In Memoriam ’24: Thank You, Until We Meet Again 】Koji Takanohana talks about his “true friendship” with Taro Akebono.

Taro Akebono
Passed away on April 6 at the age of 54

He felt “true friendship.”
Koji Takanohana (65th yokozuna)

We were entry-level classmates who jumped into the world of sumo in 1988. I have fond memories of calling each other “Chad” and “Koji” during our sumo training school days.

During my active career, I rarely spoke to other wrestlers in the same stable or to my peers, as I was devoted to sumo. However, after I retired in 2003, I started showing up at the class reunions. Akebono and I would talk about our memories of being blown to the bottom of the ring by a brute force punch. I believe we had a kind of “true friendship” that could only be understood by those who competed with each other in the ring.

In 2005, Akebono-san collapsed on a wrestling tour and was rushed to a hospital in Fukuoka. I was in Fukuoka at the time preparing for the Kyushu Tournament and rushed to the hospital, but Akebono was in the intensive care unit and I was unable to visit him. At that time, I could only give flowers to his wife. It was difficult to see him after he was discharged from the hospital, and the last time we spoke was at a class reunion a few months before he was transported to the hospital.

I sometimes think back to Akebono’s cheerful and kind smile from my days at the training school.

From the January 3, 10, and 17, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY