Akebono Taro: From Yokozuna to Martial Artist, Remembering a Gentleman Who Wanted to Stay

On April 11, it was learned that former yokozuna Taro Akebono had died of heart failure.

Akebono was rushed to the hospital after a wrestling match in Fukuoka Prefecture in April ’17, complaining of a change in his health. 37 minutes of cardiac arrest left him with severe memory impairment, and he had been battling the disease for many years, but his health had suddenly changed in April. Akebono, 54, had participated in All Japan Pro-Wrestling since ’05, the official website reads,

Akebono’s fights and personality have attracted many fans. All the members and staff of Akebono express our deepest condolences on the passing of Mr. Akebono and pray for his repose.

wrote a message of condolence. Former Sumo Association external committee member and manga artist Yaku Mitsuru, who had several opportunities to speak with Akebono alone, wrote in his condolence message, “Akebono was a professional wrestler in the eyes of young people,

Yaku Mitsuru, a former member of the Sumo Association’s external committee and a cartoonist who had the opportunity to speak with Akebono alone on several occasions, said, “For younger people, Akebono may be remembered more for his appearance as a professional wrestler, but for sumo fans, the image of Akebono as the first foreign-born sumo wrestler to become Yokozuna remains strong. He is very mild-mannered and gentlemanly in character. After the rise of Wakaki (Wakanohana and Takanohana), he became, unintentionally, their adversary, but I think he was a truly strong and gentle-hearted yokozuna who should be more highly regarded.

I think he was a really strong and kind-hearted yokozuna who deserves more recognition,” he said. Akebono came to Japan in 1988 after being scouted by the Hawaiian-born Togoseki Oyakata (former Sekiwake Takamiyama). He stepped into the ring for the first time at the same time as the brothers Wakanada (later Yokozuna Wakanohana) and Takanada (later Yokozuna Takanohana) in the spring tournament of the same year. He was promoted to ozeki in only four years and became the 64th yokozuna in 1993.

In 1993, he was promoted to the 64th yokozuna. “He was promoted to the vacant yokozuna position after the retirement of Hokachatsumi (now Chancellor Yasumi Hakkaku), and served as yokozuna by himself for 11 tournaments before Takanohana became yokozuna. In his third yokozuna tournament, he won three consecutive championships and was the winner of the most victories in a single season. He became a yokozuna in both name and reality.

In the November 1994 tournament, Takanohana’s 49-second bout in the final round that decided his promotion to yokozuna was described as “a masterful match” and “a fight to the death for the top yokozuna in the sumo world.

However, an injury to his left knee in April of that year caused him to have trouble with his knee, and he began to miss more and more matches. Takanohana and Wakanohana, who were latecomers to Akebono, replaced Akebono as the face of sumo.

He won a total of 11 championships and supported the popularity of sumo in the 1990s, but retired in the first tournament of 2001. He retired from the Japan Sumo Association only two years later. In the same year, he announced his participation in “K-1” and continued to compete in “K-1” and mixed martial arts matches. He was also active as a professional wrestler. Mitsuru Yaku had this to say about Akebono during his yokozuna days.

Akebono’s ring-entering style was the Unryu style, and it was one of the most complete and beautiful of all the yokozuna in history. I was impressed when he performed it at the opening ceremony of the 1998 Nagano Olympics. At that time, his strength had already declined considerably, but his thrusting-pushing sumo from a thrust using his long arms in his prime was really strong.

He was an adversary of Wakaki, which meant that only sumo matches in which he was defeated by Takanohana were broadcast in past videos and so on. He became a martial artist, and to be honest, he lost in a way that was not very good looking. He was not a very good-looking fighter, was he? I felt sad every time his brilliant life as a sumo wrestler was overwritten by such images.”

And then there are episodes like this one: …….

When he was a stablemaster, I went to some local events with him and we were together in the bathhouse. At that time, I heard about his training of his apprentices, and he was very motivated as an oyakata.

I didn’t have any nenyoro shares, so I didn’t get to have my own room. …… When I spoke with him after he became a fighter, he said, “I really did not want to quit (the Sumo Association). …… I think we have lost a truly regrettable person.

His appearance in the ring at the Nagano Olympics is still deeply etched in the memories of people around the world. I pray that he may rest in peace.