Yokozuna Akebono
Chad Rowan, a.k.a. Yokozuna Akebono
May 8, 1969 - April 11, 2024
Aged 54
Thursday, April 11th was a sad day for sumo. Akebono was the first foreign-born “rikishi” (professional sumo wrestler) to reach the rank of Grand Champion (Yokozuna). I watched him on television, wrestling throughout the 1990s with other great Grand Champions of the Heisei Era like Konishiki, Chiyonofuji, and Takanohana.
Originally from Hawaii, Akebono was one of the tallest and heaviest wrestlers ever. His rivalry with the young Japanese hopefuls, Takanohana and Wakanohana (the Hanada brothers), was a big factor in the increased popularity of sumo at tournament venues and on TV in the early 1990s.
It’s typical for retired sumo wrestlers to experience significant health problems related to their weight and size, and premature death as well. But 54 years seems a little too premature even for a retired yokozuna.
I don’t want to see a photograph of the great man in his later years because I fear that he was probably a diminished shell of his former glory. I prefer to remember him like in this picture, performing the ring-entering ceremony.
Or not.