Graves of Rikishi

[Mark Buckton 1]

A weird one perhaps but has anyone got any idea where the graves of any, all, one....... of the more well known of the rikishi of years gone by can be found?

Kinta-san?

[Kintamayama 47,181]

A weird one perhaps but has anyone got any idea where the graves of any, all, one....... of the more well known of the rikishi of years gone by can be found?

I have no idea, but I would venture a guess - the famous ones are buried in a central place in their home towns, probably with a mini-museum attached to the venue.

Now, we wait for an answer from someone who KNOWS..

Edited April 4, 2004 by Kintamayama

[Mark Buckton 1]

A weird one perhaps but has anyone got any idea where the graves of any, all, one....... of the more well known of the rikishi of years gone by can be found?

I have no idea, but I would venture a guess - the famous ones are buried in a central place in their home towns, probably with a mini-museum attached to the venue.

Now, we wait for an answer from someone who KNOWS..

Thought of that and just hope they (the rikishi) don't follow a path set by other famous persons. Murasaki Shikibu has 6 graves which apparently all contain certain bits - other stars have official and private graves.

Rikidozan's is in a nice location overlooking Yokohama in Ikegami Temple (Ota-ku)

[Naganoyama 6,024]

Raiden has lots of graves. Most famous is Raiden-hi tombstone near Shigeno.

[QttP 0]

Raiden has lots of graves.

That's cause he ended up being blown to bits and pieces of him were scattered all over the country:

[Zuikakuyama 1]

:-S

Oh, that is a really good one!!!

[Takanobaka 0]

Raiden has lots of graves.

That's cause he ended up being blown to bits and pieces of him were scattered all over the country:

:-S :-) :-)

gotta love the video game references. Now if someone can just find a screenshot for the old Nintendo (Famicom) game Toki.....

[Yoavoshimaru 0]

I would imagine the normal burial places, i.e. their town or another place of significance to their family, but not a central place nor one with special significance to the kyokai.

[Asashosakari 20,223]

gotta love the video game references. Now if someone can just find a screenshot for the old Nintendo (Famicom) game Toki.....

Not a screenshot, but anyway...

The similarity is definitely there. :-)

[Exil 301]

(Tachi-ai?)

The original Japanese name of the game was JuJu Densetsu, by the way. (Enjoying a beer...)

[Amanogawa 79]

Generally, a dead is buried ( after cremation ) in the graveyard which

belongs to the temple. Or in the cemetery of his town if there's little

space in the temple's graveyard. So if you would like to visit

the rikishi's grave, you may have to find his family temple and

ask them. I know where Akinoumi was buried because his temple

belongs to the same Buddhist sect as mine. For the same reason

I know where Ryukozan's grave is.

But if the rikishi was extraordinary like Futabayama or almost legendary

like Raiden, they possibly might have done a "bun-kotsu ( "sharing the

bones", literally translated )" ritual to built another gravestone ( or a

memorial stone ) in some other place associated with the rikishi.

Japanese temples are run by the family-registration system. And

basically, when you die, you'll be buried under your family's gravestone.

No matter how far away you were living from your hometown, your

family may want to take you ( or your "ashes" or "bones [closer

to the raw Japanese 'kotsu' ] " ) back to your hometown

and put you there under your family's "eternal home" to rest

for good. But if you and your family agree to change your

temple for very legitimate reasons, you could be "transferred"

( with the permissions both from your present temple and new temple ).

I assume Wakanohana I may have done this. He's originally from

Hirosaki and must have been a member of the local temple

there, but his mother's funeral was administrated somewhere

in Tokyo -ne?

[Mark Buckton 1]

Thanks for that - the shared system really annoyed me in Kyoto one Christmas when looking for Murasaki Shikibu's grave (Genji story if anyone is interested).

Found it, then another 'it', then another 'it' until I had 6 in total. Kind of left me confused - where is the 'heart' or the 'brain' ? Which is the main? That kind of thing. Seemed touristy more than anything.

With it being essentially a Buddhist nation as far as death rites go too (bar the Imperial family - and then not always) I was left more confused as certain sects dictate rebirth can only be attained if the body is whole. Nothing is to be removed.(a comment often seen excusing the very low levels of people willing to donate organs after death.)

[Yoavoshimaru 0]

Wouldn't most organs be gone by now, only bones left? So there's no point worrying about heart, brain, hair, etc.?

[Amanogawa 79]

Found it, then another 'it', then another 'it' until I had 6 in total.  Kind of left me confused - where is the 'heart' or the 'brain' ?  Which is the main?  That kind of thing.  Seemed touristy more than anything.

Well if it's the case, this "sharing bones ( bun-kotsu )" does not really have to be done with actual ashes or bones but simply the soil where the body is believed to be buried. So it may be almost impossible to track down the spedific grave of "heart" or "brain" IMO.

Wouldn't most organs be gone by now, only bones left? So there's no point worrying about heart, brain, hair, etc.?

Yes I agree. (You are going off-topic...)

With it being essentially a Buddhist nation as far as death rites go too (bar the Imperial family - and then not always) I was left more confused as certain sects dictate rebirth can only be attained if the body is whole.  Nothing is to be removed.(a comment often seen excusing the very low levels of people willing to donate organs after death.)

Could you narrow or name the "certain sects" please? Could it be some new-risen religion? I don't think it's really about Buddhism, at least about traditional major Japanese Buddhism widely seen here, that we ( well, Japanese, essentially ) would hope to have the whole body.

[Mark Buckton 1]

a.

Edited April 15, 2004 by Adachinoryu

[Mark Buckton 1]

Update on this - burial locations are known by the Kokugikan and can be viewed - have to visit and ask.

The info is private of course and so no copies may be made - makes sense.

It is possible to note that a large number of Yokozuna at least have their graves in Tokyo (exact locations refer to above) some 28 to be exact.

Generally, with all things on research the Kokugikan are very helpful and will spend time answering your Qs.