Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e (born December 31, 1963), professionally known as is an American former
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 thr ...
wrestler.
Franz Lidz
Franz Lidz (born September 24, 1951) is an American writer, journalist and pro basketball executive.
A ''New York Times'' archaeology, science and film essayist, he's a former ''Sports Illustrated'' senior writer,
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 on ...
'', 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
Franz Lidz (born September 24, 1951) is an American writer, journalist and pro basketball executive.
A ''New York Times'' archaeology, science and film essayist, he's a former ''Sports Illustrated'' senior writer,
Meat Bomb
, 05.18.92 - ''Sports Illustrated''
Early career
Playing truant from school one day, Atisanoe, 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 establi ...
. A promising student at the
University High School in
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
, 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. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...
.
His father had regular work with the
US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...
but had to support eight children. Atisano'e 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
was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Musha District, Kazusa Province. He was the sport's 17th ''yokozuna''.
Career
His real name was . Konishiki made his professional debut in May 1883 and reached the top ''makuuchi'' division in M ...
(see
List of yokozuna
This is a list of all sumo wrestlers who have reached the sport's highest rank of ''yokozuna''. It was not recorded on the ''banzuke'' until 1890 and was not officially recognised as sumo's highest rank until 1909. Until then, ''yokozuna'' was mer ...
) who came from the same training stable at the end of the 19th Century (during the
Meiji period
The is 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 colonization ...
in Japan) and
Konishiki Yasokichi II
Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e (born December 31, 1963), professionally known as is an American former sumo wrestler.Franz LidzMeat Bomb, 05.18.92 - ''Sports Illustrated'' He was the first non-Japanese-born wrestler to reach '' ōzeki'', the second ...
(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 on ...
'' in the beginning of the 20th century). Atisano'e was the sixth "Konishiki" in history, though he was the third to reach the top division. He rose to the privileged ''
sekitori
A ''sekitori'' (関取) is a ''rikishi'' (力士, sumo wrestler) who is ranked in one of the top two professional divisions: ''makuuchi'' and ''jūryō''.
The name literally translates to having taken the barrier, as only a relatively small fract ...
'' ranks in just eight tournaments, a remarkably rapid rise.
He made his debut in the top ''
makuuchi
, 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 on ...
'' division in July 1984, 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 on ...
'',
Chiyonofuji
, born , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler and the 58th ''yokozuna'' of the sport. Following his retirement as a wrestler, he was the stable master of Kokonoe stable until the time of his death.
Chiyonofuji was considered one of the gr ...
and
Takanosato
, real name , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Namioka, Aomori. He was the sport's 59th ''yokozuna'' from 1983 to 1986 and won four top division tournament championships. After retirement he established Naruto stable which he ran fr ...
, and was runner-up with a 12–3 record. He was promoted to ''komusubi'' for the first time in May 1985 and ''
sekiwake
, 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 on ...
'' 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 horses. In tailless primates (e.g. humans and othe ...
(caused by a stool collapsing underneath him)
and had to sit out all 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
was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Tokunoshima in the Amami Islands. He was the sport's 46th '' yokozuna''. He was also a sumo coach and head of Takasago stable.
Career
He was born on Tokunoshima in the Amami Islands. Due to the ...
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
is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Aomori. He joined professional sumo in 1981, reaching the top '' makuuchi'' division just two years later. He reached the second highest rank of '' ōzeki'' in 1987 and became the 63rd '' yo ...
, 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
, born , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler and the 58th ''yokozuna'' of the sport. Following his retirement as a wrestler, he was the stable master of Kokonoe stable until the time of his death.
Chiyonofuji was considered one of the gr ...
and
Ōnokuni had both recently retired, and Asahifuji and
Hokutoumi
is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Hokkaidō. He was the sport's 61st ''yokozuna'' and won eight top division championships. He wrestled for Kokonoe stable, as did Chiyonofuji, and the two were the first ''yokozuna'' stablemat ...
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. However, 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), with the chairman of the
Yokozuna Deliberation Committee, Hideo Ueda, announcing, "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 Bungei may refer to:
* ''Bungei'' (magazine), a Japanese literary magazine
* The Bungei Prize, a literary prize of Japan, awarded by ''Bungei''
* Bungeishunjū, a Japanese publishing company known for its literary magazine of the same name
* Wilf ...
