Takanohana Kōji

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貴乃花光司
Takanohana Kōji
Personal information
Takanohana acting as a shimpan during the 2005 Osaka honbasho.
Birth name	Kōji Hanada
Date of birth	August 12, 1972 (1972-08-12) (age 35)
Place of birth	Suginami, Tokyo
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	154 kg (340 lb/24.3 st)
Career*
Heya	Fujishima -> Futagoyama
Record	794-262-201
Debut	March, 1988
Highest rank	Yokozuna (January, 1995)
Retired	January, 2003
Yusho	22 (Makuuchi) 2 (Makushita)
Special Prizes	Outstanding Performance (4) Fighting Spirit (2) Technique (3)
Gold stars	1 (Chiyonofuji)
* Career information is correct as of January, 2003.

Takanohana (II) Koji (貴乃花光司, Takanohana Kōji^?, born August 12, 1972 as Koji Hanada (花田光司 Hanada Kōji)) is a former sumo wrestler from Suginami, Tokyo, Japan. He was the 65th yokozuna in the history of the sport, and was one of the most successful, winning 22 tournament titles between 1992 and 2001. The son of a popular ozeki ranked wrestler from the 1970s, Takanohana's rise through the ranks alongside his elder brother Wakanohana saw interest in sumo and attendance at tournaments soar during the 1990s.^[1] In his later career he suffered increasingly from injuries, and he retired in 2003. He is now the head coach of Takanohana stable and a senior member of the Japan Sumo Association. After the death of his father and coach in 2005, Takanohana's strained relationship with his brother attracted much media attention.^[2]

1 Background
2 Early career
3 Promotion to Yokozuna
4 Yokozuna career
5 Retirement from sumo
6 Relationship with family
7 Marriage
8 Top division record
9 References
10 See also
11 External links

[edit] Background

Takanohana comes from a family with a great sumo history, sometimes called the "Hanada Dynasty."^[3] His uncle Wakanohana Kanji I was a yokozuna from 1958 to 1962, and his father Takanohana Kenshi had held the second highest rank of ozeki for a record of 50 tournaments from 1972 to 1981. Upon his retirement his father established the training stable (heya) Fujishima stable. The young Kōji Hanada had been practising sumo since elementary school and won the equivalent of a yokozuna title at junior high school.^[4] Upon his graduation in 1988 he formally joined his father's stable. His elder brother Masaru had been planning to complete high school but dropped out so as not to lag behind his brother.^[4]

[edit] Early career

Takanohana and his brother made their professional debuts together in March 1988, future rival Akebono also beginning his career in the same month.^[5] The two brothers had to move from the family quarters in the stable and join the communal room with all the other new recruits.^[6] They were also instructed not to refer to their parents as "father" and "mother" any more but as "oyakata" and "okamisan" (coach and coach's wife). Kōji initially wrestled under the name Takahanada, and it was understood that he would only be allowed to adopt his father's shikona of Takanohana (meaning noble flower^[7]) when he reached the champion ozeki rank.^[5]

Their early career attracted much publicity, with each divisional promotion regarded by the media as part of an inevitable rise to the top ranks.^[3] The two brothers created a so-called "Waka-Taka boom" and were credited with restoring sumo's popularity, particularly amongst younger audiences.^[8] Takahanada's progress was rapid and he set numerous age-related records, including the youngest ever makushita tournament champion (16 years 9 months),^[4] youngest ever promoted to the juryo division (17 years 3 months),^[4] and the youngest ever promoted to the top makuuchi division (17 years 8 months).^[4]

In May 1991 Takahanada defeated veteran yokozuna Chiyonofuji in a match watched by 44 percent of the Japanese population on TV,^[5]and became the youngest ever to defeat a yokozuna.^[4] Chiyonofuji retired two days afterwards. In January 1992, he became the youngest ever top division tournament champion (19 years 5 months).^[4] He was too young to drink the celebratory sake at the after tournament party, and had to make do with oolong tea instead.^[4] After his second championship in September 1992, followed by two good scores of 10-5 and 11-4 in the next two tournaments, he was promoted to ozeki in January 1993, the same tournament in which Akebono was elevated to yokozuna.^[5]

[edit] Promotion to Yokozuna

Now known as Takanohana, he was also the youngest ever to be promoted to ozeki at 20 years 5 months.^[9] With the foreign born Akebono as sumo's only yokozuna, there was a great weight of expectation on Takanohana to make the next step up.^[5] However, his lack of consistency, and Akebono's dominance, delayed his promotion to yokozuna.^[5] Akebono took four of the six tournaments held in 1993, but suffered injury problems the following year. Takanohana won the May 1994 championship, but was then outshone by Musashimaru, who won in July with a perfect 15-0 record.^[5] After taking the September 1994 championship, Takanohana now had six top division titles, but none had been won consecutively. No previous wrestler had ever accumulated so many titles before reaching sumo's highest rank, but the Sumo Association and Yokozuna Deliberation Council insisted that two consecutive championships were required, having demanded the same of Akebono before his promotion.^[5] In November 1994, Takanohana at last managed to win two tournaments in a row, with his second consecutive unbeaten 15-0 score, and his promotion was confirmed.^[5] He had been at the ozeki rank for 11 tournaments. However, at 22 years and 3 months, he was still the third youngest yokozuna ever at the time.^[10]

