Takanohana Kenshi
| Takanohana Kenshi | |
|---|---|
| 貴ノ花健士 | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | Mitsuru Hanada February 19, 1950 Muroran, Japan |
| Died | May 30, 2005 (aged 55) |
| Height | 1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 115 kg (254 lb; 18.1 st) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Futagoyama |
| Record | 726-490-58 |
| Debut | May, 1965 |
| Highest rank | Ōzeki (November, 1972) |
| Retired | January, 1981 |
| Championships | 2 (Makuuchi) 2 (Jūryō) 1 (Jonokuchi) |
| Special Prizes | Outstanding Performance (3) Fighting Spirit (2) Technique (4) |
| Gold Stars | 1 (Kitanofuji) |
| * Up to date as of August 2012. | |
Takanohana Kenshi 貴ノ花健士 (born Hanada Mitsuru; February 19, 1950 – May 30, 2005) was a sumo wrestler from Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. His highest rank was ōzeki, which he held for fifty tournaments. As an active rikishi he was extremely popular and was nicknamed the "Prince of Sumo" due to his good looks and relatively slim build. He was the father of Wakanohana Masaru and Takanohana Kōji, and as head of the Futagoyama stable coached both of them to the yokozuna rank.
He had been a champion swimmer while at school, but did not think he could make a living out of it. He was determined to join professional sumo, in spite of some opposition from his family, who had wanted him to continue swimming (he was considered a possibility to make the team for the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.)
He began his career in the spring of 1965, joining Futagoyama stable which had been set up his elder brother, former yokozuna Wakanohana Kanji I, three years previously. He initially fought under his own surname of Hanada. He reached the top makuuchi division in November 1968 at the age of just 18, the youngest ever at the time (the record is now held by his son Takanohana). He weighed barely 100 kg, and would remain one of the lightest men in the top division for the rest of his career. He adopted the shikona of Takanohana in 1969. He was the last man to beat yokozuna Taihō, in May 1971. As he rose up the rankings he collected nine special prizes, including four prestigious Ginō-shō, or Technique Awards.
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