Taihō Kōki facts for kids

In this Japanese shikona name, the surname is Taihō.

Quick facts for kids Taihō Kōki
大鵬幸喜
Taihō, May 1961
Personal information
Born	Kōki Naya (1940-05-29)May 29, 1940 Shisuka, Karafuto, Empire of Japan
Died	January 19, 2013(2013-01-19) (aged 72) Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 1+1⁄2 in)
Weight	153 kg (337 lb; 24.1 st)
Career
Stable	Nishonoseki
Record	872-181-136
Debut	September 1956
Highest rank	Yokozuna (September 1961)
Retired	May 1971
Elder name	Taihō
Championships	32 (Makuuchi) 1 (Jūryō) 1 (Sandanme)
Special Prizes	Fighting Spirit (2) Technique (1)
Gold Stars	1 (Asashio III)
* Up to date as of June 2020.

Taihō Kōki (Japanese: 大鵬幸喜, born Kōki Naya (納谷幸喜, Naya Kōki), Ukrainian: Іва́н Бори́шко, Ivan Boryshko; May 29, 1940 – January 19, 2013) was a famous Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He became the 48th yokozuna (grand champion) in 1961. At 21 years old, he was the youngest ever yokozuna at that time.

Taihō won 32 major sumo tournaments between 1960 and 1971. This was a record that no one could beat until 2014. He was so dominant that he won six tournaments in a row twice! He also had an amazing winning streak of 45 matches in a row between 1968 and 1969. He is the only wrestler to win at least one championship every year he was in the top division.

He was a very popular grand champion, especially with kids and women. After he stopped wrestling, he became a sumo coach. Taihō is often called the greatest sumo wrestler of the time after World War II. Another great yokozuna, Hakuhō, looked up to Taihō. Hakuhō later broke Taihō's record by winning his 33rd championship in 2015.

Taihō's Early Life and Sumo Start
- Joining Sumo and Rising Fast
Becoming a Yokozuna Grand Champion
Life After Sumo Retirement
- Awards and Legacy
Taihō's Fighting Style
Taihō's Family
Images for kids
See also

Taihō's Early Life and Sumo Start

Taihō's birth name was Kōki Naya. He was born on Sakhalin island. His mother was Japanese, and his father was Ukrainian. His father had left his home country because of a big revolution.

When Taihō was a child, his family moved to Teshikaga, Hokkaidō, Japan. This was after the Soviet Union took control of Sakhalin in 1945. Taihō tried to find his father during a sumo tour in the Soviet Union in 1965, but he couldn't.

Taihō was one of three amazing yokozuna who came from Hokkaidō. Hokkaidō is the most northern main island of Japan. These three wrestlers were Taihō, Kitanoumi, and Chiyonofuji. They were the best in sumo during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

Joining Sumo and Rising Fast

Taihō started his sumo career in September 1956. He joined the Nishonoseki stable, which is like a sumo training club. At first, he used his real name, Naya Kōki.

In May 1959, he was promoted to the second highest division called jūryō. That's when he got his special sumo name, "Taihō." This name means "Great peng," which is a mythical bird often like a phoenix.

Taihō quickly moved up the ranks after joining the top makuuchi division in January 1960. In his very first tournament in the top division, he won 11 matches in a row from the first day. This was a record that stood for 64 years! He won 12 matches in total and was a runner-up. He also won the Fighting Spirit prize.

By November 1960, he was at the sekiwake rank. He won his first tournament championship then. After winning two more tournaments in a row, he became a yokozuna in September 1961. This was less than two years after he first joined the top division! Taihō is not considered the first non-Japanese yokozuna because Sakhalin island was claimed by Japan.

Becoming a Yokozuna Grand Champion

When Taihō became a yokozuna, he was 21 years and three months old. This made him the youngest ever yokozuna at that time. Later, Kitanoumi became yokozuna one month younger than Taihō. It's very rare for a new yokozuna to win their first tournament after being promoted, but Taihō did it!