[edit] Yokozuna career

Takanohana's total of seven tournament championships by the start of 1995 was the same as the total won by Akebono, who had reached the yokozuna rank two years before him.^[3] However, Takanohana now pulled ahead of his rival. He was at his peak as a yokozuna between 1995 and 1997, during which time he won 11 of the 17 tournaments he entered, finishing runner-up in the other six. The merger of his father's Fujishima stable with his uncle's Futagoyama stable in 1993 had given him an advantage over Akebono, as sumo rules prevent wrestlers from the same heya meeting in regular tournament bouts.^[5] Takanohana avoided not only his brother but also ozeki Takanonami and sekiwake Akinoshima and Takatoriki, whereas Akebono had to meet them all.^[5] In three of the tournaments Takanohana did not win during this period, he was defeated by stablemates in playoffs: once to Wakanohana and twice to Takanonami. He produced two more perfect scores of 15-0, in September 1995 and September 1996. Overall he won 80 out of 90 bouts he fought in 1995, 70 out of 75 in 1996, and 78 out 90 in 1997, far ahead of any other wrestler. He had a solid but aggressive style, looking to get a right hand grip on his opponents' mawashi and move them quickly out of the ring.^[1] He won over half his bouts by a straightforward yori-kiri, or force out.^[11] After sitting out the first tournament of his career in November 1996 due to a back injury, he put on more weight and began to be more susceptible to injury and illness.^[1]

He was affected by a liver disorder in the first half of 1998, which caused him withdraw from the January 1998 tournament and miss the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Nagano (his place was taken by Akebono).^[12] He pulled out of the March 1998 tournament as well and was still below his best in May. Shunning the traditional treatment methods available from his stable, he turned instead to a physical therapist called Tashiro Tomita, who had a considerable influence over him.^[3] He became increasingly isolated from his father and brother, with his father claiming Takanohana had been "brainwashed" by Tomita.^[3] Despite his brother's promotion to yokozuna that year, creating the first ever sibling grand champions,^[9] the two were barely on speaking terms.^[13] Takanohana recovered to win the July and September 1998 tournaments, and was runner-up that November. In 1999, however, he was even more badly affected by injury, managing only one score in double figures all year.

After making peace with his family,^[14]Takanohana regained more consistent form in 2000. In January 2001 he won his first tournament for over two years, defeating fellow yokozuna Musashimaru in a playoff. He won his final championship in May 2001, again in a playoff against Musashimaru, but it came at a great cost. He had suffered serious knee ligament damage in a loss to Musoyama on the 14th day but he insisted on fighting on to the end of the tournament.^[3] As a result, he missed the next seven tournaments, undergoing surgery in Paris in July 2001 and having a lengthy recuperation after that.^[15] He finally returned to the ring in September 2002, after the Sumo Association declared he must compete or retire.^[16] He finished behind Musashimaru on 12-3, the 16th time he had been a tournament runner-up. Considering how long he had been away, it was seen as an impressive comeback.^[17] However, he sat out the next tournament with a recurrence of the knee injury.^[18] He made another comeback in January 2003, making a late decision to compete. A shoulder injury caused him to miss two days, and after suffering successive losses to Dejima and Aminishiki he announced his retirement.^[1] He said he had no regrets and was thankful to have achieved so much in sumo.^[1]His father spoke of his relief at the decision, after seeing his son battle through so many injuries.^[1] Takanohana's record of 22 tournament championships was the fourth best in sumo history, behind Taiho, Chiyonofuji and Kitanoumi.^[19] Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi was among those paying tribute.^[19] His retirement left no Japanese born wrestlers at the yokozuna rank and was widely regarded as being the end of an era.^[19]

[edit] Retirement from sumo

After his retirement he became an elder (or member) of the Japan Sumo Association. Because of his great achievements in sumo he was given a bonus of 130 million yen and was also made a "one generation" elder without having to purchase a share in the Association.^[1] This enabled him to keep his fighting name and he is now known as Takanohana Oyakata.^[1] He took over the operation of his father's training stable in January 2004, renaming it Takanohana stable.^[20] Its last sekitori, Takanonami retired shortly afterwards and no one from the stable has reached the top two divisions since.^[3]

Takanohana became a shimpan or judge of tournament bouts in February 2004, only a year after his retirement, a role that elders normally have to wait four years to do.^[21] After the election of the Association's Board of Directors in February 2008, the Association appointed Takanohana as Associate Manager of Judging (審判部副部長, shimpanbu-fukubucho^?), replacing former yokozuna Chiyonofuji (Kokonoe-oyakata) who was elected to serve the Board as a director. For an organization that tends to follow seniority over achievement in its organization appointment, it was highly unusual for them to place a 35 year old to such an influential position. However both former yokozuna Kitanoumi and Chiyonofuji whom Takanohana is often compared to served a stint as Associate Manager of Judging prior to their becoming the Board director.

