Among
yokozuna, the great Taiho is considered one of the best. The greatest of the
yokozuna are called
dai-yokozuna [大横綱] (literally "Big
Yokozuna"). There have been only a few
dai-yokozuna among the 72
yokozuna that have ever walked the Earth and they are a once-in-a-generation phenomenon. How great was Taiho? At the time of his promotion, he was the youngest-ever to hold the rank....a mere 21 years old. The
dai-yokozuna Kintanoumi and Takanohana eventually "surpassed" Taiho with the latter attaining
yokozuna when he was only 20 years and 5 months. Taiho won a total of 32 championships, but was eventually surpassed by the
dai-yokozuna Hakuho who has a total of 41 championships...and counting. He holds one of the longest winning streaks of 45 bouts.... he is accompanied on this list by other
dai-yokozuna: Futabayama, Hakuho, and Chiyonofuji. Taiho won 83.4% of his bouts, the highest percentage of any
dai-yokozuna. At the time of his retirement, he held the record of most tournaments competed in as a
yokozuna. He has since been bumped down the list by three other
dai-yokozuna. And maybe as a final testament to his status, he died at the age of 72 years old....older than any
dai-yokozuna that has ever lived. Seven years ago, Sport Kings issued card #248 to honor the great Taiho. A beautiful card all around.
List of Dai-Yokozuna:
Futabayama - 35th Yokozuna (1937-1945)
Taiho - 48th Yokozuna (1961-1971)
Kitanoumi - 55th Yokozuna (1974-1985)
Chiyonofuji - 58th Yokozuna (1981-1991)
Takanohana - 65th Yokozuna (1994-2003)
Asashoryu - 68th Yokozuna (2003-2010)
Hakuho - 69th Yokozuna (2007-current)
Beautiful card. I'm a big fan of Sport Kings. I'm also a fan of these types of posts, because I learn a little more about the sport. Does Hakuho have any certified autographs? Do they sell for crazy money?
ReplyDeleteHakuho does have some BBM autos. Maybe around $100 each of so. Pretty reasonable for sure!
DeleteThat really is a nice one! It would be cool for them to do a whole Sumo series in that design (or maybe the 1935 Diamond Stars set which came out around the same time)!
ReplyDeleteThey need to do a set in this style, I definitely agree!
DeleteWhat are the qualifications to be a "Dai-Yokozuna"? I recall reading somewhere that at least 10 yusho were the minimum for consideration-is this correct? If this was so, Akebono and Musashimaru would make the cut, while Harumafuji would just miss, yet the former two are missing from the list. Is this a formal recognition by the Sumo association, or more a media/fandom classification? Thank you for your list of Dai-Yokozuna--may I ask where it comes from? Please forgive the ton of questions, but this sort of uber-Yokozuna topic is fascinating to me--
ReplyDeleteThere is no definitely criteria, but I’ve read that 20 seems to be a distinguishing factor. If you look back over time, this list of dai-Yokozuna stood out head and shoulders above their peers. No problem on the questions.
DeleteSumo enthusiasts in Tokyo might like to know that the Fukagawa Edo Museum had what they call the Yokozuna TAIHO Celebrated Corner Exhibit going on as of the end of January. It's in the lobby, so no need to pay admission. Very interesting, a looping documentary vid, numerous authentic artifacts including Taiho’s severed topknot, sword, kesho mawashi, awards, tegata, etc. I don't know if the exhibition is permanent—I suspect the opposite, actually—but it is well worth checking out if you're in the area near the museum of modern art (which was closed, incidentally, for reno, In January )
ReplyDelete
Japan, 〒135-0021 Tōkyō-to, Kōtō-ku, Shirakawa, 1 Chome−3, 江東区白河１丁目３−２８
https://www.kcf.or.jp/fukagawa/
Awesome, thanks for the heads up!
DeleteI’ve seen this card, it’s awesome! I’ve also read some great stuff on Taiho. Nice write up!
ReplyDeleteThese are nice looking cards. Wish they did more of them.
Delete