若乃花 · Yokozuna · Hanakago stable · retired
| Highest rank | Yokozuna |
| Stable | Hanakago stable |
| From | Hokkaido, Muroran-shi - Aomori-ken, Hirosaki-shi |
| Born | 1928-03-16 |
| Height | 179 cm |
| Weight | 105 kg |
| First tournament | November 1946 |
| Retired | 1962-05-01T00:00:00Z |
The ring name is written 若乃花. Taken character by character:
| 若 | young |
| 乃 | of (a classical possessive) |
| 花 | flower |
These are the dictionary meanings of the characters, not a statement about why this particular name was chosen — that is the stablemaster’s business, and we do not guess at it. How ring names are put together →
Wakanohana Kanji has fought 321 recorded bouts, winning 254 and losing 67 — a winning rate of 79.1%. He has taken 3 championships.
| Technique | Japanese | Wins | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frontal force out | 寄り切り | 80 | 31.5% |
| Over arm throw | 上手投げ | 31 | 12.2% |
| Frontal lift out | 吊り出し | 13 | 5.1% |
| Frontal push out | 押し出し | 13 | 5.1% |
| Frontal crush out | 寄り倒し | 10 | 3.9% |
| Beltless armthrow | 掬い投げ | 10 | 3.9% |
| Arm lock throw | 小手投げ | 9 | 3.5% |
| Slap down | 叩き込み | 9 | 3.5% |
Counted from his winning bouts in this database. English names follow NHK WORLD-JAPAN. All 87 techniques →
| Opponent | Bouts | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tochihikari Masayuki | 21 | 19 | 2 |
| Wakahaguro Tomoaki | 19 | 16 | 3 |
| Haguroyama Sojo | 18 | 14 | 4 |
| Tsurugamine Akio | 16 | 13 | 3 |
| Kitanonada Noboru | 15 | 13 | 2 |
| Fusanishiki Katsuhiko | 15 | 13 | 2 |
| Ohikari Sadayuki | 15 | 12 | 3 |
| Dewanishiki Tadao | 14 | 9 | 5 |
| Tournament | Rank | Record |
|---|---|---|
| May 1962 | Yokozuna 2 East | 0–0–15 |
| March 1962 | Yokozuna 1 West | 0–2–13 |
| January 1962 | Yokozuna 2 East | 11–4 |
| November 1961 | Yokozuna 1 East | 11–4 |
| September 1961 | Yokozuna 1 West | 10–5 |
| July 1961 | Yokozuna 1 East | 3–4–8 |
| May 1961 | Yokozuna 1 West | 10–5 |
| March 1961 | Yokozuna 1 East | 0–0–15 |
| January 1961 | Yokozuna 1 West | 12–3 |
| November 1960 | Yokozuna 1 East | 5–4–6 |
| September 1960 | Yokozuna 1 East | 13–2 |
| July 1960 | Yokozuna 1 East | 13–2 |
| May 1960 | Yokozuna 1 East | 13–2 |
| March 1960 | Yokozuna 2 East | 15–0 |
| January 1960 | Yokozuna 1 West | 0–3–12 |
Rivalries with at least 12 meetings, each with every bout listed:
| Opponent | Bouts | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Tochihikari Masayuki | 21 | 19–2 |
| Wakahaguro Tomoaki | 19 | 16–3 |
| Haguroyama Sojo | 18 | 14–4 |
| Tsurugamine Akio | 16 | 13–3 |
| Kitanonada Noboru | 15 | 13–2 |
| Fusanishiki Katsuhiko | 15 | 13–2 |
| Ohikari Sadayuki | 15 | 12–3 |
| Dewanishiki Tadao | 14 | 9–5 |
| Kitabayama Hidetoshi | 14 | 11–3 |
| Iwakaze Kakutaro | 14 | 12–2 |
| Wakamaeda Eiichiro | 13 | 8–5 |
| Kashiwado Tsuyoshi | 12 | 6–6 |
The Japanese side of this site carries seven pages on Wakanohana Kanji: tournament-by-tournament results, every bout he has fought, head-to-head records against all opponents, a breakdown of his winning techniques, a reading of his fighting style, and his records.