Also in 2008, Takanohana added a couple of new recruits to his stable, the first for several years, bringing the total number of wrestlers in his charge up to nine.^[22]

Having reached a peak weight of 160 kg (350 lb) as an active wrestler, he has lost a great deal of weight since his retirement (more than retired wrestlers typically do) and is now around 90 kg (200 lb).

[edit] Relationship with family

Upon his father's death from cancer in May 2005, a bitter rift between Takanohana and his brother Wakanohana was widely reported in the Japanese media.^[2]^[23] Differences had emerged between the two while they were still active in the ring, with Takanohana being regarded as aloof and reserved and Wakanahona having a warmer personality,^[2] but with their father reported to have left no will, it was suggested that the feud revolved around control of his estate.^[24] Takanohana was very critical of both his brother and his mother. He felt he should be the chief mourner at his father's funeral as he had remained in the Sumo Association whilst his brother had left to become a TV celebrity, but the role went to Wakanohana as the elder brother, as is traditional.^[25] He condemned his mother for her extramarital affair, which led to her divorce from Futagoyama, and had only been rumoured up to that point.^[26] Takanohana has rarely spoken to her since she was divorced and forced out of Futagoyama stable in July 2001,^[27] in particular after she published a book and appeared on TV, revealing details of her life as a stablemaster's wife.^[28] In June 2008 he spoke of his distress at the news that she is due to testify for the defence in a civil lawsuit brought by the Sumo Association against the tabloid magazine Shukan Gendai over allegations that his father benefited from a thrown match for the championship in 1975, saying, "she will essentially be fighting against me."^[29]

[edit] Marriage

In late 1992 Takanohana announced his engagement to actress Miyazawa Rie, news which sparked a similar amount of coverage to the royal wedding held that year.^[19] However the engagement was broken off the following year, reportedly because Miyazawa was seen by Takanohana's parents and the Sumo Association as being unwilling to sacrifice her career to become a regular stable wife.^[19] In May 1995 he married television announcer Keiko Kono. The couple have a son and two daughters.

[edit] Top division record

Takanohana Kōji ^[30]
	January Hatsu basho, Tokyo	March Haru basho, Osaka	May Natsu basho, Tokyo	July Nagoya basho, Nagoya	September Aki basho, Tokyo	November Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
1990	x	x	East Maegashira #14 4–11	(Jūryō)	(Jūryō)	West Maegashira #12 8–7
1991	West Maegashira #9 6–9	East Maegashira #13 12–3 TF	West Maegashira #1 9–6 O★	West Komusubi 11–4 TO	West Sekiwake 7–8	East Maegashira #1 7–8
1992	East Maegashira #2 14–1 TOF	West Sekiwake 5–10	West Maegashira #2 9–6	East Komusubi 8–7	West Komusubi 14–1 O	West Sekiwake 10–5
1993	East Sekiwake 11–4	East Ōzeki 11–4	East Ōzeki 14–1	East Ōzeki 13–2	East Ōzeki 12–3	East Ōzeki 7–8
1994	West Ōzeki 14–1	East Ōzeki 11–4	West Ōzeki 14–1	East Ōzeki 11–4	West Ōzeki 15–0	East Ōzeki 15–0
1995	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 13–2	West Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 15–0	East Yokozuna 12–3
1996	East Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 15–0	Sat out due to injury
1997	West Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 12–3	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 14–1
1998	East Yokozuna 8–5–2	West Yokozuna 1–4–10	West Yokozuna 10–5	West Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 13–2	East Yokozuna 12–3
1999	East Yokozuna 8–7	West Yokozuna 8–3–4	Sat out due to injury	West Yokozuna 9–6	East Yokozuna 0–3–12	West Yokozuna 11–4
2000	West Yokozuna 12–3	East Yokozuna 11–4	West Yokozuna 13–2	West Yokozuna 5–3–7	Sat out due to injury	East Yokozuna 11–4
2001	East Yokozuna 14–1	East Yokozuna 12–3	East Yokozuna 13–2	Sat out due to injury	Sat out due to injury	Sat out due to injury
2002	Sat out due to injury	Sat out due to injury	Sat out due to injury	Sat out due to injury	West Yokozuna 12–3	Sat out due to injury
2003	West Yokozuna 4–4–retired	x	x	x	x	x
Record given as win-loss-absent Championship Retired Demoted from makuuchi Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique Also shown: ★=Kinboshi Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna — Ōzeki — Sekiwake — Komusubi — Maegashira