Yodotaki
Japanese sideshow performer (born 1784)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yodotaki (Japanese: 淀滝, born 1784) was an Edo period Japanese sideshow performer, described in secondary sources as a remarkably tall and powerful strongwoman performer in Edo (modern Tokyo).[1][2][3] Sources give her height at seven shaku five sun (227.3 cm (7 ft 5.5 in)).[1][4] Multiple Edo-period primary sources mention her, including Takizawa Bakin (1767–1848), the author of Nansō Satomi Hakkenden, who mentions her in his miscellany Toen Shōsetsu (1825).[4] Other primary sources, Waga Koromo,[5] Kiku no Manimani,[6] Gaidan Bunbun Shūyō (1860),[7] and Bukō Nenpyō also mention her.[8]
Biography and performances
Yodotaki performed at a sideshow booth (Misemono) or a tea house around Yanagi Inari in the Asakusa entertainment area.[1] The Edo period essay collection Waga Koromo describes her as mime-yoshi (見目よし; "good-looking").[5] Her act featured feats of strength. In her performances, she would grip a go-board and swing it to blow out candles. She also carried a 60 kg (130 lb) rice bale with a small man sitting on top. She lifted as much as 206 kg (454 lb), or held a temple bell on her left shoulder while writing with her right hand.[1][5]
Height and Raiden Tameemon
Sources describe her at seven shaku five sun (227.3 cm)[1][4] as taller than the sumo wrestler Raiden Tameemon (1767–1825), who stood at six shaku five sun (197 cm).[9][10] Yodotaki and Raiden lived during the same period.[1][9][10] While Raiden's activity was centered in the Ryōgoku area,[9][10] Yodotaki performed in nearby Asakusa, located within walking distance of Ryōgoku.[1][2][3]