Konishiki Yasokichi

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This article is about the ōzeki. For the 19th century yokozuna, see Konishiki Yasokichi I.
Konishiki Yasokichi
小錦 八十吉
Takanosato
)
* Up to date as of June 2020.

Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e (born December 31, 1963), better known by his stage name, Konishiki Yasokichi (小錦八十吉, Konishiki Yasokichi), is an American-born Japanese former professional

heaviest wrestler ever in sumo, earning him the nicknames, "Meat Bomb" and, most famously, "The Dump Truck".[2][3][4]

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 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.[5]

Due to his potential he was given the name Konishiki, after the 17th Yokozuna,

komusubi 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.

He made his debut in the top

Futahaguro.[5]
Konishiki came back strongly from this setback and three consecutive double figure scores in 1987 earned him promotion to ōzeki.

Original tegata (handprint and signature ) of sumo wrestler Konishiki

Ōzeki

Many people expected Konishiki to quickly make his push for yokozuna promotion. His stablemaster, the 46th Yokozuna

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

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that Konishiki in an interview had alleged racial discrimination was the reason for his being denied promotion.[8] The New York Times subsequently quoted Konishiki as saying, "If I were Japanese, I would be yokozuna already." The Japan Sumo Association 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.[8][9] Despite the denial, the damage had been done.[5]
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 and his entourage, May 1996

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. However, he continued to compete in the top division as a

jūryō 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."[10]
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 oshi-sumo specialist, preferring pushing and thrusting

heaviest ever for a sumo wrestler until surpassed by Ōrora
in 2017.

Life after sumo

Konishiki remained in the Japan Sumo Association as an

entertainer
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 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.[11] He had previously married former model Sumika Shioda in 1992, but they divorced amicably in December 2000.[12]

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 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.[13]

Although he continued to

high blood pressure or any heart problems, he had not lost much weight since his retirement, and underwent the operation in February 2008.[14]
He announced on his website that the operation went smoothly and that he had since lost 70 kg (150 lb). 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. In 2000, he released a hip-hop album called Kms, including songs "Island Girl", "Sumo Stomp", and the old-school classic "Sumo Gangsta".[15]

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

Wakanohana III and around 300 others.[16][17]

Career record

Konishiki Yasokichi[18]
Year January
Hatsu basho, Tokyo		 March
Haru basho, Osaka		 May
Natsu basho, Tokyo		 July
Nagoya basho, Nagoya		 September
Aki basho, Tokyo		 November
Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
1982 x x x (Maezumo) East Jonokuchi #32
7–0
Champion
 		 West Jonidan #56
7–0
Champion
 
1983 West Sandanme #50
6–1
 		 West Sandanme #2
6–1
 		 West Makushita #28
6–1
 		 West Makushita #8
4–3
 		 East Makushita #6
6–1–P
 		 West Jūryō #12
11–4–P
 
1984 East Jūryō #3
4–5–6
 		 West Jūryō #10
13–2
Champion
 		 East Jūryō #2
11–4
Champion
 		 East Maegashira #11
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #6
12–3
OF★★		 West Sekiwake #1
5–6–4
 
1985 West Maegashira #1
6–9
 		 West Maegashira #3
8–7
 		 West Komusubi #1
12–3
F		 West Sekiwake #1
9–6
 		 East Sekiwake #1
Sat out due to injury
0–0–15		 West Maegashira #9
11–4
F
1986 West Komusubi #1
10–5
 		 East Komusubi #1
12–3
FT		 West Sekiwake #1
3–6–6
 		 East Maegashira #4
Sat out due to injury
0–0–15		 East Maegashira #4
12–3
O		 West Sekiwake #1
10–5
O
1987 East Sekiwake #1
10–5
O		 East Sekiwake #1
11–4
 		 East Sekiwake #1
12–3
F		 West Ōzeki #1
9–6
 		 West Ōzeki #1
12–3
 		 East Ōzeki #1
8–7
 
1988 East Ōzeki #2
13–2
 		 West Ōzeki #1
8–7
 		 West Ōzeki #1
8–7
 		 West Ōzeki #1
8–7
 		 East Ōzeki #2
3–12
 		 West Ōzeki #2
10–5
 
