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Kitazakura Hidetoshi used to be a Maegashira 9-ranked sumo wrestler born in Hiroshima.

In Japanese sumo wrestling, there are six top divisions namely, in order: Makuuchi, Juuryou, Makushita, Sandanme, Jonidan, and the Jonokuchi. Each divisions are strictly composed of only 42 wrestlers. Of those 42, eighth to twelve of them are given sannyakus or titles. The rest gets the title maegashira and are ranked by numbers. Hidetoshi was ranked at number 9.

Sumo is not only a sports but also considered a sacred ritual for the gods so they throw salt around the ring for purification purposes. However, Kitazakura has been famous for throwing huge amounts of salts, similar to a former wrestler named Mitoizumi Masayuki.

Photo by Materialscientist. Licensed under Creative Commons. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en)

Tags: sports, kitazakura hidetoshi, maegashira, hiroshima, Makuuchi, Juuryou, Makushita, Sandanme, Jonidan, Jonokuchi, sannyaku, sumo, mitoizumi masayuki