Konishiki Yasokichi
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Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e (born December 31, 1963), better known by his stage name, , is an American-born Japanese former professional
sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by th ...
wrestler. Franz Lidz
Meat Bomb
, 05.18.92 - ''Sports Illustrated''
He was the first non-Japanese-born wrestler to reach '' ōzeki'', the second-highest possible rank in the sport. During his career, he won the top division championship on three occasions and came very close to becoming the first foreign-born grand champion, or ''
yokozuna , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers ('' rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the o ...
'', prompting a social debate in Japan as to whether a foreigner could have the necessary cultural understanding to be deemed acceptable in sumo's ultimate rank. At a peak weight of he was also at the time the heaviest wrestler ever in sumo, earning him the nicknames "Meat Bomb" and, most famously, "The Dump Truck". Franz Lidz
Meat Bomb
, 05.18.92 - ''Sports Illustrated''
Born in 1963 in Hawai'i to Vaa Atisanoe and Fala of Tula, American Sāmoa, Yasokichi became the first foreigner to earn the prestigious title of sumo wrestling champion in Japan.


Early career

Playing truant from school one day, Yasokichi, already 170kg at the age of 18, was spotted on the beach in Hawaii by a sumo talent scout and was offered the chance to go to Japan to train. He entered sumo in July 1982, recruited by another Hawaiian-born wrestler, Takamiyama of the
Takasago stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Takasago group of stables. It is correctly written in Japanese as "髙砂部屋", but the first of these ''kanji'' is rare, and is more commonly written as "高砂部屋". History The stable was establ ...
. A promising student at the University High School in
Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
, he initially wanted to be a lawyer and was also offered a music scholarship to
Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...
. His father had regular work with the
US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
but had to support eight children. Yasokichi regarded Takamiyama as a local hero and found the opportunity to travel to Japan too good to resist, although his parents were reluctant for him to do so. Due to his potential he was given the name Konishiki, after the 17th Yokozuna, Konishiki Yasokichi I (see
List of yokozuna is the highest rank of sumo wrestling. It was not recorded on the until 1890 and was not officially recognised as sumo's highest rank until 1909. Until then, was merely a licence given to certain to perform the ceremony. It was not always the ...
) who came from the same training stable at the end of the 19th Century, during the
Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...
in Japan, and , a ''
komusubi , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers ('' rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the o ...
'' in the beginning of the 20th century. Yasokichi was the sixth "Konishiki" in history, though he was the third to reach the top division. He rose to the privileged '' sekitori'' ranks in just eight tournaments, a remarkably rapid rise. In July 1984, he made his debut in the top ''
makuuchi , or , is the top division of Professional sumo divisions, the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous ...
'' division, and in the following tournament in September he defeated two ''
yokozuna , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers ('' rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the o ...
'', Chiyonofuji and Takanosato, and was runner-up with a 12–3 record. He was promoted to ''komusubi'' for the first time in May 1985 and '' sekiwake'' in July 1985. However, he suffered an injury to his
coccyx The coccyx (: coccyges or coccyxes), commonly referred to as the tailbone, is the final segment of the vertebral column in all apes, and analogous structures in certain other mammals such as horse anatomy, horses. In tailless primates (e.g. hum ...
, caused by a stool collapsing underneath him, and had to sit out the next tournament. In May 1986, he suffered another injury, this time in competition, during a bout with Futahaguro. Konishiki came back strongly from this setback and three consecutive double figure scores in 1987 earned him promotion to ''ōzeki''.


''Ōzeki''

Many people expected Konishiki to quickly make his push for ''yokozuna'' promotion. His stablemaster, the 46th Yokozuna Asashio Tarō III, had predicted Konishiki would reach the top rank by his 25th birthday. However, his increasing weight caused a strain on his knee, exacerbated by previous high-school football injuries, which badly affected his performances. After a string of mediocre 8–7 scores he turned in a disastrous 3–12 in September 1988. His problems continued in 1989 and a 5–10 mark in September left him in danger of demotion from ''ōzeki'' once again. He made a spectacular comeback in November 1989, taking his first tournament championship with a 14–1 record. He was the first foreigner to win a top division title since Takamiyama in 1972. In March 1990 he took part in a three-way playoff for the title but he was outshone by Asahifuji, who earned promotion to ''yokozuna'' in July. In May 1991 Konishiki won 14 consecutive bouts but was beaten in a playoff on the final day by Asahifuji.


