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["Rowan Klein" <rowanchan@hotmail.com>]

http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/waiwai/face/0301/30takanohana.html

Takanohana's world turned black after tossing pink kimono

By Ryann Connell Staff Writer

January 30, 2002

http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/waiwai/face/0301/images/30taka250.jpg
Takanohana and Rie Miyazawa are tickled pink with their engagement.

Retired Yokozuna Takanohana will go down in history as one of sumo 
wrestling's all-time greats. But he'll also be remembered as one of the 
coolest and unfriendly rikishi to have ever entered the dohyo.
It wasn't always the case, Shukan Gendai (2/8) says, claiming the glorious 
grappler was once known for being the life of the party until his doomed 
relationship with actress Rie Miyazawa was brought to an abrupt halt 
precisely 10 years ago.

"Takanohana become (cold-hearted) after all the fuss about his engagement 
and parting from Rie Miyazawa toward the end of 1992. That's about the time 
he started referring to himself in a more formal manner. He hid his true 
personality away and decided to become the robotic type of personality he 
thought was necessary for a yokozuna or ozeki," a veteran sumo reporter 
tells Shukan Gendai.

Takanohana, or Takahanada as he was known then, and Rie, at the time the 
undisputed princess of the Japanese entertainment world, captured the 
nation's hearts when they appeared dressed in matching pink kimono at a news 
conference at the Hotel New Otani in Tokyo on Nov. 27 1992 to announce their 
engagement. Throughout proceedings, the pair exchanged lovesick glances and 
tightly gripped hands underneath the table. No couple appeared to be 
happier. Takanohana was just 20 and his bride-to-be a year younger than 
that.

"Takanohana entered the sumo world at 15. He'd only ever referred to his 
parents as stablemaster or stablemistress and never just Mom or Dad. 
Takanohana had a really strong desire to find a partner and start a family," 
a source close to the Futagoyama stable run by Takanohana's father tells 
Shukan Gendai. "On the other hand, Rie was the child of a Dutch father and 
she was shunted off to live with a relative until she was a fifth grader. 
Once she became a celebrity, her mother dominated her life and she went 
everywhere with her. But she barely knew her Dad. She was starved of a 
family life at that time, too. Anyway, they were young, pure and serious. It 
was only natural that they got together."

As things turned out, it almost seemed natural that they were split apart, 
too. Vicious battles broke out between Rie's ambitious mother and 
Takanohana's Hanada family, who wanted Rie to quit the glitterati to become 
a good wife and selfless stablemistress.

Leaks emanated from sumo circles about a break-up sent the tabloid media 
into a frenzy and soon Takanohana was presented with the choice of pursuing 
sumo or Rie. Though he teetered for a while, coming from one of the ancient 
sport's greatest dynasties, Takanohana really had no other option but to go 
on grappling. Rie was devastated, becoming anorexic and attempting suicide. 
Her career has never recovered.

Takanohana gave a memorable news conference on Jan. 27 1993 to announce the 
end of his engagement to Rie, saying only, "I don't love her anymore."

"Up until that moment, Takanohana had been able to switch himself on and 
off. He could give his everything to sumo, but when he was out of the dohyo 
he could mess around with the best of them. He was into the girls in a big 
way, too. One magazine caught him on a secret date in Yokohama," a source 
associated with a Futagoyama Stable supporter's club says. "He changed 
entirely, though, after breaking up with Rie. He stopped talking and became 
dark and gloomy. I wouldn't say he went so far as to stop trusting 
everybody, but it took a lot of convincing for him to believe you. He 
started to live just for sumo, which I suppose he felt was the only path 
open to him."

Others see Rie's absence from Takanohana's life as the end of his happy go 
lucky days.

"Takanohana never forgot Rie. Even his wife told one interviewer that 
Takanohana and Rie had been real soul mates and they she would never be able 
to have what they had," the veteran hack tells Shukan Gendai. "Before 
Takanohana's retirement announcement, reporters were told to limit their 
questions to sumo. Organizers knew how hard it would be for Takanohana to 
talk about Rie."




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