Former sumo champion Wakanohana II dies at 69
14:56 JST, July 19, 2022
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Second-generation Wakanohana, former yokozuna professional sumo grand champion, died of lung cancer at a hospital in Osaka City on Saturday, the Japan Sumo Association said Monday. He was 69.
Born in Owani, Aomori Prefecture, Wakanohana II, whose real name was Katsunori Shimoyama, was spotted by first-generation Wakanohana, a former yokozuna who was also from Aomori, and made his professional sumo debut in the 1968 Nagoya tournament. He started competing in the makuuchi top division in the 1973 Kyushu tournament.
Performing brilliantly using his well-balanced, flexible body and powerful right arm throw with an outside grip, he was promoted to Ozeki, the second-highest sumo rank, after the 1977 New Year tournament and to yokozuna in the following year. He changed his “shikona” ring name from Wakamisugi to Wakanohana.
He captured the Emperor’s Cup four times by winning bimonthly 15-day tournaments and had more wins than losses in a tournament for 28 tournaments in a row. After retiring as a wrestler in 1983, he opened the Magaki stable and trained such makuuchi wrestlers as Gojoro and Wakanojo. He also served as a board member of the Japan Sumo Association.
"Sports" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
54-59: Shohei Ohtani Likely to Nab Home Run, RBI Titles; Narrowly Loses Batting Crown to Arraez
-
Yu Darvish Limits the Dodgers’ Powerful Offense to One Run and Three Hits over Seven Innings; Interrupt Padres’ 10-2 Win That Evens NLDS
-
Shohei Ohtani and the MLB Playoffs, a Pairing the World Will Experience for the 1st Time
-
Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts Help the Dodgers Stay Alive in NLDS with 8-0 Win Vs the Padres
-
Shohei Ohtani Has 2 Hits to Close on Batting Leader Arraez in Triple Crown Bid; Yoshinobu Yamamoto Earns 1st Win Since June
JN ACCESS RANKING
- Japan Trying to Draw Digital Nomads, Who Are Seen as Beneficial to Economy, Society
- Asukayama Monorail in Tokyo: Free to Ride!
- JICA Employee Suspected of Leaking Info on ODA Project in Manila; Bidding for Railway Renovation May Have Been Impacted
- Japanese Automakers Team Up on Software Development; Aim to Compete with U.S., China in SDV Market
- Historic Change as Britain Closes Last Coal-Fired Power Plant; Transition to Clean Energy Vital for Economy, Human Health