Wakanohana won his first top division championship in May 1956. Shortly before the following tournament his four-year-old eldest son Katsuo was scalded to death when a boiling hot pot of chankonabe fell on him.
Wakanohana's triumph in May 1956 was overshadowed by a heart-wrenching tragedy that occurred just before the next tournament, as his young son Katsuo lost his life after being severely burned by a boiling pot of chankonabe.