He was promoted at the same time as another wrestler named Kashiwado. Their friendly competition was very famous and was called the Hakuhō era. Even though Kashiwado won fewer championships, Taihō said, "There was Taihō because there was Kashiwado. There was Kashiwado because there was Taihō." They were good friends outside of sumo.

Original tegata (handprint and signature) of Yokozuna Taihō

Taihō quickly became much more successful than Kashiwado. He was incredibly dominant, especially early in his career. He was the only yokozuna after World War II to win six tournaments in a row, and he did it twice! This record stood until 2005.

He also won eight championships with a perfect record of 15 wins and no losses (called zenshō-yūshō). This record was broken by Hakuhō in 2013. Taihō even came back from missing five tournaments in a row to win the championship in September 1968. He then started a 45-match winning streak. This streak ended in March 1969 because of a wrong decision by the judges. This caused such a big fuss that video replays were introduced in sumo after that!

His last championship win was in January 1971. He kept his amazing record of winning at least one championship every year he was in the top division. He retired from sumo in May 1971 after losing to a promising young wrestler named Takanohana. He had been a yokozuna for almost ten years. His winning rate was over 80%, which is also a record for the post-war period.

Taihō was the first former wrestler to be allowed to join the Japan Sumo Association without having to buy a special share. This was because of his incredible achievements.

Life After Sumo Retirement

After retiring, Taihō opened his own sumo training stable, called Taihō stable, in December 1971. In 1977, when he was 36, he had a stroke. This health problem made it harder for him to move his left side. He worked hard in rehabilitation to get better.

As a coach, he didn't have as much success as he did wrestling. However, he did train one wrestler, Ōzutsu, who reached the sekiwake rank. Ōzutsu fought in 78 top division tournaments in a row!

In 2000, Taihō had his kanreki dohyō-iri ceremony. This is a special event to celebrate a yokozuna's 60th birthday. Even though it was hard for him to move, he was able to perform part of the ceremony.

In May 2005, Taihō reached the age of 65 and had to retire from his coaching role. He then became the curator of the Sumo Museum in Tokyo. He still stayed in touch with his old stable and even invited yokozuna Hakuhō to train there in 2008.

Awards and Legacy

The Japanese government honored Taihō with the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2004. In 2009, he received the Person of Cultural Merit award, becoming the first sumo wrestler to get this honor.

Taihō passed away from heart failure on January 19, 2013, at age 72. His death was announced by the Japan Sumo Association. Many people called him "the strongest yokozuna in history." In February 2013, he was given the People's Honour Award by the Japanese government. This award is for people who have brought great pride to Japan.

After winning a championship in March 2013, Hakuhō asked the crowd to stand and remember Taihō with a moment of silence. Hakuhō said Taihō often gave him advice and told him that records are meant to be broken. Hakuhō did just that, breaking Taihō's record by winning his 33rd championship in January 2015.

Taihō's Fighting Style

Taihō was known for his great skill and strength when he grabbed his opponent's mawashi (belt). This style is called yotsu-sumo. He preferred to grab with his right hand outside and his left hand inside.

His most common winning move was yori-kiri, which means forcing his opponent out of the ring. This move accounted for about 30% of his wins. He also used throws like sukuinage (a beltless scoop throw) and uwatenage (an overarm throw).

Taihō was very dedicated to training. He was known for inviting every new wrestler in the top division to train with him.

Taihō's Family

Taihō got married in 1966 when he was very famous. His wedding reception was huge, with 1000 guests and over 200 reporters! He was the first sumo wrestler to hold a press conference after his marriage, which is now common.

Taihō's youngest daughter married a former sekiwake wrestler named Takatoriki. He took over Taihō's stable, which was renamed Ōtake stable.

Taihō's grandson, Konosuke Naya, was born in 2000. He became a professional sumo wrestler in January 2018, using the sumo name Ōhō. His brothers, Kosei and Takamori, also became sumo wrestlers. Taihō's oldest grandson, Yukio Naya, is a professional wrestler.

Images for kids

Aobajō (left) and Taihō at a Yokozuna Deliberation Council keiko sōken (December 23, 2011)