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Episode 577 – The Kings of the Ring, Part 4
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
<img decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-9849" data-tf-not-load src="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Takamikuni-main-300x264.webp" alt="" width="300" height="264" srcset="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Takamikuni-main-300x264.webp 300w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Takamikuni-main-768x676.webp 768w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Takamikuni-main.webp 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />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!
<img decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-9850" data-tf-not-load src="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/img_2f6de1deab7c922ea17175fd35fcca29212377-214x300.avif" alt="" width="214" height="300" srcset="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/img_2f6de1deab7c922ea17175fd35fcca29212377-214x300.avif 214w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/img_2f6de1deab7c922ea17175fd35fcca29212377.avif 400w" sizes="(max-width: 214px) 100vw, 214px" />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.
<img decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-9851" data-tf-not-load src="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/202404110000247-w1300_6-300x234.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="234" srcset="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/202404110000247-w1300_6-300x234.jpg 300w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/202404110000247-w1300_6-1024x797.jpg 1024w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/202404110000247-w1300_6-768x598.jpg 768w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/202404110000247-w1300_6.jpg 1300w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Akebono defeats Takanohana in May, 1988–he later called this one of his most important wins.
<img decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-9852" data-tf-not-load src="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/202404110000247-w1300_1-201x300.jpg" alt="" width="201" height="300" srcset="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/202404110000247-w1300_1-201x300.jpg 201w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/202404110000247-w1300_1-685x1024.jpg 685w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/202404110000247-w1300_1-768x1148.jpg 768w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/202404110000247-w1300_1-1027x1536.jpg 1027w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/202404110000247-w1300_1.jpg 1300w" sizes="(max-width: 201px) 100vw, 201px" />Akebono in February, 1988, about one month after entering Azumasekibeya. You really get a sense from this of how tall he was!
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By 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
<img decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-9849" data-tf-not-load src="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Takamikuni-main-300x264.webp" alt="" width="300" height="264" srcset="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Takamikuni-main-300x264.webp 300w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Takamikuni-main-768x676.webp 768w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Takamikuni-main.webp 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />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!
<img decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-9850" data-tf-not-load src="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/img_2f6de1deab7c922ea17175fd35fcca29212377-214x300.avif" alt="" width="214" height="300" srcset="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/img_2f6de1deab7c922ea17175fd35fcca29212377-214x300.avif 214w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/img_2f6de1deab7c922ea17175fd35fcca29212377.avif 400w" sizes="(max-width: 214px) 100vw, 214px" />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.
<img decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-9851" data-tf-not-load src="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/202404110000247-w1300_6-300x234.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="234" srcset="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/202404110000247-w1300_6-300x234.jpg 300w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/202404110000247-w1300_6-1024x797.jpg 1024w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/202404110000247-w1300_6-768x598.jpg 768w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/202404110000247-w1300_6.jpg 1300w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Akebono defeats Takanohana in May, 1988–he later called this one of his most important wins.
<img decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-9852" data-tf-not-load src="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/202404110000247-w1300_1-201x300.jpg" alt="" width="201" height="300" srcset="https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/202404110000247-w1300_1-201x300.jpg 201w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/202404110000247-w1300_1-685x1024.jpg 685w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/202404110000247-w1300_1-768x1148.jpg 768w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/202404110000247-w1300_1-1027x1536.jpg 1027w, https://isaacmeyer.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/202404110000247-w1300_1.jpg 1300w" sizes="(max-width: 201px) 100vw, 201px" />Akebono in February, 1988, about one month after entering Azumasekibeya. You really get a sense from this of how tall he was!