INTERVIEW
Sumo great Konishiki takes us deep into the world of sumo and discusses what it takes to survive this grueling sport. By Antonio Vega
Saleva‘a Atisano‘e, better known as Konishiki Yasokichi, burst onto the professional sumo scene in 1982 at the age of 18. In the strikingly short span of two years, this Nanakuli native managed to make his debut in the sport’s top makuuchi division, where he stayed until retiring in 1997. During his roughly 13 years at the top of the sumo world, Konishiki racked up 648 victories, competed in 81 consecutive Grand Sumo Tournaments (basho), and became the first wrestler born outside of Japan to achieve the sport’s second-highest rank (ōzeki). In short, Konishiki, with his larger-than-life personality, fierce fighting spirit, and impressive career, left an indelible mark on the world of sumo and the hearts of sumo fans around the world. That being said,
when you talk to Konishiki you quickly come to realize that in order to truly appreciate the achievements of any sumo wrestler, you have to go beyond what happens in the dohyō (sumo ring). A Do-or-Die Sport The grueling life of a rikishi (sumo wrestler) begins the moment a young man joins a training stable (heya). In the case of Konishiki, he was recruited by fellow Hawaiian sumo wrestler Takamiyama to join the Takasago stable in Tokyo. Once part of a stable, just about every aspect of a young sumo wrestler’s life becomes devoted to sumo. The stable is where they sleep, train, eat, and spend much of the little bit of free time they have. “It’s every day,” Konishiki said,
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referring to the daily grind of being a sumo wrestler. “We don’t have time to really sit back and look over a season. There’s no such thing as a season.” Instead of seasons, the life of a sumo wrestler revolves around a never-ending yearly schedule of six