Taro Akebono, the first foreign-born yokozuna and later a mixed martial artist and pro wrestler, died of heart failure in early April at a hospital near Tokyo, according to a source close to him.

He was 54.

Akenobo was born in Hawaii in 1969 as Chad Rowan.

In 1988, he was scouted by the stablemaster Azumazeki, a former sekiwake wrestler known as Takamiyama who was also from Hawaii, and moved to Japan.

In the spring tournament of the same year, he made his debut with the brothers Wakahanada (later the third yokozuna Wakanohana) and Takahanada (later yokozuna Takanohana).

With his powerful pushing and thrusting attack, Akebono rose to the makuuchi ranks for the first time in the fall tournament of 1990.

After the summer tournament in 1992, he was promoted to ozeki. After the first tournament of 1993, he was promoted to the 64th yokozuna.

In 1996, he became a Japanese citizen.

Akebono was more than 2 meters tall and weighed 233 kilograms at the time of his retirement. Utilizing his massive body, he won 11 championships.

He and Takanohana established the “Ake-Taka Era” and elevated the popularity of the sport in the 1990s.

But Akebono suffered from knee injuries in the final stages of his career and had to take a long absence.

He retired at the first tournament of 2001 and became a stablemaster and taught the younger generation at the Azumazeki stable.

He left the Japan Sumo Association in 2003 to become a mixed martial artist, where he fought a variety of foes, losing most of his bouts. After that, he entered the world of professional wrestling.

TRIO ELEVATED SUMO'S POPULARITY

The sumo boom of the Heisei Era (1989-2019) was centered on the two brothers Wakanohana and Takanohana.

But it was Akebono, the first foreign-born yokozuna, who challenged their domination and further boosted the popularity of the sport with their intense rivalries.

Akebono's vaunted strength and his behavior at the top of the world of sumo made even the most seasoned sumo enthusiasts swoon.

The “Waka-Taka” brothers, sons of the popular ozeki Takanohana, had been in the limelight when Akebono came from Hawaii and stepped in the dohyo for the first time at the 1988 Spring Tournament.

The presence of the brothers was both a marvel and a motivating factor for Akebono.

They made their debut at the same time. But Akebono lagged Takanohana in being promoted to the second-highest juryo division, promotion from juryo to maegashira in the top makuuchi division and winning the championship for the first time.

However, he was ahead of Takanohana in being awarded the “sansho” prizes for the first time, earning promotion to the “sanyaku” ranks for the first time and becoming ozeki and yokozuna.

In particular, his promotion to yokozuna was achieved after the first tournament of 1993, when he won back-to-back championships, filling the absence of long-reigning yokozuna Chiyonofuji.

Other yokozuna—Onokuni, Asahifuji and Hokutoumi—had all retired by then, leaving no grand champion in the sport. 

It was the same time when Takanohana was promoted to ozeki. It marked the beginning of the Ake-Taka Era.

MEMORABLE CLASHES BETWEEN RIVALS

The two had many hard-fought bouts, as Akebono had 25 wins and 25 losses against Takanohana.

He was so preoccupied with his rival that he always had, “I want to beat him” mindset. Often, when Takanohana lost a bout while he was watching, Akebono, too, would then lose.

Akebono's potent weapon was a thrusting attack that made the most of his body. But, in fact, each thrust was not as powerful as it looked.

Using his long 204-centimeter-tall frame and huge hands, Akebono would poke his opponent with a series of small thrusts to the throat and chest. The opponent’s upper body would gradually buckle before he could grab onto Akebono’s belt.

Toward the end of his active career, Akebono also learned the "yotsu" style, in which the two opposing wrestlers grasp each other's belt and grapple with their bodies close together.

But his weight of over 200 kilograms increased the strain on both knees and led to nagging injuries, leading to his retirement.

The Heisei sumo boom was partly due to the matchup of the Japanese-born Waka-Taka brothers versus a foreign-born wrestler.

But it was significant that Akebono, who was the antagonist in this plot, boasted popularity that left the Waka-Taka brothers in his wake.

'MORE JAPANESE THAN JAPANESE'

Akebono was adored by fans and there was no discussion of the “no need for foreign-born yokozuna,” as there was when Hawaiian-born ozeki Konishiki challenged for yokozuna promotion.

After being promoted to yokozuna, Akebono's reputation was further enhanced. He was courteous to fans and eager to train.

The Yokozuna Promotion Council described him as “more Japanese than the Japanese.”

He looked up to the 28th Kimura Shonosuke, a professional sumo referee who was a well-known scholar of sumo history, as his mentor, and learned the behavior of the great yokozuna wrestlers of the past.

He actively trained wrestlers from other stables during tournament tours and training sessions because he said he had been taught that “it is the role of a yokozuna to nurture the younger wrestlers.”

One of the most memorable bouts of Akebono's career came on the 13th day of the 1993 Kyushu Grand Tournament, when he defeated his “senpai” Konishiki, who had already lost seven bouts in the tournament and was facing demotion with another loss.

Konishiki had always taken care of him through the “Hawaii kai (club)” since he was young.

It was the fifth tournament since Akebono was promoted to yokozuna.

The defeat caused Konishiki to be demoted from the ozeki ranks.

At the moment the match was decided, Akebono bowed his head, looking as if he were about to cry.

Akebono later said, “If I could have, I would have taken a 'leave of absence' in my effort, but I thought it would be rude to go easy on him. So, I hardened my heart against him. It was a too painful way to return the favor.”

Akebono reported that Konishiki comforted him, saying, “You’ll become much stronger. Don’t worry about such a thing.”

In January 2001, a hobbled Akebono retired from the sport, ending a golden decade for sumo. 

Akebono was often described as “having the strength of Konishiki and the heart of Takamiyama."

Akebono opened the floodgates for the next generation of foreign-born yokozuna and changed the traditional world of sumo forever.