Ayagawa Gorōji

Ayagawa Gorōji (Japanese: 綾川 五郎次, c. 1703 – March 14, 1765) was a Japanese sumo wrestler, who 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.