Tarō Akebono’s Height
6ft 7 ¾ (202.6 cm)
Tarō Akebono (1969 in Hawaii, born Chadwick Haheo Rowan) was a sumo wrestler who made a name for himself on the Dohyo, being the first non-Japanese-born rikishi to reach the rank of Yokozuna (grand champion). Roughly 7 feet tall and over 500 lbs, he was virtually unstoppable in the early 1990s with his monster and powerful style. Akebono would go on to win 11 top-division championships and would become a larger-than-life figure, helping to promote the sport of sumo worldwide.
After leaving sumo in 2001, Akebono competed in other fighting sports such as kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and professional wrestling, especially in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). His career was a display not just of athletic domination, but of cultural significance, too, a sign of sumo’s traditions being thrown open to outsiders while still gaining acceptance in Japan’s traditionalist sporting culture.
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