雷電為右衛門――日本の無敗の相撲伝説と武士道の精神
Raiden Tameemon (1767–1825) was not only the greatest rikishi in the history of sumo, but also a man whose life embodied the heart of Bushido. Undefeated across nearly all his matches, he left a legacy that continues to inspire Japan and the world more than two centuries later.
Statue of Raiden Tameemon, Japan’s undefeated sumo legend, standing tall in his hometown.
Introduction
When people think of sumo, they think of Japan’s traditional national sport.
In Japanese, a sumo wrestler is called a rikishi, a word that literally means “a strong man with aspiration.”
About two hundred years ago, there lived a rikishi who became an invincible hero: Raiden Tameemon (1767–1825).
He was no ordinary wrestler. He is remembered as the greatest sumo wrestler in history, a giant whose strength seemed beyond human limits. His record is astonishing—254 wins and only 10 losses across 35 tournaments, with a winning percentage of 96.2%. Even today, no one has surpassed it.
Raiden was so powerful that three techniques—slapping, thrusting, and the arm-lock throw—were forbidden to him. And yet, he continued to win, dominating the sumo world with an almost superhuman presence.
But Raiden is remembered for more than just his overwhelming strength. He was also a man of learning, discipline, and kindness. He was respected not only as a victor in the ring but as a model human being. Why, then, has Raiden endured in memory not merely as a champion, but as one of Japan’s truly great figures?
Problem – Six Years in the Shadows
Although Raiden possessed extraordinary strength and talent, his rise to the top was far from immediate.
At eighteen, he was brought to Edo by Master Urakaze, who recognized his potential and placed him under the guidance of the great ōzeki champion, Tanikaze Kajinosuke. Everyone in the sumo world already knew that Raiden was exceptionally strong—his power was unmistakable, even intimidating.
And yet, for six long years, Raiden was never allowed to step into a single tournament.
During that time, his fellow apprentices—clearly weaker men—were promoted to the professional ranks, making their debuts and climbing the ladder of success. Raiden, however, remained in the shadows, performing the chores of a lowly attendant, even cleaning his master’s body after training.
Why would the strongest man of his age, a wrestler who could have dominated from the very beginning, be deliberately held back?
This puzzling delay in Raiden’s debut is the central mystery of his story.
Facts – The Mentor’s Harsh Schooling
Master Urakaze had seen Raiden’s potential from the very beginning. That was precisely why he refused to let him debut too soon. For six long years, Raiden remained in the shadows—an attendant to the great ōzeki Tanikaze Kajinosuke, serving, training, and enduring the menial chores that tested his humility. He carried water, cooked meals, cleaned the stable, and even performed the most humiliating duty: wiping his master’s body after training. All the while, weaker apprentices advanced to the professional ranks, while Raiden waited.
But this harsh schooling forged more than muscle. It cultivated patience, discipline, and a spirit that could not be broken. By the end of those six years, Raiden had surpassed his peers in both skill and strength, and even Tanikaze himself began to struggle against him in practice bouts.
At last, in November 1790, Raiden was permitted to debut—not at the bottom, but straight at the rank of sekiwake, above seasoned wrestlers. His first opponent was a massive fighter named Hakkaku. As they clashed at the opening, Raiden unleashed a single devastating slap. The giant Hakkaku flew from the ring, collapsed, and later died from the blow. Such was the terrifying force Raiden carried into the dohyo.
That same tournament, Raiden even fought the yokozuna Onogawa Kisaburō to a draw, an almost unthinkable achievement for a debutant. His record for the ten-day event: eight wins, two holds, and not a single loss. The sumo world had never seen anything like it.
Soon, Raiden’s legend grew further during regional tours. In Odawara, he faced a local strongman named Ōiwa, who had mocked Edo wrestlers as weaklings. Ōiwa had already killed one sumo wrestler in the ring, and the man’s family begged Raiden for revenge. Before a roaring crowd, the two men collided. Raiden deliberately allowed Ōiwa to take his preferred grip, making the crowd believe the great Raiden was at a disadvantage. But then, with calm precision, Raiden slipped his arm over Ōiwa’s and locked both in a crushing hold known as the kannuki (arm-bar lock). With a surge of power, he shattered Ōiwa’s arms and hurled him from the ring. The once-feared strongman was left crippled, his terror over the sumo world ended forever.
Raiden’s dominance was so overwhelming that the sumo authorities eventually forbade him from using three techniques—slapping, thrusting, and the kannuki. Even with these restrictions, he continued to win. Thus he became known as “Raiden, undefeated even with three techniques sealed.”
Thoughts – The Philosophy Behind the Delay
Why would a master deliberately hold back the strongest man of his age? To modern eyes, it might look unfair, even cruel. But to Urakaze, it was the only way to shape Raiden into more than a brute force.
Throughout history, people have understood a simple truth: the deeper the struggle, the greater the strength that emerges from it. Those who rise too quickly, without hardship, often become arrogant and collapse. Urakaze wanted Raiden not only to dominate the ring, but to develop the patience, humility, and inner strength to endure life’s storms as well.
We can see the same principle in modern times. Ichirō Suzuki, later one of baseball’s greatest hitters, was at first deliberately kept in the minor leagues despite his obvious talent. His coaches knew his potential, but they wanted him to grow into a player who would not break under pressure. Likewise, in the drama Nodame Cantabile, a professor recognizes the heroine’s genius but withholds her from early debut, fearing that premature fame would destroy her. When she is suddenly thrust onto the world stage, the brilliance of her performance leaves her shaken, unable to play again with the same fire.
