Wakanohana Kanji - 若乃花 幹士 (born March 16, 1928 - September 1, 2010) was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Muroran, Hokkaido. He made his debut in November 1946 and last wrestled for Hanakago stable. He reached the makuuchi division in January 1950 and has 5 special prizes, 6 kinboshi and 10 top division championships. He was the 45th yokozuna and he retired in May 1962.
Early Life[]
Katsuji Hanada was born the eldest son of apple farmers in Hirosaki, Aomori. However, in 1934, the Muroto Typhoon wiped out his family's crops and they had to emigrate to Muroran, Hokkaido. After working as a stevedore, he was scouted by the maegashira Onoumi, joining Nishonoseki stable in November 1946.
Career[]
Early Career[]
He was trained harshly by Rikidozan in Nishonoseki stable, and reportedly bit Rikidozan's leg in retaliation for his training. He began sumo with the shikona or ring name Wakanohana Yoshimi (若ノ花 義美), before changing its given name to his real one in May 1948. He posted a losing 2-3 record in his first tournament, but bounced back by winning successive jonidan and sandanme championships in the following two tournaments. After two tournaments in makushita, he was promoted to juryo in May 1949.
Juryo Career[]
In his first tournament as a sekitori, Wakanohana finished with a solid 9-6 record. He followed with a strong 11-4 record, but missed out on the yusho after losing to future ozeki Kotogahama in the playoff. Nevertheless, he was promoted to makuuchi for the following January 1950 tournament.
Makuuchi Career[]
Wakanohana was runner-up to Chiyonoyama with an 11-4 record in his top division debut and was awarded his first Fighting Spirit prize. In January 1951, he posted another strong 11-4 record and was awarded his second Fighting Spirit prize. In the following May 1951 tournament, he defeated yokozuna Haguroyama to earn his first kinboshi and finished with an 8-7 record to earn a promotion to komusubi in September 1951.
Wakanohana celebrates after winning his first championship (c. 1956)
Onoumi became head coach of Shibatayama stable after his retirement in May 1952, and Wakanohana followed him to the new stable. It was renamed Hanakago stable in September 1953. In January 1953, he defeated three yokozuna (Chiyonoyama, Azumafuji and Haguroyama) to earn three kinboshi in one single tournament. He was promoted to sekiwake in January 1954 and was awarded his first Outstanding Performance prize. In September 1954, he was awarded his second Outstanding Performance prize as he finished with a strong 11-4 record. In September 1955 he fought a bout against yokozuna Chiyonoyama that lasted for over 17 minutes before being declared a draw. In contrast, most sumo matches are over in a few seconds. He finished the tournament with a 10-4-1d record and was awarded his first Technique prize. Even though Wakanohana had not accumulated the usual amount of wins to be considered for an ozeki promotion (he had accumulated 28 total wins in the past three tournaments), he was ranked at sekiwake for eight consecutive tournaments and regularly defeated the top ranked wrestlers. As a result, he was promoted to ozeki for the following January 1956 tournament.
Ozeki Career[]
Wakanohana performs the yokozuna dohyo-iri (c. 1962)
Wakanohana posted a strong 13-2 record in his ozeki debut and even defeated the eventual yusho winner Kagamisato. He followed with a 12-3 runner-up performance, but lost to Asashio in the playoff. Nevertheless, he won his first makuuchi yusho in the following May 1956 tournament after defeating Ohikari in a championship playoff.
Shortly before the following September 1956 tournament his four-year-old eldest son Katsuo was scalded to death when a boiling hot pot of chankonabe fell on him. Despite being devastated by the tragedy, Wakanohana chose to compete in the tournament and won all of his bouts, but ended up dropping out with a fever. He changed the spelling of his ring surname in September 1957, and adopted the given name Kanji in May 1958. In November 1957, Wakanohana was runner-up to Tamanoumi with a 12-3 record. He followed by claiming his second yusho with a superb 13-2 record. He was subsequently promoted to yokozuna after the tournament.
Yokozuna Career[]
Wakanohana was promoted to yokozuna in January 1958, shortly after he took his second tournament championship. He was the first yokozuna produced by the Nishonoseki ichimon or group of stables in over 20 years and consequently had to borrow the kesho-mawashi of the former Futabayama to perform his first yokozuna dohyo-iri or ring entering ceremony.
Wakanohana's great rival as yokozuna was Tochinishiki. They were very evenly matched, being of similar height and weight, and both ended up with ten top division titles each. In March 1960, they faced each other undefeated on the final day – the first time ever that two yokozuna had met like this. Wakanohana won the match and Tochinishiki retired after the next tournament. Wakanohana kept going until the new era of yokozuna Taiho and Kashiwado, retiring in May 1962.
Retirement from Sumo[]
Wakanohana after retirement as the chairman of the JSA
After retirement he set up his own training stable, Futagoyama, which produced a string of top wrestlers, including ozeki Takanohana (his brother) and Wakashimazu, and yokozuna Wakanohana II and Takanosato. He was also head of the Japan Sumo Association from 1988 to 1992. Among his reforms was an attempt to improve the quality of the tachi-ai or initial charge of a bout by fining wrestlers who engaged in matta, or false starts, beginning in September 1991. In his first year as head of the Association, he also performed his kanreki dohyo-iri or '60th year ring entrance ceremony' to commemorate his years as yokozuna. At the end of his last tournament in charge he presented the Emperor's Cup to his nephew, Takahanada, who had become the youngest ever top division tournament winner. Upon his retirement from the Sumo Association in 1993, his stable merged with his brother's Fujishima stable. He became director of the Sumo Museum.
Death[]
He died of kidney cancer in September 2010 at the age of 82. Umegatani I, who lived to 83, is the only yokozuna to live longer than him.
Personal Life[]
- Wakanohana was such a popular wrestler that he even starred in a feature film about his life, Wakanohana Monogatari Dohyo no Oni made by Nikkatsu and released across Japan on December 27, 1956.
- He was nicknamed the "Devil of the Dohyo" (土俵の鬼, Dohyo no Oni) due to his great fighting spirit and endurance.
- Wakanohana's younger brother (by twenty-two years) was the late former ozeki Takanohana Kenshi and he was the uncle of Wakanohana Masaru and Takanohana Koji. His brother-in-law was sekwiake Wakamisugi.
- He had an illegitimate son with a Korean woman in Seoul, South Korea. His son Yu-san Park later joined Futagoyama stable in March 1989 and wrestled under the name Wakagoshi. He recognized Wakagoshi as his son in May 2002.
Fighting Style[]
Wakanohana defeats Shionishiki by yobimodoshi (pulling body slam)
Wakanohana was a noted technician, and his trademark was his overarm throwing techniques. As well as uwatenage and dashinage he was also well known for yobimodoshi, or pulling body slam, a kimarite that has virtually disappeared from professional sumo today. He was equally adept at both a hidari-yotsu (right hand outside, left hand inside) and migi-yotsu (the reverse) grip on his opponent's mawashi.
Record[]
Division Results[]
- Total: 593-253-70-4d/844 (65 basho)
- Makuuchi: 546-235-70-4d/779 (57 basho)
- Juryo: 20-10/30 (2 basho)
- Makushita: 14-4/18 (2 basho)
- Sandanme: 6-0/6 (1 basho)
- Jonidan: 5-1/6 (1 basho)
- Jonokuchi: 2-3/5 (1 basho)
Championships[]
- 10 Makuuchi Championships
- 1st (May 1956)
- 2nd (January 1958)
- 3rd (July 1958)
- 4th (September 1958)
- 5th (January 1959)
- 6th (May 1959)
- 7th (September 1959)
- 8th (March 1960)
- 9th (July 1960)
- 10th (September 1960)
- 1 Sandanme Championship (May 1948)
- 1 Jonokuchi Championship (November 1947)
Achievements[]
- Special Prizes: Fighting Spirit Prize (2), Outstanding Performance Prize (2), Technique Prize (1)
- Kinboshi: 6: (2) Haguroyama, (2) Chiyonoyama, (2) Azumafuji
Shikona History[]
- Wakanohana Yoshimi (1946.11 - 1947.11)
- Wakanohana Katsuji (1948.05 - 1958.03)
- Wakanohana Kanji (1958.05 - 1962.05)
Gallery[]
