"In May 1981 Taihō was persuaded by the editor of the English language sumo magazine "Sumo World" to accept a foreign wrestler, Philip Smoak of Texas, who was with the stable for just two months.Taihō passed control of the stable on to his son-in-law Ōtake (former "sekiwake" Takatōriki) in 2003, as he was approaching the age for mandatory retirement from the Japan Sumo Association.