The opposite lesson is found in the story of Mike Tyson. Trained by the wise and caring Cus D’Amato, Tyson rose to become a fearsome champion, a bulldozer of the ring. But after D’Amato’s death, Tyson fell under the influence of promoters who cared more about money than about his growth. Without proper guidance, he soon lost his edge and began to lose matches that once would have been easy victories.
These examples reveal what Urakaze understood: to raise a true champion, one must first raise a true human being. That is why he held Raiden back, even when victory was certain. Six years of silent endurance gave Raiden not only unmatched strength, but also humility, patience, and compassion. He emerged not just as a wrestler who could not be beaten, but as a man remembered for his kindness, his culture, and his humanity.
In the end, Urakaze was not merely training a rikishi. He was nurturing a soul.
Conclusion – The Unbeaten Legend
Raiden Tameemon stood 197 centimeters tall and weighed 169 kilograms—almost identical to the modern fighter Bob Sapp. Yet unlike the fearsome image such numbers might suggest, Raiden was fair-skinned, strikingly handsome, and carried himself with quiet dignity.
During his years of victory, one episode revealed his humanity as vividly as his strength. While on tour in Sakura, in present-day Chiba Prefecture, Raiden ducked into a small amazake shop. Though known as a heavy drinker, he was also fond of sweets, and amazake was among his favorites. There he met the shop’s daughter, a young woman affectionately called Ohan. The mighty Raiden, feared across Japan, fell in love at first sight. From then on, he visited the shop daily, but every time their eyes met, the enormous wrestler would blush and cast his gaze downward like a shy boy. At first Ohan was frightened of him, but soon she began to sense his gentle heart.
The townspeople, seeing the bond between them, could not resist playing matchmaker. Eventually, Raiden formally visited her father to ask for her hand, and the two were married. Afterward, when Raiden entered the service of the Matsue domain, Ohan took the name Yaé, embracing her role as a samurai’s wife. The couple remained inseparable throughout their lives. When Raiden died in 1825 at the age of fifty-nine, Yaé followed him only two years later. Even in old age, the two were said to be so affectionate that those around them felt embarrassed by their closeness.
Raiden’s legacy, however, was not only personal. On his tours, he carefully recorded the customs and conditions of each region in what became the Shokoku Sumo Hikaecho, written in precise calligraphy. These notes remain invaluable historical sources. In one account, he described the devastation of an earthquake in Akita:
“As I walked from Rokugo toward Honjo and Shiogoshi, I saw collapsed walls, crushed houses, and toppled stone statues. At Shiogoshi, all the houses were bent and broken, and huge cedar trees had sunk into the earth. At Kisakata, even at low tide, the water reached up to one’s knees.”
Such words make the scenes come alive even today.
What set Raiden apart was not only his unmatched record of 254 wins and just 10 losses, but also his embodiment of the Japanese martial spirit: shin-gi-tai—heart, skill, and body. In Western combat sports, victory often rests on strength and technique alone, with little concern for character. Champions roar and strike poses upon winning. In Japan, however, true strength demanded something more: the cultivation of the heart. The greatest rikishi were expected to be paragons of virtue, men who remained humble in victory and kind even to the defeated.
Raiden’s matches were often overwhelming, yet he never boasted. He understood that while victories matter, the greater triumph is to master one’s own heart. That was why even after ten rare defeats, his reputation never diminished. He was respected as a man whose humanity matched his strength.
Raiden was kept from the ring for six long years by Master Urakaze, who sought to build not just his body but his spirit. That harsh schooling bore fruit. Two centuries after his death, no rikishi has surpassed his record, and his legend endures not merely because of his strength, but because he embodied the discipline, humility, and compassion at the core of Bushido.
Raiden Tameemon was unbeaten in the ring. But his greatest victory was to live—and to be remembered—as a great human being.
Raiden’s story reminds us that greatness is not measured by strength alone, but by the heart that guides it—a lesson as relevant today as it was two centuries ago.
[Author’s Note]
When I first set out to write about Raiden Tameemon, I thought the heart of his story would lie in his overwhelming strength and unmatched record. But as I traced his life, I realized that what makes Raiden truly unforgettable is not just his victories, but the way he lived as a human being.
His shy courtship of Ohan, the amazake shop girl who became his beloved wife, shows us a tenderness hidden within his giant frame. His detailed records of regional life during his tours remind us that true greatness also leaves something behind for others. And his humility—even after crushing victories—embodied the Bushido spirit that values discipline and heart above raw power.
Today, some commentators suggest that sumo would be more entertaining if wrestlers celebrated their wins with loud gestures, like in professional wrestling. I believe this misses the essence of sumo. In Japan, true dignity is to win without arrogance, knowing that the audience will see and respect your strength without the need for boasting.
In a similar way, Japan itself is often underestimated by its neighbors, who loudly proclaim their own greatness while dismissing Japan as weak or submissive. And yet, it is Japan that the world quietly admires—for its history, traditions, civic trust, clean cities, safe food, and cultural depth. Boasting does not earn respect. Discipline, humility, and quiet strength do.
Raiden’s six years in the shadows, held back by Master Urakaze, were not wasted. They were the forge in which his heart was tempered. That is why, even two centuries later, no one has surpassed him. His greatness was not only in his unmatched strength, but in the maturity of his spirit.
Raiden’s story reminds us that true victory is never measured by strength alone, but by the heart that guides it—a lesson as relevant today as it was two centuries ago.
