Kashiwado Tsuyoshi

Kashiwado Tsuyoshi (Japanese柏 戸 刚, born November 29, 1938 in Yamazoe, Higashitagawa County (now Tsuruoka ), Yamagata Prefecture as Tsuyoshi Togashi (富 樫 刚), † December 8, 1996 ) was a Japanese sumo wrestler and the 47th yokozuna. In the 1960s he was the most important sporting rival of the time successful wrestler Taiho.

Still under the name Togashi, he began his professional career in 1954 at the age of 15 years. This was followed by rapid ascents, during his tournament victory in the makushita Division he was the youngest title winner in the history of this league. In March 1958 he won the championship in the juryo Division, and in September of that year his name appeared for the first time in the ranking of the Makuuchi division, the highest class in the Japanese Profisumō.

In March 1959 Togashi took the combat name Kashiwado, a Shikona, which is at least since the 18th century used by sumo wrestlers. With a 13 -2- result he made ​​the jump to the front maegashira ranks, another good (12-3 ) Result in September for the first time gave him a rank as komusubi.

From 1960 to mid- 1961 Kashiwado came very securely against the top fighter in the league. The top-ranked wrestler of his time, the yokozuna Wakanohana I and III Asashio. , He defeated both several times. At the Nagoya basho in July 1960, he even sat down, apart from sekiwake Wakamisugi, prevail against all wrestlers sanyaku ranks. This brought Kashiwado the ascent to ozeki.

In addition Kashiwado had received a number of special prizes, his first title win in the Makuuchi however remained from first. In January 1961 - Taiho has now also promoted to ozeki - could carry away with a 13-2 victory on the Hatsu Basho - Kashiwado. Although a connection success failed; However, since its performance remained consistently high enough for his victory - Loss ratio those responsible to appoint him in September 1961 simultaneously with the yokozuna Taiho.

While its rival, with whom he had a friendly relationship, has now decided about half of all tournaments for themselves, Kashiwado was another triumph in spite of good results initially failed. However, he gave his arch-rival high-quality technical duels and went especially in the second half of the decade certainly produced as a winner of it.

First, however, revealed itself Kashiwados susceptibility to injury, which forced him repeatedly breaks and the dubious reputation of being a "transparent Yokozuna " earned him the first four tournaments of the year 1963, he missed almost completely, in March alone tournament he entered, but only to excrete again after five encounters with elbow and shoulder injuries. His furious comeback with a second undefeated Yusho in September against the also up to this fight undefeated Taiho withdrew after all the speculation about an early withdrawal the ground. But in the summer of 1964 to the spring of 1965 the now ill with diabetes Kashiwado could hardly compete and denied at this time only twelve fights.

In the days of absences, always followed glossy tournaments and more titles profits as in September 1965, or, according to another exposure, in January 1966. The latter success, however, was built on a tournament in which time Taiho and the Yokozuna Tochinoumi were absent and thus all incumbent grandmasters only Kashiwado and Sadanoyama competed at all.

However, in competition with these wrestlers scored Kashiwado until his fifth and final tournament victory in July 1967 in Nagoya good results. Then, his star began to sink. In July 1969 he announced his retirement.

After his retirement from the sport in 1970, he founded the wrestler stable Kagamiyama - Beya. In 1996, he died at the age of 58 from liver failure.

At the press conference on 21 May 2005 on the occasion of his own age-related retirement from the Sumōverband Taiho said: "There was Taiho because there was Kashiwado. There was Kashiwado because there was Taiho. "