Akebono Tarō
American professional wrestler and rikishi (1969–2024)
曙太郎 · 아케보노 다로
- Born
- 8 May 1969, Waimānalo
- Died
- April 2024, Tokyo
- Citizenship
- United States, Japan
- Sport
- K-1, sumo, mixed martial arts, professional wrestling
- Occupation
- rikishi, professional wrestler, kickboxer, mixed martial arts fighter, blogger
- Height
- 203 cm (6 ft 8 in)
- Weight
- 235 kg (518 lb)
Akebono Tarō (Japanese: 曙 太郎, Hepburn: Akebono Tarō; born Chadwick Ha’aheo Rowan; 8 May 1969 – 6 April 2024) was an American-born Japanese professional sumo wrestler and professional wrestler from Waimānalo, Hawaii. Joining sumo in Japan in 1988, he was trained by the pioneering Hawaiian wrestler Takamiyama and rose swiftly up the rankings, reaching the top division in 1990. After two consecutive yusho or tournament championships in November 1992 and January 1993 he made history by becoming the first non-Japanese-born wrestler ever to reach yokozuna, the highest rank in sumo.
Awards and honours
- Hawai‘i Sports Hall of Fame
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q41152 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.