The famous Akebono, born American, the first foreign sumo wrestler to achieve the title of grand champion in this traditional Japanese sport, „yokozuna,” passed away this month due to heart failure at the age of 54, as announced by the United States Forces Japan, cited by Reuters.
Akebono, born in Hawaii, whose real name was Chad George Ha’aheo Rowan, won 11 championships, ranking tenth on the list of most titles in sumo history. He had an imposing physique, standing at 2.03 meters and weighing 233 kg.
Akebono played college basketball before being recruited as the head of a sumo club, which was also of Hawaiian origin.
He debuted in sumo in 1988 and became a yokozuna in January 1993, being the 64th yokozuna in the modern era of this sport. Later, Akebono became a Japanese citizen and took the name Taro Akebono.
Akebono followed in the footsteps of a sumo legend, Konishiki, also from Hawaii, alongside yokozuna Musashimaru, originally from American Samoa. He also performed a sumo demonstration during the opening ceremony of the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano.
Akebono regularly appeared on Japanese television shows, and after retiring from sumo in 2001, he competed in various mixed martial arts (MMA) and wrestling events.
In 2017, he was hospitalized due to heart disease, which left him with motor impairments and memory loss. Akebono is survived by his wife and three children, a daughter, and two sons.