Konishiki Yasokichi
| Konishiki Yasokichi | |
|---|---|
| 小錦八十吉 | |
 |
|
| Personal information | |
| Born | Salevaa Atisanoe December 31, 1963 Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 287 kg (633 lb; 45.2 st)(maximum career. has since lost significant part of that) |
| Career | |
| Stable | Takasago |
| Record | 733–498–95 |
| Debut | July, 1982 |
| Highest rank | Ōzeki (July, 1987) |
| Retired | November, 1997 |
| Championships | 3 (Makuuchi) 2 (Jūryō) 1 (Jonidan) 1 (Jonokuchi) |
| Special Prizes | Outstanding Performance (4) Fighting Spirit (5) Technique (1) |
| Gold Stars | 2 (Chiyonofuji, Takanosato) |
| * Up to date as of August 2007. | |
Konishiki Yasokichi (小錦八十吉 Konishiki Yasokichi?, born Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e on December 31, 1963), is a Hawaiian-born Japanese–Samoan former sumo wrestler. He was the first non-Japanese-born wrestler to reach ōzeki, the second-highest rank in the sport. During his career he won the top division championship on three occasions and came close to becoming the first foreign-born grand champion, or yokozuna, prompting a debate as to whether a foreigner could have the necessary cultural understanding to be acceptable in sumo's ultimate rank. At a peak weight of 287 kg (633 lb) he was also the heaviest rikishi ever in sumo, earning him the nicknames "Fat Bomb" and "The Dump Truck".
Atisano'e entered sumo in July 1982 at the age of 18, recruited by another Hawaiian-born wrestler, Takamiyama of the Takasago stable. A promising student at the University High School in Honolulu, he initially wanted to be a lawyer and was also offered a music scholarship to Syracuse University. His father had regular work with the US Navy but had to support eight children. Atisano'e regarded Takamiyama as a local hero and found the opportunity to join sumo too hard to resist.
Due to his potential he was given the name Konishiki, after the 17th Yokozuna, Konishiki Yasokichi I (see List of yokozuna) who came from the same training stable at the end of the 19th Century (during the Meiji period in Japan) and Konishiki Yasokichi II (a komusubi in the beginning of the 20th century). Atisano'e was the sixth "Konishiki" in history, though he was the third to reach the top division. He rose to the privileged sekitori ranks in just eight tournaments, a remarkably rapid rise.
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