About Kōji Kitao
Kōji Kitao (Japanese: 北尾 光司; August 12, 1963 – February 10, 2019) was a Japanese sumo wrestler (rikishi), professional wrestler, and mixed martial artist. As Futahaguro Kōji (双羽黒 光司) he was sumo's 60th yokozuna, and the only one in sumo history not to win a top division tournament championship. He was forced to leave sumo at the end of 1987 after a falling-out with his stable master Tatsunami, and became a professional wrestler in 1990, primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Super World of Sports (SWS). He also had a short film career as an actor, portraying a sumo wrestler in Jean-Claude Van Damme's 1996 martial arts film The Quest. == Sumo wrestling career == === Early career === Born in Tsu, Kitao made his professional sumo debut in March 1979 at the age of 15, joining Tatsunami stable. In March 1983 he ended up in a rare eight-way playoff for the third-division championship but failed to win the final bout. He reached the top makuuchi division in September 1984 after winning the championship in the jūryō division. In his second tournament in the top division he defeated yokozuna Kitanoumi and was awarded the Outstanding Performance prize and promotion to komusubi. He made his sekiwake debut in May 1985. In July 1985 he was back in the maegashira ranks but defeated two more yokozuna and was tournament runner-up with twelve wins.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.