Episode 577 – The Kings of the Ring, Part 4

May 9, 2025

This week: Chad Rowan, who will be the first non-Japanese yokozuna in history, is the subject for the rest of our episodes. How did he come to sumo? What was his early career like? And how did he come to be known by the name Akebono-the rising sun?

Sources

Panek, Mark. Gaijin Yokozuna: An Autobiography of Chad Rowan

Benjamin, David. Sumo: A Thinking Fan’s Guide to Japan’s National Sport

An excellent article from Tachiai.org on the Wakanohana/Takanohana drama

Images

Takamishu Daikichi (Taylor Wiley) during his early sumo days. Wiley would never make it past Makushita thanks to his knee injury, but he did become a famous actor on the Hawaii 5-0 reboot!
Takanohana (left) and Wakanohana in their kesho-mawashi before their debut in the March, 1988 maezumo tournament. They got far more attention than Akebono did–and he took that personally.
Akebono defeats Takanohana in May, 1988–he later called this one of his most important wins.
Akebono in February, 1988, about one month after entering Azumasekibeya. You really get a sense from this of how tall he was!