Sumo stablemaster Futagoyama is waging a battle with mouth cancer, his son and former grand champion Takanohana revealed Wednesday.
Futagoyama, whose real name is Mitsuru Hanada, is being treated at a Tokyo hospital for a type of cancer that afflicts the region between the tongue and gums at the base of the mouth.
Former yokozuna Takanohana, whose real name is Koji Hanada, said in a media press release that his 55-year-old father is working toward recovery by taking an increased dosage of medication to reduce pain and prevent the spread of the cancer.