Wakanohana Kanji I

Acting

Personal Info

gender

Male

birthday

March 16, 1928

died

September 1, 2010

place of birth

Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, Japan

also known as

若乃花 幹士 · Wakanohana Kanji

total credits

1 movies

Biography

Wakanohana Kanji I (Japanese: 若乃花 幹士, Hepburn: Wakanohana Kanji, March 16, 1928 – September 1, 2010) was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He was the sport's 45th yokozuna. He was a popular wrestler and was nicknamed the "Devil of the Dohyō" (土俵の鬼, Dohyō no Oni) due to his great fighting spirit and endurance.

Wakanohana's younger brother (by twenty-two years) was the late former ōzeki Takanohana Kenshi and he was the uncle of Wakanohana Masaru and Takanohana Kōji. He won ten top division yūshō or tournament championships during his career and at a fighting weight of around 100 kg was one of the lightest yokozuna ever. He had a long-standing rivalry with Tochinishiki and was one of the most popular wrestlers of the 1950s. After his retirement in 1962, he established the Futagoyama stable and was also head of the Japan Sumo Association from 1988 until 1992.

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Known For

Filmography

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