Association without having to purchase a share (ichidai toshiyori), in recognition of his great achievements. After retirement Taihō branched off from his old heya and opened Taihō stable in December 1971. In February 1977, at the age of 36, he suffered a stroke, and his subsequent health problems may have played a part in him being passed over for the chairmanship of the Sumo Association. He had extensive rehabilitation sessions to get the left side of his body moving again. In general he did not manage to replicate his own wrestling success as a trainer, but he did produce Ōzutsu, a sekiwake who fought in 78 consecutive top division tournaments from 1979 to 1992. He had his kanreki dohyō-iri ceremony to mark his 60th birthday in 2000, although his restricted mobility meant he could not perform it in full. In May 2002 Taihō recruited the Russian wrestler Rohō. He handed over control of his stable to his son-in-law, ex-sekiwake Takatōriki, in February 2003. Taihō reached the mandatory retirement age of 65 in May 2005 and became the curator of the Sumo Museum at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan. He still maintained close contact with his old stable, inviting yokozuna Hakuhō to train there in May 2008. Taihō was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon by the Japanese government in 2004. In November 2009, he was one of 15 people to receive the Person of Cultural Merit award from the Japanese government, becoming the first sumo wrestler to be so honoured. After suffering a stroke at 36 in 1977, Taihō used a wheelchair in the last stage of his life. He died of heart failure in a Tokyo hospital on January 19, 2013, at the age of 72. His death was announced by the Japan Sumo Association. In its obituary, Nikkan Sports named him "the strongest yokozuna in history." In February 2013, he posthumously became the second sumo wrestler to be commended with the People's Honour Award, with Yoshihide Suga calling him a "national hero." After winning the March 2013 championship, Hakuhō urged the crowd to get to their feet and honour Taihō's memory with a moment of silence. He said that Taihō gave him regular advice, and told him that records are meant to be broken. Hakuhō would indeed surpass Taihō's all-time championship record by winning his 33rd yushō in January 2015, two years after Taihō's death. Fighting style Taihō was noted