Wakanohana Kanji I

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
In this Japanese shikona name, the surname is Wakanohana.
Wakanohana Kanji
若乃花 幹士
Azumafuji
(2)
* Up to date as of June 2020.

Wakanohana Kanji I (

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

Tochinishiki and was one of the most popular wrestlers of the 1950s. After his retirement in 1962 he established Futagoyama stable and was also head of the Japan Sumo Association
from 1988 until 1992.

Career

Born Hanada Katsuji (花田 勝治) in

Onoumi,[1] joining Nishonoseki stable in November 1946. He was trained harshly by Rikidōzan in Nishonoseki stable, and reportedly bit Rikidōzan's leg in retaliation for his training.[2] 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. 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.

Chiyonoyama
take a break during their 17-minute draw in September 1955

Wakanohana reached the top division in 1950. In September 1955 he fought a bout against yokozuna

Chiyonoyama that lasted for over 17 minutes before being declared a draw.[1] In contrast, most sumo matches are over in a few seconds. He was promoted to ōzeki after that tournament. Wakanohana won his first top division championship in May 1956. Shortly before the following tournament his four-year-old eldest son Katsuo was scalded to death when a boiling hot pot of chankonabe fell on him.[3] Despite being devastated by the tragedy,[4] Wakanohana chose to compete in the tournament but ended up dropping out with a fever.[3]
He changed the spelling of his ring surname in September 1957, and adopted the given name Kanji in May 1958.

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

dohyō-iri or ring entering ceremony.[4]

Wakanohana's great rival as yokozuna was

Kashiwado
, retiring in May 1962.

Wakanohana was such a popular wrestler that he even starred in a feature film about his life, Wakanohana Monogatari Dohyō no Oni made by Nikkatsu and released across Japan on December 27, 1956.[4][5]

Wakanohana I original tegata (Handprint & signature)

Retirement from sumo

After retirement he set up his own training stable,

Takahanada, who had become the youngest ever top division tournament winner.[8] 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. 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.[9]

Fighting style

Wakanohana was a noted technician, and his trademark was his overarm throwing techniques.[9] 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.

Pre-modern top division record

  • The New Year tournament began and the Spring tournament returned to Osaka in 1953.
Wakanohana Kanji I[10]
- Spring
Haru basho, Tokyo		 Summer
Natsu basho, Tokyo		 Autumn
Aki basho, Tokyo
1950 West Maegashira #18
11–4
F		 East Maegashira #9
10–5
 		 East Maegashira #4
4–11
 
1951 East Maegashira #7
11–4
F		 East Maegashira #1
8–7
★		 East Komusubi #1
7–8
 
1952 West Komusubi #2
5–10
 		 West Maegashira #4
5–10
 		 West Maegashira #9
10–5
 
Record given as wins–losses–absencies    Top division champion Top division runner-up Retired Lower divisions Non-participation

Playoff
(s)
Divisions:
Jonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: 
Maegashira
- New Year
Hatsu basho, Tokyo		 Spring
Haru basho, Osaka		 Summer
Natsu basho, Tokyo		 Autumn
Aki basho, Tokyo
1953 West Maegashira #3
8–7
★★★		 East Maegashira #1
8–7
★		 East Maegashira #1
8–7
★		 West Komusubi #1
8–7
 
1954 West Sekiwake #1
8–7
O		 East Sekiwake #1
9–6
 		 East Sekiwake #1
9–6
 		 West Sekiwake #1
11–4
O
1955 East Sekiwake #1
7–7–1draw
 		 West Sekiwake #1
10–4–1draw
 		 West Sekiwake #1
8–7
 		 West Sekiwake #1
10–4–1draw
T
1956 East Ōzeki #2
13–2
 		 East Ōzeki #1
12–3–P
 		 East Ōzeki #1
12–3–P
 		 East Ōzeki #1
12–2–1
 
Record given as wins–losses–absencies    Top division champion Top division runner-up Retired Lower divisions Non-participation

Playoff
(s)
Divisions:
Jonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: 
Maegashira

Modern top division tournament record

  • Since the addition of the Kyushu tournament in 1957 and the Nagoya tournament in 1958, the yearly schedule has remained unchanged.
Year January
Hatsu basho, Tokyo		 March
Haru basho, Osaka		 May
Natsu basho, Tokyo		 July
Nagoya basho, Nagoya		 September
Aki basho, Tokyo		 November
Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
1957 East Ōzeki #1
11–4
 		 East Ōzeki #1
10–5
 		 East Ōzeki #1
11–4
 		 Not held East Ōzeki #1
11–4
 		 East Ōzeki #1
12–3
 
1958 East Ōzeki #1
13–2
 		 East Yokozuna #2
12–3
 		 West Yokozuna #1
11–4
 		 East Yokozuna #2
13–2
 		 East Yokozuna #1
14–1
 		 East Yokozuna #1
12–2–1draw
 
1959 East Yokozuna #1
14–1
 		 East Yokozuna #1
12–3
 		 East Yokozuna #2
14–1–P
 		 West Yokozuna-Ōzeki #1
11–4
 		 West Yokozuna-Ōzeki #1
14–1
 		 East Yokozuna #1
11–4
 
1960 West Yokozuna #1
0–3–12
 		 East Yokozuna #2
15–0
 		 East Yokozuna #1
13–2
 		 East Yokozuna #1
13–2
 		 East Yokozuna #1
13–2
 		 East Yokozuna #1
5–4–6
 
1961 West Yokozuna #1
12–3
 		 East Yokozuna #1
Sat out due to injury
0–0–15		 West Yokozuna #1
10–5
 		 East Yokozuna #1
3–4–8
 		 West Yokozuna #1
10–5
 		 East Yokozuna #1
11–4
 
1962 East Yokozuna #2
11–4
 		 West Yokozuna #1
0–2–13
 		 East Yokozuna #2
Retired
0–0		 x x x
Record given as wins–losses–absencies    Top division champion Top division runner-up Retired Lower divisions Non-participation

Playoff
(s)
Divisions:
Jonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: 
Maegashira

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Lewin, Brian (August 2005). "What will become of the dynasty?". Sumo Fan Magazine. Retrieved 2007-07-26.
  2. ^ Kobayashi, Toshiharu. 若乃花幹士 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  3. ^
    ISBN 0-8348-0283-X
    .
  4. ^ a b c Kuroda, Joe (April 2008). "The 45th Yokozuna Wakanohana Kanji" (PDF). Sumo Fan Magazine. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  5. ^ "若ノ花物語 土俵の鬼". www.jmdb.ne.jp. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  6. ^ "The Gallery – Rijicho of the Kyokai". The Oyakata Gallery. Retrieved 2012-08-25.
  7. ^ Miki, Shuji (30 June 2020). "Tachai jump-offs can be make or break in sumo match". Japan News. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  8. ^ Gunning, John (21 July 2019). "Sumo 101: JSA chairman". Japan Times. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  9. ^ a b "'Devil of the Dohyo' Wakanohana dies". Japan Times. 2 September 2010. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
  10. ^ "Wakanohana Kanji Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2007-07-26.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wakanohana Kanji I.


Preceded by 45th Yokozuna
1958–1962 		Succeeded by
Yokozuna
 is not a successive rank, and more than one wrestler can hold the title at once
Sporting positions
Preceded by Chairman of the Japan Sumo Association
1988–1992 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wakanohana_Kanji_I&oldid=1219826715"