Tagaryū Shōji (Japanese: 多賀竜 昇司, born February 15, 1958) is a former sumo wrestler from Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. The highest rank he reached was sekiwake. In 1984 he won a top division yūshō or tournament championship from the maegashira ranking. After retiring in 1991 he became a sumo coach and head of the Kagamiyama stable, as well as a director of the Japan Sumo Association.

Career

Tagaryū made his professional debut in March 1974. It took him seven years to make the sekitori ranks, his promotion to the second highest jūryō division coming in January 1981. He reached the top makuuchi division in May 1982. He made his san'yaku debut at sekiwake rank in November 1983 but lasted only one tournament there and fell back to the maegashira ranks.

September 1984 Championship

At the September 1984 tournament, the last to be held at the Kuramae Kokugikan, Tagaryū was ranked maegashira 12 and knew that another make-koshi would leave him in danger of demotion from makuuchi altogether. Tagaryū started excellently, and the end of the middle day saw him the only wrestler with an eight-win clean sheet. Ōzeki Wakashimazu, who had won the previous tournament 15–0, had only lost one bout thus far. Tagaryū lost to maegashira Tochitsurugi on the ninth day. Wakashimazu lost to Konishiki on the eleventh day, leaving him with two losses. The penultimate day saw Tagaryū, with one loss, drawn against Wakashimazu with two. Tagaryū defeated the ōzeki by yoritaoshi, eliminating him from the title race. Tagaryū now stood on 13–1, one win ahead of Konishiki on 12–2. When Konishiki fell to Kotokaze on the final day, Tagaryū's subsequent loss to Asashio was immaterial. With thirteen wins and two losses, he was the tournament champion. He was the first winner from the maegashira ranks since Kaiketsu in 1976. In addition to the Emperor's Cup, he was awarded the Technique Prize and the Fighting Spirit Prize.

Later career

Following his tournament win Tagaryū was promoted to komusubi but turned in a losing score and was demoted. In the January 1985 tournament he defeated yokozuna Kitanoumi in what was the latter's last ever bout. This was to be Tagaryū's only kinboshi. After a series of unimpressive results he was demoted back to the jūryō division in July 1988 and promptly won the jūryō championship. He thereby became the second person (after Wakanami) to accomplish the somewhat dubious feat of capturing the tournament championship in the second division after winning it in the first. He retired in May 1991.

Fighting style

Tagaryū preferredyotsu-sumo, or grappling techniques. His favoured grip on the opponent's mawashi was migi-yotsu, a left hand outside, right hand inside position. He also liked uwatenage, or overarm throw, and uwatedashinage, or pulling overarm throw. His most common winning kimarite was yori-kiri, the force out, used in about 40 percent of his victories.

After retirement

Tagaryū has remained in the sumo world as an elder of the Japan Sumo Association. He became head coach of Kagamiyama stable in 1996 upon the death of his old coach in his days as an active wrestler, former yokozuna Kashiwado. His son Shōta, born in 1986, was a wrestler at the stable under the ring name Ryūsei, although he never went higher than the makushita division. The only other wrestler in the stable in its later years was the former maegashira Kagamiō. In February 2010 Kagamiyama was elected to the Sumo Association's board of Directors and he also served as a ringside judge. In March 2021 he stood down from his roles as head of compliance and head of crisis management due to ill-health. Kagamiyama stable shut down in July 2021 with its personnel transferring to the Isegahama stable.

Career record

Tagaryū Shōji
YearJanuary Hatsu basho, TokyoMarch Haru basho, OsakaMay Natsu basho, TokyoJuly Nagoya basho, NagoyaSeptember Aki basho, TokyoNovember Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
1974x(Maezumo)West Jonokuchi #12 5–2East Jonidan #72 4–3East Jonidan #50 3–4West Jonidan #65 5–2
1975West Jonidan #30 3–4West Jonidan #42 3–4East Jonidan #57 5–2West Jonidan #18 6–1East Sandanme #46 3–4West Sandanme #58 4–3
1976West Sandanme #42 3–4West Sandanme #54 4–3West Sandanme #40 4–3West Sandanme #27 6–1West Makushita #51 4–3West Makushita #38 0–7
1977East Sandanme #11 4–3East Makushita #60 2–5West Sandanme #24 4–3East Sandanme #9 2–5West Sandanme #33 4–3East Sandanme #20 4–3
1978East Sandanme #9 1–3–3East Sandanme #39 4–3West Sandanme #26 4–3East Sandanme #13 4–3West Sandanme #2 7–0–P ChampionWest Makushita #12 2–5
1979West Makushita #29 4–3East Makushita #23 3–4West Makushita #32 2–5East Makushita #51 5–2East Makushita #30 5–2East Makushita #17 4–3
1980West Makushita #11 3–4East Makushita #20 4–3West Makushita #15 3–4West Makushita #20 2–5West Makushita #40 7–0 ChampionEast Makushita #3 5–2
1981West Jūryō #12 3–12East Makushita #9 6–1West Makushita #1 4–3East Jūryō #13 5–10West Makushita #4 5–2East Jūryō #13 9–6
1982West Jūryō #6 9–6East Jūryō #1 8–7East Maegashira #13 8–7East Maegashira #9 8–7East Maegashira #6 7–8East Maegashira #7 6–9
1983West Maegashira #9 9–6West Maegashira #2 3–12West Maegashira #8 6–9West Maegashira #10 9–6West Maegashira #4 9–6West Sekiwake #1 5–10
1984West Maegashira #3 4–11East Maegashira #11 9–6East Maegashira #4 6–9West Maegashira #8 6–9West Maegashira #12 13–2 TFWest Komusubi #1 6–9
1985East Maegashira #1 5–10 ★East Maegashira #6 8–7West Maegashira #2 3–12East Maegashira #12 8–7West Maegashira #8 7–8East Maegashira #11 8–7
1986West Maegashira #5 5–10West Maegashira #10 8–7East Maegashira #6 6–9West Maegashira #9 8–7West Maegashira #2 5–10West Maegashira #6 6–9
1987West Maegashira #11 9–6East Maegashira #5 6–9East Maegashira #9 8–7West Maegashira #2 5–10West Maegashira #6 6–9East Maegashira #10 8–7
1988West Maegashira #3 4–11West Maegashira #8 6–9West Maegashira #12 5–10East Jūryō #3 10–5–P ChampionWest Maegashira #10 8–7West Maegashira #7 8–7
1989West Maegashira #2 1–11–3West Maegashira #11 8–7East Maegashira #6 4–11East Maegashira #13 6–5–4East Jūryō #2 7–8West Jūryō #3 10–5
1990East Maegashira #12 8–7West Maegashira #9 6–9East Maegashira #12 9–6East Maegashira #6 5–10West Maegashira #12 5–10East Jūryō #2 8–7
1991East Maegashira #14 5–10West Jūryō #3 5–10East Jūryō #9 Retired 0–6xxx
Record given as wins–losses–absences Top division champion Top division runner-up Retired Lower divisions Non-participation Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique Also shown: ★=Kinboshi; P=Playoff(s) Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna — Ōzeki — Sekiwake — Komusubi — Maegashira

See also

External links