1989 East Ōzeki #2
3–9–3
 		 West Ōzeki #2
10–5
 		 West Ōzeki #2
9–6
 		 West Ōzeki #2
8–7
 		 West Ōzeki #2
5–10
 		 West Ōzeki #2
14–1
 
1990 East Ōzeki #1
10–5
 		 East Ōzeki
13–2–PPP
 		 East Ōzeki #1
12–3
 		 West Ōzeki #1
10–5
 		 East Ōzeki #1
9–6
 		 West Ōzeki #1
10–5
 
1991 West Ōzeki #1
0–1–14
 		 West Ōzeki #1
9–6
 		 East Ōzeki #1
14–1–P
 		 East Ōzeki #1
12–3
 		 East Ōzeki #1
11–4
 		 West Ōzeki #1
13–2
 
1992 East Ōzeki #1
12–3
 		 East Ōzeki #1
13–2
 		 East Ōzeki #1
9–6
 		 West Ōzeki #1
10–5
 		 West Ōzeki #1
9–6
 		 East Ōzeki #1
0–2–13
 
1993 West Ōzeki #1
10–5
 		 West Ōzeki #1
9–6
 		 West Ōzeki #1
7–8
 		 West Ōzeki #1
9–6
 		 East Ōzeki #2
0–2–13
 		 East Ōzeki #2
6–9
 
1994 West Sekiwake #2
2–13
 		 East Maegashira #9
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #5
5–10
 		 East Maegashira #12
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #10
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #5
6–9
 
1995 West Maegashira #8
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #3
5–10
 		 West Maegashira #7
5–10
 		 West Maegashira #13
9–6
 		 East Maegashira #5
5–10
 		 West Maegashira #10
8–7
 
1996 East Maegashira #8
7–8
 		 East Maegashira #9
6–9
 		 East Maegashira #14
10–5
 		 West Maegashira #8
8–7
 		 East Maegashira #4
4–11
 		 East Maegashira #9
6–9
 
1997 East Maegashira #13
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #10
6–7–2
 		 East Maegashira #14
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #9
8–7
 		 West Maegashira #2
0–11–4
 		 East Maegashira #14
Retired
5–9
Record given as wins–losses–absencies    Top division champion Top division runner-up Retired Lower divisions Non-participation

Playoff
(s)
Divisions:
Jonokuchi

Makuuchi ranks: 
Maegashira

See also

References

  1. ^ Shapiro, Margaret (26 May 1990). "The Outsider With Lots Of Muscle". The Washington Post. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b Franz Lidz "Meat Bomb", 05.18.92 - Sports Illustrated
  3. ^ Abelson, Edward (1997-11-29). "Best way to grapple with sumo". The Independent. London. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  4. ^ "Common ground". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  5. ^
    ISBN 0-8348-0283-X
    .
  6. ISBN 0-356-18120-0
    .
  7. ^ a b c d Gould, Chris (April 2007). "Konishiki". Sumo Fan Magazine. Retrieved 30 July 2009.
  8. ^ a b Delfs, Robert (21 May 1992). "Weighty Problem". Far Eastern Economic Review. pp. 17–18.
  9. ^ Sanger, David (April 24, 1992). "American Sumo Star Denies Accusing the Japanese of Racism". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 26 May 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  10. ^ Kristof, Nicholas (November 23, 1997). "Sumo's Mt. Everest Retires, Giving Japan and Its Sport Pause". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  11. ^ "Japan sumo star weds". BBC News Online. 2004-01-12. Retrieved 2007-08-17.
  12. Honolulu Star Bulletin
    . 2000-12-18. Retrieved 2007-08-17.
  13. ^ Lewis, Ferd (6 May 2018). "Sumo legend Akebono in the middle of his biggest battle yet". Honolulu Star Advertiser. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  14. ^ "Former Sumo Wrestler Gets Life Changing Surgery". KNHL. 2008-02-16. Retrieved 2008-02-16.
  15. ^ Azpiri, Jon (May 9, 2000). "Konishiki, KMS". AllMusic. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  16. ^ "Former Ozeki Konishiki talks about the 40th anniversary of his visit to Japan". The Mainichi (in Japanese). 18 June 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  17. ^ "Pioneering sumo great Konishiki marks 40 years in Japan". The Mainichi. 23 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  18. ^ "Konishiki Yasokichi Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 2012-07-29.

External links

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