Career
His highest rank was sekiwake. After being runner-up in the January 1979 tournament and winning the Fighting Spirit prize he changed his shikona or fighting name to Tochihikari, in honour of ozeki Tochihikari Masayuki, who also fought for Kasugano stable. However, after falling back to the juryo divison in 1985, he was no longer considered worthy of such a prestigious name and so reverted to Kaneshiro, his birth name.
He left the sumo world upon retirement in May 1987, unable to acquire elder stock in the Japan Sumo Association and remain as a coach.
This was because the Sumo Association had introduced a rule in 1976 requiring Japanese citizenship to become an elder, and Kaneshiro, because of his Korean parentage, was not eligible until it was too late. He died at the age of 49, from a heart attack.
