| Kitanoumi Toshimitsu | |
|---|---|
| 北の湖敏満 | |
_IMG_1452_20130302.JPG) Kitanoumi in 2013 | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | Toshimitsu Obata May 16, 1953 Sōbetsu, Hokkaido, Japan |
| Died | November 20, 2015 (aged 62) Fukuoka, Japan |
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10+1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 169 kg (373 lb; 26.6 st) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Mihogaseki |
| Record | 951-350-107 |
| Debut | January 1967 |
| Highest rank | Yokozuna (July 1974) |
| Retired | January 1985 |
| Elder name | Kitanoumi |
| Championships | 24 (Makuuchi) |
| Special Prizes | Outstanding Performance (2) Fighting Spirit (1) |
| Gold Stars | 1 (Kitanofuji) |
| * Up to date as of June 2020. | |
Kitanoumi Toshimitsu (Japanese: 北の湖敏満, May 16, 1953 – November 20, 2015), born Toshimitsu Obata (小畑 敏満, Obata Toshimitsu), was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He was the dominant wrestler in the sport during the 1970s. Kitanoumi was promoted to yokozuna at the age of 21, becoming the youngest ever to achieve sumo's top rank. He won 24 tournament championships during his career and was one of a series of truly great yokozuna who came from Hokkaido, the largest and northernmost prefecture of Japan. At the time of his death he still held the records for most tournaments at yokozuna (63) and most bouts won as a yokozuna (670), but they have since been surpassed. Following his retirement in 1985 he established the Kitanoumi stable. He was chairman of the Japan Sumo Association from 2002 until 2008, and again from 2012 until his death.