Tributes have been paid in Japan to Akebono, the first foreign wrestler to reach the pinnacle of the sport of sumo, who has died aged 54.
The wrestler, who was born Chad Rowan in Hawaii, is regarded as a pioneer after he broke down cultural barriers in the centuries-old sport to become the first non-Japanese yokozuna grand champion in 1993.
He won 11 major sumo tournaments, which are held six times a year, before retiring in 2001 and turning to K-1 and professional wrestling. He was runner-up at 13 other tournaments, despite being plagued by injury.
Photo: Reuters
Japanese media said the wrestler, who took the name Taro Akebono when he became a Japanese citizen in 1996, had died of heart failure this month, citing a statement by the US Forces in Japan.
TRIBUTES PAID TO THE WRESTLER
Rahm Emanuel, the US ambassador to Japan, said he was “deeply saddened” by the news.
Photo: AFP
He said in a post on X that the wrestler, who was 203cm tall and weighed 233kg at his heaviest, was “a giant in the world of sumo, a proud Hawaiian and a bridge between the US and Japan.”
When Akebono became the first-ever foreign-born grand champion he opened the door for other foreign wrestlers to find success in the sport, Emanuel said.
“Throughout his 35 years in Japan, Akebono strengthened the cultural ties between the US and his adopted homeland by uniting us all through sport. I send my sincerest condolences to his family and friends and to sumo fans everywhere,” he said.
Akebono, who was a familiar face on Japanese TV, entered the sumo world in 1988, becoming the 64th yokozuna at the New Year tournament in Tokyo in January 1993. He became a stable master after retiring as a wrestler in 2001.
One of the heaviest and tallest rikishi, or wrestlers, in the sport’s history, Akebono and his fellow Hawaiian behemoth, the 287kg Konishiki, paved the way for a steady stream of foreign wrestlers, including five yokozuna from Mongolia.
Many sumo fans will remember Akebono for his fierce 1990s rivalry with the popular Japanese brothers and members of the sumo aristocracy, Takanohana and Wakanohana, both of whom went on to become grand champions.
Akebono is survived by his wife, daughter and two sons.
That US assistance was a model for Taiwan’s spectacular development success was early recognized by policymakers and analysts. In a report to the US Congress for the fiscal year 1962, former President John F. Kennedy noted Taiwan’s “rapid economic growth,” was “producing a substantial net gain in living.” Kennedy had a stake in Taiwan’s achievements and the US’ official development assistance (ODA) in general: In September 1961, his entreaty to make the 1960s a “decade of development,” and an accompanying proposal for dedicated legislation to this end, had been formalized by congressional passage of the Foreign Assistance Act. Two
March 31 to April 6 On May 13, 1950, National Taiwan University Hospital otolaryngologist Su You-peng (蘇友鵬) was summoned to the director’s office. He thought someone had complained about him practicing the violin at night, but when he entered the room, he knew something was terribly wrong. He saw several burly men who appeared to be government secret agents, and three other resident doctors: internist Hsu Chiang (許強), dermatologist Hu Pao-chen (胡寶珍) and ophthalmologist Hu Hsin-lin (胡鑫麟). They were handcuffed, herded onto two jeeps and taken to the Secrecy Bureau (保密局) for questioning. Su was still in his doctor’s robes at
Last week the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said that the budget cuts voted for by the China-aligned parties in the legislature, are intended to force the DPP to hike electricity rates. The public would then blame it for the rate hike. It’s fairly clear that the first part of that is correct. Slashing the budget of state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) is a move intended to cause discontent with the DPP when electricity rates go up. Taipower’s debt, NT$422.9 billion (US$12.78 billion), is one of the numerous permanent crises created by the nation’s construction-industrial state and the developmentalist mentality it
Experts say that the devastating earthquake in Myanmar on Friday was likely the strongest to hit the country in decades, with disaster modeling suggesting thousands could be dead. Automatic assessments from the US Geological Survey (USGS) said the shallow 7.7-magnitude quake northwest of the central Myanmar city of Sagaing triggered a red alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. “High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread,” it said, locating the epicentre near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay, home to more than a million people. Myanmar’s ruling junta said on Saturday morning that the number killed had