From: Louis Epstein <l...@main.lekno.ws>
Newsgroups: alt.obituaries,rec.sport.sumo
Subject: Re: Chadwick Rowan (Akebono) 1969-2024
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 2024 07:12:14 -0000 (UTC)

In alt.obituaries bryan_styble <radioactiveseat...@hotmail.com> wrote:
Given the body shapes sumo guys are encouraged to emulate, one wonders
what their average life expectancy is; Wikipedia's entry affirms that
they on average die sooner than other professional athletes, but
doesn't specify any numbers.

I once saw the deceased's mentor,born Jesse Kuhaulua,wrestled as
Takamiyama,coached as Azumazeki,naturalized as Daigoro Watanabe,
quoted as attributing various life expectancies to sumo wrestlers
in inverse order of rank,but the numbers he cited didn't hold up
(He'll be 80 this year and predicted he wouldn't).

Here's my chart of yokozuna which includes birth and death:

YOKOZUNA        BORN-PROMOTED-RETIRED-DIED      MAKUUCHI BOUTS  YUSHO
SHIKONA                                         WON     LOST
Hakuho          1985-7/2007-9/2021-alive        1093    199     45
Chiyonofuji     1955-7/1981-5/1991-7/2016       807     253     31
Kitanoumi       1953-7/1974-1/1985-11/2015      804     247     24
Taiho           1940-9/1961-5/1971-1/2013       746     144     32
Kisenosato      1986-3/2017-1/2019-alive        714     453     2
Harumafuji      1984-11/2012-11/2017-alive      712     373     9
Musashimaru     1971-7/1999-11/2003-alive       706     267     12
Takanohana      1972-1/1995-1/2003-alive        701     217     22
Kakuryu         1985-3/2014-3/2021-alive        645     394     6
Wajima          1948-5/1973-3/1981-2018         620     213     14
Kashiwado       1938-9/1961-7/1969-1996         599     240     5
Asashoryu       1980-3/2003-2/2010-alive        596     153     25
Kitanofuji      1942-1/1970-7/1974-alive        592     294     10
Akebono         1969-3/1993-1/2001-4/2024       566     198     11
Kotozakura      1940-1/1973-7/1974-2007         553     345     5
Wakanohana 1    1928-1/1958-5/1962-9/2010       546     235     10
Mienoumi        1948-7/1979-11/1980-alive       543     413     3
Tochinishiki    1925-10/1954-5/1960-1990        513     203     10
Wakanohana 2    1953-5/1978-1/1983-2022         512     234     4
Asahifuji       1960-7/1990-1/1991-alive        487     277     4
Wakanohana 3    1971-7/1998-3/2000-alive        487     249     5
Tamanoumi       1944-1/1970-10/1971(death)      469     221     6
Hokutoumi       1963-5/1987-5/1992-alive        465     206     8
Takanosato      1952-7/1983-1/1986-11/2011      464     313     4
Sadanoyama      1938-1/1965-3/1968-4/2017       435     164     6
Asashio         1929-5/1959-1/1962-1988         431     248     5
Onokuni         1962-9/1987-7/1991-alive        426     228     2
Chiyonoyama     1926-5/1951-1/1959-1977         366     149     6
Kagamisato      1923-1/1953-1/1958-2004         360     163     4
*Terunofuji     1991-7/2021-active              352++   199++   9+
Haguroyama      1914-5/1941-9/1953-1969         321     94      7
Tochinoumi      1938-1/1964-11/1966-2021        315     181     3
Tamanishiki     1903-11/1932-12/1938(death)     308     92      9
Yoshibayama     1920-1/1954-1/1958-1977         304     151     1
Futabayama      1912-5/1937-11/1945-1968        276     68      12
Terukuni        1919-5/1942-1/1953-1977         271     91      2
Azumafuji       1921-10/1948-9/1954-1973        261     104     6
Minanogawa      1903-1/1936-1/1942-1971         247     136     2
Tsunenohana     1896-2/1924-5/1930-1960         221     58      10
Maedayama       1914-6/1947-10/1949-1971        206     104     1
Futahaguro      1963-7/1986-12/1987-2019        197     87      0
Tachiyama       1877-2/1911-1/1918-1941         195     27      11
Musashiyama     1909-5/1935-5/1939-1969         174     69      1
Umegatani 2     1878-6/1903-5/1915-1927         168     27      3
Tochigiyama     1892-2/1918-5/1925-1959         166     23      9
Onishiki 2      1883-4/1918-1/1922-1943         162     50      6
Hitachiyama     1874-6/1903-5/1914-1922         150     15      8
Okido           1878-12/1912-1/1914-1930        143     20      10
Akinoumi        1914-5/1942-11/1946-1979        142     59      1
Nishinoumi 3    1890-4/1923-10/1928-1933        134     60      1
Nishinoumi 1    1855-3/1890-1/1896-1908         127     37      2
Konishiki (1)   1866-3/1896-1/1901-1914         119     24      7
Onishiki 1      1891-5/1917-1/1923-1941         119     16      5
Umegatani 1     1845-2/1884-5/1885-1928         116     6       9
Otori           1887-2/1915-5/1920-1956         107     49      2
Nishinoumi 2    1880-2/1916-5/1918-1930         106     38      1
Ozutsu          1869-4/1901-1/1908-1918         98      29      2
Miyagiyama      1895-4/1922-1/1931-1943         90      69      2
Wakashima       1876-4/1905-1/1907-1943         82      33      4

The list extends back to Umegatani 1.

Ozeki Kaio had 879 makuuchi wins at retirement in July 2011.The only
other non-yokozuna with more than Akinoshima and Takanonami(tied at 647)
are Kotoshogiku(718),Kyokutenho(697),Takamiyama (II) (683),Aminishiki(678),
and the ozeki Konishiki (649).
Kyokutenho has the loss record at 773,displacing Terao's 753.

I know virtually nothing about sumo, and even found it difficult to
take in those handful of times--on Wide World of Sports on ABC, as I
recall, and in that Bond misfire"You Only Live Twice"--I watched this
strange sport.  Dismiss me as unenlightened if you like, but I don't
enjoy watching severely overweight fellows in loin-cloths manhandling
each other.

The typical bout is over in seconds once they start.
First man forced either out of the ring or down within it loses.

And neither do I see the much spectator appeal when the guys--or
gals--are in shape and/or bulked up, like they are in silly USA-style
"pro"wrestling (or even in the more legitimate Greco-Roman and
collegiate versions of the sport.)

Akebono was over 500 lbs when he wrestled in sumo,not sure about
his stints in various types of "pro wrestling" after he gave up on
coaching as an assistant to Azumazeki.Konishiki (II),the Hawaiian who
was the first non-Japanese ozeki,wrestled at over 600 lbs and is alive
at 60.

BRYAN STYBLE/Florida

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