Sumo elder Futagoyama, a former ozeki and the father of former grand champions Takanohana and Wakanohana, died of mouth cancer at a Tokyo hospital Monday, his family said. He was 55.
Sumo elder Futagoyama (right) is seen with his sons Takanohana (left) and Wakanohana in May
1998.
Futagoyama, whose real name is Mitsuru Hanada, had been receiving treatment at a hospital in Tokyo since the fall of 2003 for a type of cancer that afflicts the region between the tongue and gums at the base of the mouth.