Sumo East and West

American wrestlers leave impression on the Japanese world of sumo

Akebono

Birthplace: Hawaii

Born Chad Rowan in Waimanalo, Hawaii, Akebono was the first non-Japanese grand champion in the 2,000-year history of sumo. Chad was first spotted as a teenager by a sumo recruiter who was impressed by the natural grace of his 6'8" frame while he was serving as a pallbearer at a family funeral. After moving from Hawaii to Japan, Chad became the protégé of Jesse Kuhaulua -- the first Hawaiian sumo champion in Japan -- who had subsequently retired from the sport and opened his own sumo stable. There, Chad was given the name Akebono, which means dawn, or rising sun.

In a sport where a low center of gravity is considered crucial, sumo pros scoffed at the prospects for such a tall wrestler. But Akebono quickly proved his doubters wrong, and in 1993 donned the ceremonial white cloth belt of the grand champion. Hampered in recent years by a chronic knee injury, Akebono rebounded in stirring style in late 2000, winning two out of three straight tournaments before announcing his retirement in January 2001. More recently, Akebono has stepped out of retirement to enter the popular new combat sport of K-1.

Konishiki

Birthplace: Oahu

Born Salevaa Atisanoe and raised in the small Oahu town of Nanakuli, Konishiki was the first true American superstar in professional sumo. Discovered while bodysurfing in Waikiki, Konishiki joined pro sumo in the early 1980s shortly after graduating from high school where he was an accomplished football player and power lifter. Within two years he had rocketed to the top ranks of the sport, challenging the top sumotori for the Emperor's Cup and provoking a storm of controversy in Japan with both his rapid ascent and his blunt and outspoken manner.

Konishiki's sheer size (he fought at more than 600 pounds) prompted charges that he and other Hawaii-born wrestlers were damaging the sport by emphasizing size over technique. Critics invoked Commodore Perry's "black ships," a common reference when Japan feels threatened by the outside, but in this particular case the racist expression also alluded to Konishiki's Polynesian heritage and dark coloring. Years later, counter-charges of discrimination were leveled when Konishiki was denied promotion to grand master status, an act viewed by many as a xenophobic attempt to keep an outsider from attaining this honor.

Ironically, it was near the end of his career that Konishiki truly won over the Japanese public. Now retired, the quick-witted and engaging American remains perhaps the single most popular celebrity in all of Japan, a ubiquitous presence through his many television appearances, rap records and commercial endorsements. Music from Konishiki's debut hip-hop CD, Konishiki Master of Sumo , is featured extensively in Sumo East And West .

Jesse Kuhaulua

Birthplace: Maui

Jesse Kuhaulua -- a.k.a. Takamiyama, a.k.a. Azumazkei Oyakata -- was the first American during the postwar period to become a professional sumo wrestler in Japan. In 1972, ten years after his arrival, Jesse became the first non-Japanese wrestler to win a professional tournament. When he was awarded the Emperor's Cup, a telegram from then-President Nixon was read in the sumo arena, the first time English had ever been officially spoken there.

A hugely popular wrestler, Jesse enjoyed an unusually long 21-year career in the ring. Following his retirement, he made the difficult decision to become a Japanese citizen in order to open his own sumo stable -- the first American ever to do so. As a coach, Jesse began actively recruiting young wrestlers from Hawaii, among them Wayne Vierra and Akebono. At the height of the foreign invasion in the early '90s, there were more than a dozen Americans from Hawaii in the pro ranks. The success of these Hawaiians eventually led the Nihon Sumo Kyokai to impose a limit of three foreign sumo wrestlers in any given stable.

Sentoryu

Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri

Henry Miller -- a.k.a. Sentoryu -- is the only American currently in pro sumo who is not from Hawaii. As Henry explains in the film, the name Sentoryu is said to rhyme with St. Louis, at least to Japanese ears. The son of a Japanese mother and an African-American father, Henry has spent the last 12 years in professional sumo, achieving promotion to the top division of the sport during the making of Sumo East and West in May 2000.

Strikingly easygoing and good-natured, Henry relates for us the culture shock facing a foreigner in the thoroughly Japanese world of sumo, an experience made even more challenging by his dark complexion, which drew out the thinly veiled racism in Japanese culture.

Wayne Vierra

Birthplace: Oahu

Vierra is a two-time North American amateur sumo champion in both heavyweight and open weight divisions, and formerly a professional sumo wrestler in Japan. A star high school football player and wrestler from the small town of Hau'ula on the North Shore of Oahu, Wayne was recruited into professional sumo at the age of 18 by Larry Aweau, the 80-year-old man responsible for sending to Japan almost all the Americans in the pro ranks.

Like many of his predecessors, Wayne went to Japan without any knowledge of Japanese language or culture and joined the sumo stable owned by Jesse Kuhaulua. There, Wayne became close friends with fellow Hawaiian recruit Akebono, and together they staved off homesickness, culture shock and the notoriously brutal hazing of the sumo world as they pursued their dreams of fame and fortune.

During his two years in the feudal world of pro sumo, Wayne rose rapidly through the ranks until his career was abruptly ended by a ruptured pancreas. Returning to Hawaii, he endured a bout of depression before eventually rejoining the sport on the amateur circuit. He has since established himself as one of the dominant amateurs in the world, aiming someday to lead the first U.S. sumo team to the Olympics.

Emmanuel "Manny" Yarbrough

Birthplace: New Jersey

Manny Yarbrough is without a doubt the most famous amateur sumo wrestler in the world. A 6'8," 757-pound former college football player, Manny is a seven-time member of the U.S. national sumo team and the 1995 amateur world champion in the open weight division.

Manny was recruited by his judo instructor, Yoshiada Yonezuka, who now runs a martial arts studio in Cranford, New Jersey, where Manny continues to train. Articulate and witty, Manny has appeared in numerous television programs and print periodicals including Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Dennis Miller Show, The View and Sports Illustrated.

-- Edited for Applause Online by Anna Christopher