Kitanoumi Toshimitsu

Kitanoumi Toshimitsu, Japanese北の湖 敏満; Born May 16, 1953 in Sōbetsu, Hokkaidō Prefecture as Kobata Toshimitsu (小 畑 敏 満) was a Japanese sumo wrestler and the 55th yokozuna. Since 2002 he has been Chairman of the Sumōverbands.

Because of its origin Kitanoumi is counted among the great Sumōkämpfern from the island of Hokkaido, who dominated the sport for decades. He received the title of yokozuna in 1974 at the age of only 21 years, setting a new age record. The list of his combative records is remarkable: In seven years of his tenure as Yokozuna, he was able to record from all wrestlers the most wins in a given year. Kitanoumi won 24 tournaments throughout his career, including seven without defeat.

At the beginning of the 1980s Kitanoumi was plagued by a series of injuries. After a recent tournament victory in 1984, he joined back in 1985 from active sumo. Another rikishi of Hokkaido, Chiyonofuji, took his inheritance.

Kitanoumi was able to continue his career as an active athlete also a very successful career away from the ring. He founded his own stable Kitanoumi - Beya and rose in the hierarchy of Nihon Sumō Kyōkai to 1988, he was Shimpan - bucho (Supreme Shimpan ) and in 2002 he accepted the presidency of the Sumōverbandes.