1940
Juryo debut: November 1947
Makuuchi debut: September 1950
Final basho: September 1960
Makuuchi bashos: 43
Makuuchi record: 308 wins, 322 losses, 15 kyujo
Sansho: Shukun 1, Kanto 1, Gino 6
Height, weight: 177cm, 109 kg
Favorite techniques: Moro-zashi, yorikiri.
Toshiyori: Takenawa->Yamahibiki (left the Kyokai
September 1965) 

(Incidentally there was also Shinobuyama Hidenosuke
who made it Maegashira 2 and received a high
expectation when he left Ozumo after the Shinjuen
Incident in the early Showa Era).



.....Jonosuke 
  <  Heart  Technique  Physique      &#24515;&#12288;&#25216;&#12288;&#20307;&#12288;>


	

	
		
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