King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Konishiki Yasokichi

Professional sumo wrestler

小錦八十吉

Born
31 December 1963, Oahu
Citizenship
United States, Japan
Sport
sumo
Occupation
rikishi, musician
Height
184 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight
282 kg (623 lb)

Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e (born December 31, 1963), better known by his shikona, Konishiki Yasokichi (小錦八十吉, Konishiki Yasokichi), is an American-born Japanese former professional sumo wrestler. He was the first non-Japanese-born wrestler to reach ōzeki, the second-highest possible rank in the sport. During his career, he won the top division championship on three occasions and came very close to becoming the first foreign-born grand champion, or yokozuna, prompting a social debate in Japan as to whether a foreigner could have the necessary cultural understanding to be deemed acceptable in sumo's ultimate rank. At a peak weight of 287 kg (633 lb) he was also at the time the heaviest wrestler ever in sumo, earning him the nicknames "Meat Bomb" and, most famously, "The Dump Truck".

Awards and honours

External links

Facts from Wikidata Q582631 (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.