Mixed feelings about Takanohana’s sale of his 500-million-yen mansion in a high-class residential area

The great yokozuna of the Heisei era, Takanohana (Hanada Koji, 49), has not been heard from in recent years.

He has not been invited to many lectures and events, partly because of the Covid-19 disaster. His plan to publish a picture book, which was proposed the year before last, has been halted. Last spring, he was appointed as a special professor at Kanagawa Dental College, but since he is a part-time professor, he rarely gives classes.

Recently, he has only been seen in TV commercials for Furunavi, an information website for hometown tax payments. In the midst of all this, Takanohana’s home, which he built in 2003 in an upscale residential area in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, was quietly sold this summer. This is where Takanohana lived with his eldest son Yuichi, a TV personality and shoemaker, and their two daughters until he divorced popular announcer Keiko Kono (57) in October 2006.

When FRIDAY visited the house, the curtains had already been removed as well as the nameplate.

When FRIDAY visited the house, the front door tag and curtains had already been removed. “There was a flyer in the neighborhood saying the house was for sale, but I don’t think it sold very well. It’s in a good location, but there’s no yard and it’s on a slope on one side. The interior decorator came and went three times to renovate the house, and I think the agency changed several times,” said a neighbor.

At the time of construction, it was reported that the total cost of the mansion was 500 million yen, but it may not have sold for the price they wanted. It is now owned by a company that buys and resells used properties.

I asked Takanohana about the sale of his house, but he only commented on it through his entertainment agency.

As you all know, my husband and I have divorced, and as a result, we have sold our house. As for his recent situation, he is continuing to work hard in his new world.

Another acquaintance said, “Oyakata has severed ties with his family.

The master is not interested in relationships once they are severed. I heard that he has not seen his family at all since the divorce. He seems to have changed his cell phone number and has lost touch with many of his supporters from his working days. He has no valet now and is living alone comfortably. Since he has no financial problems, the Takanohana Dojo, which he established in 2007, will probably continue to focus on lectures and appearances at events.

He quit the Sumo Association, got divorced, and finally gave up his house. How far will he go to maintain his isolation?

From the December 10, 2021 issue of FRIDAY