Former yokozuna Chiyonofuji easily topped the list of sumo wrestlers in a mail-in poll conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun asking respondents to nominate up to three of their all-time favorite rikishi.
Chiyonofuji, who won the third-most makuuchi titles in history with 31, ranked first among respondents in age groups over 40. Known as the "Wolf" because of his fearless facial expression, the rikishi has a permanent place in fans' hearts.
The second-most popular figure was former yokozuna Takanohana, who played a key role in contributing to sumo's popularity in the early 1990s.
Taiho, one of the most well-known yokozuna of the Showa era (1926-89), ranked third.
Among the 3,000 people polled from January through February, 2,231, or 74%, responded.
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