Takanohana Koji
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- "Takanohana" is also the ring name of former Ozeki Takanohana Kenshi
He entered sumo in March 1988, at the same time as his elder brother Wakanohana Masaru, and also Akebono Taro and Kaio Hiroyuki.
Takanohana had a rapid rise through the ranks, in which he set numerous age-related records, including the youngest ever promotion to Juryo, youngest ever promotion to Makuuchi, and becoming the youngest ever to win the top division championship. Although he was also the youngest ever promotion to Ozeki in January 1993, his lack of consistency delayed his promotion to Yokozuna, the highest rank in Sumo, until November 1994 when he won his second consecutive undefeated tournament victory (with a last-day win over Akebono Taro) to make promotion certain. His first tournament as a yokozuna was in the following January.
He held the Yokozuna rank for about eight years, won a total of 22 championships and had a record of 794 wins, 262 losses, and 201 absences due to injury before his retirement in 2003. After his retirement he became an elder (or member) of the Japan Sumo Association as Takanohana oyakata and took over the operation of his father's Sumo training stable.
In the early part of his career, he wrestled under the name Takahanada, being given his father's fighting name on his promotion to Ozeki. In late 1992 Takahanada announced an engagement to actress Miyazawa Rie, but it was abandoned the following year as Miyazawa was seen by Takahanada's family and the Sumo Association as unwilling to sacrifice her career to become a regular stable wife, due to the machinations of her mother, who was also her manager.
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