Career
He was the sport"s 14th yokozuna. He was promoted to ōzeki (then sumo"s highest rank) in April 1870 after winning two tournaments in a row from the rank of sekiwake. Following his promotion, he changed his shikona to Sakaigawa.
The name had previously been used by another wrestler from the same stable, who had been an ōzeki from 1857 to 1861.
Sakaigawa was initially given a yokozuna licence by the Osaka based House of Gojo in February 1876. He was admitted as a yokozuna by the House of Yoshida Tsukasa in February 1877.
At that time, the Meiji Restoration was confusing the sumo world. Many sumo wrestlers were promoted to nominal yokozuna and the worth of the title yokozuna became very diluted as a result.
Among them, later on, Sakaigawa became the only yokozuna admitted officially.
Sakaigawa retired in January 1881. However, he also recorded 71 draws because he often let his opponent attack first. He was nicknamed the "Meiji era Tanikaze".
The actual time the tournaments were held during the year in this period often varied.
The spring tournament recorded for 1878 was actually held in December of the previous year. *Championships for the best record in a tournament were not recognized or awarded before the 1909 summer tournament and the above unofficial championships are historically conferred.
Foreign more information see yūshō.
