Takanohana Koji
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Takanohana III Koji (貴乃花 光司 Takanohana Kōji, born August 121972 as Koji Hanada (花田 光司 Hanada Kōji)) is the younger son of the late Takanohana Kenshi (formerly Ozeki Takanohana II, whose name after retirement was Futagoyama oyakata).
He entered sumo in March 1988, at the same time as his elder brother Wakanohana Masaru, and also Akebono Taro.
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 a tournament victory in November 1994 (his second consecutive undefeated tournament victory, with a last-day win over Akebono Taro) laid the issue to rest and made promotion certain. His first tournament as a yokozuna was in the following January.
He held the Yokozuna rank for about eight years and won a total of 22 championships 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.