Beloved Wrestling Champion Dead At 60

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Beloved Wrestling Champion Dead At 60 originally appeared on The Spun.
The sumo wrestling world lost a beloved figure this week as former grand tournament champion Takaya Kobayashi passed away at the age of 60.
Kobayashi, who competed under the name Kotofuji for most of his career, had been battling serious health issues for the better part of four years. He suffered a cerebral infarction in 2021 that required part of his skull to be removed, which prevented him from speaking over the final years of his life. He sadly lost consciousness last October and passed away after nearly 10 months in a coma.
"Four years ago, he suffered a cerebral infarction and had been recuperating at home. He passed away on August 8 at 7:43 a.m. His wake was held on the same day, and a funeral for close family was held on the 9th," sumo news translator Italianozeki wrote on X.
"He was cared for at home for about four years. His wife, who had been nursing him, said, 'It wouldn't have been strange if he had died right after the cerebral infarction surgery. The nurses said he was 'strong.'' Before he collapsed, his passion was teaching sumo to children, and he had even given up the gambling that had derailed his life. 'He was always watching sumo broadcasts. He seemed happy to be involved in sumo,' she recalled. Although he lived a turbulent life after retiring as a wrestler and from the Japan Sumo Association, which included his extreme poverty being featured on television, it seems certain that he loved sumo until the very end."
A tremendous legacy
As a wrestler, Kotofuji used his superior to height to get an advantage over most of his opponents. At 6-foot-3.5, he was often among the tallest if not the tallest person in his division at all times.
Making his debut in professional sumo in 1980 at the sixth division, Kotofuji slowly climbed his way up the ranks as a teenager and finally made his debut in the top division in 1988 at the age of 23. Upon making his debut in the top division, he impressed everyone by going 11-4, earning a special prize for his performance in the September 1988 tournament.
Kotofuji would spend the next six years in the top division, winning 251 of 539 matches.
But the July 1991 tournament was his crowning achievement. Competing as the 34th-ranked wrestler in the tournament that month, he shocked the world by going 14-1, defeating Grand Champion Asahifuji and future Grand Champion Akebono to claim his first and only Emperor's Cup.
That championship win would be the peak of Kotofuji's career. He would compete for another four years but did not achieve anything of note in the ring after his title win.
After sumo
Several misfortunes would befall Kotofuji after his retirement in September 1995. He first served as an elder in the Japan Sumo Association, but was ousted from the role just two months shy of qualifying for retirement money.
Kotofuji then tried his hand at numerous ventures such a television and restaurant management. However, gambling nearly derailed his entire life and by his 50s he was living in extreme poverty.
Kotofuji managed to turn his life around thanks to a successful YouTube channel and a salon that he opened. But in 2021, the aforementioned health issues befell him.
Our hearts go out to the late-great Kotofuji's family and loved ones.
Beloved Wrestling Champion Dead At 60 first appeared on The Spun on Aug 10, 2025
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Aug 10, 2025, where it first appeared.