Ayagawa Gorōji

Ayagawa Gorōji (綾川五郎次, c. 1703 – March 14, 1765) was a sumo wrestler. He is formally recognised as the second yokozuna.

A woodblock print of Ayagawa

Ayagawa came from Tochigi prefecture and was promoted to ōzeki in 1717. According to tradition, he was the strongest wrestler in the Genbun era.^[1] He was a famous sumo wrestler in Edo, Osaka and Kyoto. The 17th Oikaze of the Yoshida family, allowed Ayagawa to be his pupil.^[2] Very little is known about his sumo career. He was of legendary size, perhaps 2 m (6 ft 7 in) tall and 150 kg (330 lb) in weight.

He died on March 14, 1765. His grave can be found in Tochigi.^[3]

It was not until over 150 years after his death that he was recognised as the 2nd yokozuna by later yokozuna Jinmaku when he was compiling a formal list for a monument.^[4]

His career predates banzuke and tournament records so no record of his rank and bouts exists.

References

1. 二代横綱　綾川五郎次 (in Japanese). Tomioka Hachiman Shrine. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
2. 吉田司家年表 (in Japanese). Authorized Website of Yoshoida Tsukasa-ke. Archived from the original on 1 August 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
3. ３横綱生んだ本県 (in Japanese). Yomiuri Shimbun. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
4. Castella, Stephane (June 2005). "68 Yokozuna in 400 years". Le Monde Du Sumo. Retrieved 2008-06-17.

See also

• Glossary of sumo terms
• List of past sumo wrestlers
• List of yokozuna