Close to ''yokozuna''

By late 1991 Konishiki was a strong ''yokozuna'' candidate. He had overcome his injuries and showed much more consistency. ''Yokozuna'' Chiyonofuji and Ōnokuni had both recently retired, and Asahifuji and Hokutoumi were struggling with illness and injury. Konishiki took advantage by winning two championships (his 2nd and 3rd overall) in November 1991 and March 1992, with a record in the last three tournaments of 38 wins and 7 losses. He was denied promotion to ''yokozuna'', normally awarded to those with two consecutive tournament wins or an equivalent achievement. Konishiki had three non-consecutive wins. The chairman of the Yokozuna Deliberation Committee, Hideo Ueda, announced, "We wanted to make doubly sure that Konishiki is worthy to be a grand champion. Therefore, we decided to wait for another tournament." Another member of the committee, Noboru Kojima, said in an interview in the April issue of '' Bungei Shunjū'' that Konishiki did not possess ''hinkaku'' (), a word derived from ''
hin Hin or HIN may refer to: People * Cornelis Hin (1869–1944), Dutch Olympic sailor * Frans Hin (1906–1968), Dutch Olympic sailor * Johan Hin (1899–1957), Dutch Olympic sailor Science and technology * Hin recombinase, a protein * Hin, an ...
'', meaning "grace, elegance and refinement". His remarks were given the headline, "We Don’t Need a Foreign Yokozuna" in the magazine. A controversy arose when '' The Nihon Keizai Shimbun'' reported that Konishiki in an interview had alleged racial discrimination was the reason for his being denied promotion. ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' subsequently quoted Konishiki as saying, "If I were Japanese, I would be yokozuna already." The
Japan Sumo Association The , officially the ; sometimes abbreviated JSA or NSK, and more usually called Sumo Kyōkai, is the governing body that operates and controls Professional sports, professional sumo wrestling, called , in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Min ...
demanded an apology. Konishiki held a press conference during which he made his apology and tearfully denied making the remarks. He insisted that ''The Nihon Keizai Shimbun'' had misinterpreted his remark, and that he had not spoken to The New York Times, and instead a Hawaiian apprentice Koryu had impersonated him on the telephone. Despite the denial, the damage had been done. The media furore hampered his preparations for the forthcoming tournament which resulted in a mediocre 9–6 record. Konishiki never came close to promotion again.


Later career

Konishiki retained his ''ōzeki'' ranking for 39 tournaments over more than six years, but he eventually lost it in November 1993 after two consecutive losing records. He continued to compete in the top division as a '' maegashira'' for another four years. Now weighing over , his knee injury and mobility issues meant he was susceptible to belt throws and slap downs by lighter and more agile opponents. Even though he enjoyed less success, he became progressively more popular with Japanese fans due to his continuous fighting spirit, distinctive bulk and warm, amiable personality. In November 1997, he faced demotion to the second ''
jūryō Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win–loss records in official tournaments. Fo ...
'' division and announced his retirement after 15 years in sumo. In addition to his chronic knee problems, he had been suffering from gout and a stomach ulcer. He said that in spite of his setbacks "I'm glad that I've continued with sumo, because I've learned a lot from sumo, and I've also learned the Japanese language and life style." He had spent 81 consecutive tournaments in the top division, and won 649 bouts there.


Fighting style

Early in his career, under the instruction of his first stablemaster, Konishiki was primarily an ''oshi-sumo'' specialist, preferring pushing and thrusting techniques such as ''oshi-dashi'' and ''tsuki-dashi'' that would win the bout as quickly as possible. Following his knee problems in 1988 and 1989, his balance suffered and as his weight continued to increase he began to change his style, preferring to bide his time by grabbing the opponent's '' mawashi'' and rely on his huge weight advantage to wear them out. By 1992 he was winning virtually all his matches by ''yori-kiri'' (force out), and his lack of ability to change tack once he had been sidestepped was one of the concerns raised by the Yokozuna Deliberation Committee when he was up for promotion. His peak weight of recorded in March 1996 was the heaviest ever for a sumo wrestler, until surpassed by Ōrora in 2017.


