Takanohana Kenshi

貴 ノ 花 健 士
Takanohana Kenshi

Personal data
real name	Hanada Mitsuru
Born	February 19, 1950
place of birth	Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture
Died	May 30, 2005
size	1.82 m
Weight	115 kg
Career
Heya	Futagoyama
Career record	726-490-58
debut	May 1965
Highest rank	Ōzeki
Tournament victories	2
resignation	January 1981

Takanohana Kenshi ( Japanese 貴 ノ 花 健 士 ; also: Takanohana I .; called Futagoyama; born February 19, 1950 in Aomori Prefecture as Hanada Mitsuru (花田 満); † May 30, 2005 in Tokyo ) was a Japanese sumo wrestler . His highest rank was Ōzeki .

He was the father of Yokozuna Wakanohana Masaru and Takanohana Kōji and the younger brother of the 45th Yokozuna Wakanohana Kanji I. He died of cancer .

Despite his relatively low weight of around 115 kg, Takanohana managed to hold 50 tournaments as Ōzeki, which was a record for a long time, but was also achieved by Chiyotaikai and Kaio . He was now considered a yokozuna candidate, especially in 1975. When the yokozuna Wajima faltered, he had his best time, won two tournaments and fought spectacular fights with Kitanoumi , who was also yokozuna at the time. Still, he did not manage to get promoted to yokozuna. In 1981 he resigned and founded his own sumo stable , the Fujishima-Beya, which he united with the Futagoyama-Beya in 1993 when his brother, 22 years older, gave up his post in the sumo association due to age . Most recently he suffered badly from cancer , which was probably also due to his tobacco consumption . His last major appearance was at the resignation ceremony of the former Ōzeki Takanonami , when he symbolically cut a piece of Takanonami's topknot , even though he was already marked by cancer.

At the beginning of 2004 he gave his heya to his younger son Takanohana II.