'' that Konishiki did not possess ''hinkaku'' (), a word derived from ''
hin'' meaning "grace, elegance and refinement".
His remarks were given the headline, "We Don’t Need a Foreign Yokozuna" in the magazine.
The 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'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' subsequently quoted Konishiki as saying, "If I were Japanese, I would be yokozuna already." The
Japan Sumo Association
The is the body that operates and controls professional sumo wrestling (called ''Ōzumō'', 大相撲) in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). ''Rikishi'' (active ...
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, 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](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Konishiki.jpg)
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 ''
maegashira
, 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 on ...
'' 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. For ...
'' 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 ''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
In sumo, a is the loincloth that (sumo wrestlers) wear during training or in competition. Upper ranked professional wrestlers wear a as part of the ring entry ceremony or .
For top ranked professional , it is made of silk and comes in a var ...
'' 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 ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
ese entertainer
An entertainer is someone who provides entertainment in various different forms.
Types of entertainers
* Acrobat
* Actor
* Archimime
* Athlete
* Barker
* Beatboxer
* Benshi
* Bouffon
* Circus performer
* Clown
* Club Hostess/Host
* Comed ...
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
is a Japanese anime director and voice actor. He is best known for his over-the-top adaptation of Rikdo Koshi's ''Excel Saga'', in which he appears as the character Nabeshin.
Watanabe stated that the nickname Nabeshin (a name blending of ...
, director of ''Excel Saga
is a manga series written and illustrated by Kōshi Rikudō. It was serialized in '' Young King OURs'' from 1996 to 2011, and its individual chapters were collected and published in 27 ''tankōbon'' volumes by Shōnen Gahōsha. The series fol ...
'' and ''Puni Puni Poemy
is a Japanese two-part original video animation spin-off from the ''Excel Saga'' manga and anime television series. It features some of that series' secondary characters and many of its staff, primarily director Shinichi Watanabe. Like ''Exc ...
'', 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, but 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 as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee.
NHK operates two terrestr ...
children's program called ''Nihongo de Asobo'' (にほんごであそぼ) which teaches children traditional and colloquial Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
. He is known as "Koni-chan" on the show.
Although he continued to DJ for his FM Yokohama
FM Yokohama 84.7 is a radio station based in Yokohama, Japan owned by the Yokohama FM Broadcasting Company, a joint venture of Nippon Broadcasting System, Kanagawa Prefectural Government and Bank of Yokohama. This station was featured in the Xbox ...
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 as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...
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 and then the small intestine is rearranged to connect to both. Surgeons have developed several differ ...
surgery. Although he did not have high blood pressure
Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), 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. Long-term high bl ...
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
Steven Howse (born September 23, 1974), known professionally as Layzie Bone, is a rapper known primarily for being a member of the group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. He has also gone by the names L-Burna and The #1 Assassin. He is the younger brother ...
on the song "Livin Like Kings". He often sings and raps in a mixture of English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
. He can also play the ukulele
The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings.
The tone and volume of the instrumen ...
. 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
is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler. As an active wrestler he was known as , and his rise through the ranks alongside his younger brother Takanohana Kōji saw a boom in sumo's popularity in the early 1990s. He is the elder son of t ...
and around 300 others.
Career record
See also
*
*List of sumo tournament top division champions
This is a list of rikishi, wrestlers who have won the Makuuchi, top division (''makuuchi'') yusho, championship in professional sumo since 1909, when the current championship system was established. These honbasho, official tournaments are held ex ...
*List of sumo tournament top division runners-up
The table below lists the runners up ('' jun-yusho'') in the top '' makuuchi'' division at official sumo
is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a '' rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring ...
*List of sumo tournament second division champions
This is a list of wrestlers who have won the sumo second division ''jūryō'' championship since 1909, when the current championship system was established. These official tournaments are held exclusively in Japan.
The wrestler who has won the mo ...
*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 May 2021.
{, class="sortable wikitable"
!width="20", Rank
!Shikona, Ring name
...
*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
More than 50 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, ov ...
References
External links
KONISHIKI web site
*
Konishiki Kids Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Konishiki, Yasokichi
1963 births
American sumo wrestlers
Japanese sumo wrestlers
American people of Samoan descent
Japanese people of American descent
Japanese people of Samoan descent
Japanese-language singers
Japanese musicians
Naturalized citizens of Japan
Ōzeki
Sumo people from Hawaii
Living people