Life after sumo

Konishiki remained in the Japan Sumo Association as an elder for a short time under the name of Sanoyama, before branching out as a
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
ese
entertainer An entertainer is someone who provides entertainment in various different forms. Types of entertainers

* Acrobat * Actor * Archimime * Barker (occupation), Barker * Beatboxer * Benshi * Bouffon * Cheerleader * Circus arts, Circus perform ...
under the name "KONISHIKI" (the capitalization is an effort to reflect the association's requirement to write his name in the Roman alphabet, after prohibition of spelling it out in Japanese characters after his retirement from sumo). In 2000 Shinichi Watanabe, director of ''
Excel Saga is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kōshi Rikudō. It was serialized in Shōnen Gahōsha's Seinen manga, manga magazine ''Young King OURs'' from 1996 to 2011, and its individual chapters were collected and published in 27 ...
'' and '' Puni Puni Poemy'', created an anime series called '' Dotto! Koni-chan'', in which Koni, the protagonist, is a fat child who strongly resembles Konishiki. In January 2004, he married his girlfriend of two years, former medical worker Chie Iijima. He had previously married former model Sumika Shioda in 1992. They divorced amicably in December 2000. In 2006, he played in the film ''Check It Out, Yo'' Chekeraccho!! and also made a short appearance in the film '' The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift''. He is the host of an
NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...
children's program called ''Nihongo de Asobo'' (にほんごであそぼ) which teaches children traditional and colloquial Japanese. He is known as "Koni-chan" on the show. Although he continued to DJ for his FM Yokohama show ''Kony Island'', he took a hiatus from Japanese
celebrity Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group due to the attention given to them by mass media. The word is also used to refer to famous individuals. A person may attain celebrity status by having great w ...
life for a year in 2007, returning to Hawaii to prepare for
gastric bypass Gastric bypass surgery refers to a technique in which the stomach is divided into a small upper pouch and a much larger lower "remnant" pouch, where the small intestine is rearranged to connect to both. Surgeons have developed several differen ...
surgery. Although he did not have
high blood pressure Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms itself. It is, however, a major ri ...
or any heart problems, he had not lost much weight since his retirement, and underwent the operation in February 2008. He announced on his website that the operation went smoothly and that he had since lost . He returned to Japan in May 2008. After sumo, he began to turn his talents to music, most notably with his collaboration with Rimi Natsukawa as well as L-Burna on the song "Livin Like Kings". He often sings and raps in a mixture of English and Japanese. He can also play the
ukulele The ukulele ( ; ); also called a uke (informally), is a member of the lute (ancient guitar) family of instruments. The ukulele is of Portuguese origin and was popularized in Hawaii. The tone and volume of the instrument vary with size and con ...
. In 2000, he released a hip-hop album called ''Kms'', including songs "Island Girl", "Sumo Stomp", and the old-school classic "Sumo Gangsta". Following the 2011 earthquake, Konishiki was a high-profile fund-raiser for disaster relief in the stricken regions of Japan. He started the Konishiki Kids Foundation to help underprivileged children from Hawaii to experience Japanese culture. In June 2022 he celebrated the 40th anniversary of his arrival in Japan with a party attended by chairman of the Japan Sumo Association Hakkaku, former yokozuna Wakanohana III and around 300 others. At the end of 2024 Konishiki was hospitalized for about a month with obesity-related glomerulopathy. In December of that year he announced that he suffered
kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...
and received a successful
organ transplant Organ transplantation is a medical procedure in which an organ (anatomy), organ is removed from one body and placed in the body of a recipient, to replace a damaged or missing organ. The donor and recipient may be at the same location, or org ...
from his wife, Chie.


Career record


See also

*
Glossary of sumo terms The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. A B C D E F G H ...
*
List of sumo tournament top division champions This is a list of wrestlers who have won the top division (''makuuchi'') championship in professional sumo since 1909, when the current championship system was established. These official tournaments are held exclusively in Japan. 1958 to prese ...
* List of sumo tournament top division runners-up * List of sumo tournament second division champions *
List of heaviest sumo wrestlers The following is a list of the heaviest professional sumo wrestlers. Only wrestlers weighing or over are included. Wrestlers shown in bold are still active as of January 2023. {, class="sortable wikitable plainrowheaders" !scope="col", Rank ...
*
List of past sumo wrestlers This is a list of prominent past wrestlers (either retired or deceased) in the sport of professional sumo. They are listed in order of the year and tournament month that they made their professional debuts. The information listed below was gleaned ...
*
List of ōzeki 53 sumo wrestlers have reached the second highest in the sport, the rank of '' ōzeki'', but have failed to rise to the top rank since the modern era of sumo began in 1927 with the merger of the Tokyo and Osaka organizations. By 2020, over 250 wre ...


References


External links


KONISHIKI web site
*
Konishiki Kids Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Konishiki, Yasokichi 1963 births Living people American sumo wrestlers Japanese sumo wrestlers American sportspeople of Samoan descent Japanese people of American descent Japanese people of Samoan descent Japanese-language singers of the United States Japanese musicians Naturalized citizens of Japan Ōzeki Sumo people from Hawaii University Laboratory School (Honolulu, Hawaii) alumni