Who is the Biggest Sumo Wrestler?

Like in many other combat sports, sumo wrestlers have to optimise their bodies to maximise their performance.

In sumo wrestling, that means putting on quite a few extra pounds.

But, who is the biggest sumo wrestler in the world?

Let’s find out.

10 Heaviest Sumo Wrestlers of All Time

Ōrora

Status: Retired
Born: 26 April 1983
Country: Russia
Height: 1.90 m
Weight: 292.6 kg (645 lbs)
Highest rank: Makushita 43

Ōrora Satoshi became the heaviest professional sumo wrestler in 2017 after reaching 288kg (around 635 lb).

On his debut in the sport, Ōrora weighed 190 kg (420 lb) on his debut in professional sumo and a decade later reached 262 kg (578 lb) and became the second-heaviest wrestler in the sport ever.

His official peak weight (recorded by the Sumo Association shortly before his retirement) was 292.6 kg, but the former Russian wrestler has stated that he has weighed 294 kg, though this number never went on his record.

Konishiki

Status: Retired
Born: 31 December 1963
Country: USA
Height: 1.84 m
Weight: 287 kg (632 lbs)
Highest rank: Ōzeki

Konishiki is best-known in the sport for being the first non-Japanese-born wrestler to reach the ōzeki rank in sumo wrestling (the second-highest in the sport).

He also came very close to becoming a yokozuna (the highest rank in sumo wrestling), which sparked a social debate in Japan, given that Konishiki is not Japanese. If he did, he would have been the first foreign-born to reach that rank.

His peak weight was 287 kg (633 lb) and during his time as a sumo wrestler, he was the heaviest in the sport, an achievement that earned him the nickname ‘The Dump Truck’.

Yamamotoyama

Status: Retired
Born: 8 May 1984
Country: Japan
Height: 1.93 m
Weight: 272 kg (600 lb)
Highest rank: Maegashira 9

Yamamotoyama is one of the most popular sumo wrestlers in the history of the sport. At 272.2 kg, he is the heaviest sumo wrestler from Japan (he was born in Saitama) and is considered to be the heaviest Japanese ever.

He rose quickly through the ranks and was promoted to the top makuuchi division two years after his debut in the sport, following nine wins in consecutive jūryō tournaments.

Unfortunately, Yamamotoyama’s career came to an early end in April 2011 after it was revealed that he and other wrestlers were involved in match-fixing. They were all ordered to retire by the Japan Sumo Association.

Dewanojo

Status: Active
Born: December 14 1993
Country: Japan
Height: 1.90 m
Weight: 258 kg (569 lb)
Highest rank: Makushita 56

Dewanojo may be among the tallest and largest sumo wrestlers, but he is also one of the youngest in the sport.

He has competed in both national and international championships where he has had moderate success and is still very much active in the sport.

At one point in his career, Dewanojo transferred from the West Jonidan division to the West Sandanme division, where he only stayed for a couple of months. This year, he joined the East Makushita division.

Kenho

Status: Active
Born: February 10 1989
Country: Japan
Height: 1.80 m
Weight: 250 kg (550 lb)
Highest rank: Makushita 59

Kenho was one of the most promising figures in the sport when he joined the professional sumo world.

He is the fifth heaviest wrestler in the history of one of the oldest sports, sumo wrestling, and is believed to be the heaviest active wrestler.

Although little is known about his background and even his career, there are some excellent matches of Kenho on the dohyō that have been recorded on tape. He now competes in both Japanese and international tournaments and has taken part in a total of sixty-give tournaments.

Kenho’s most impressive achievement in his career is reaching the Makushita 59 rank, which is impressive for his age.

Susanoumi

Status: Retired
Born: August 30 1972
Country: Japan
Height: 1. 84 m
Weight: 240 kg
Highest rank: Jūryō 2

Susanoumi, whose real name is Zenji Kanesaku, is a retired sumo wrestler who saw moderate success in the world of sumo.

His best result was defeating Hayateumi and Kotomitsuki in the 1999 tournament in Kyushu. A couple of years later, Susanoumi fell to the third-lowest division, after participating in a January basho, and retired.

His peak weight was 240 kg, which ranks him sixth on the list of the heaviest sumo wrestlers. Susanoumi was the largest sumo wrestler ever until he was surpassed by Yamamotoyama.

Kainowaka

Status: Active
Born: April 20 1979
Country: Japan
Height: 1. 73 m
Weight: 237 kg (522 lb)
Highest rank: Makushite 14

Kainowaka Naoya is one of the heaviest wrestlers in the sport and ranks in the top 5 heaviest sumo wrestlers from Japan, right after Yamamotoyama, Kenho, and Susanoumi.

Kainowaka is still active in the world of sumo and has taken part in numerous national championships.

Despite his age, there are no signs that Kainowaka plans to retire any time soon. He recently competed in Hatsu Basho, which was held in Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo.

Akebono

Status: Retired
Born: 8 May 1969
Country: USA
Height: 2.03 m
Weight: 233 kg
Highest rank: Yokozuna

Akebono Taro was one of the best-known sumo wrestlers of his time. He was born in Hawaii, where he was trained by the prestigious sumo wrestler Takamiyama, and eventually became a Japanese citizen in 1996.

Akebono quickly rose through the ranks and after two consecutive tournament championships, he became the first non-Japanese-born wrestler to reach a yokozuna rank in sumo.

During his eight years at this rank, Akebono won eight tournament championships. He later retired from the sport and joined K-1, a kickbox promotion.

Tokushinhō

Status: Retired
Born: 13 May 1984
Country: Japan
Height: 1.93 m (6 ft 4 inch)
Weight: 224 kg (494 lb; 35.3 st)
Highest rank: Jūryō 6

As a kid, Tokushinhō practised karate. It wasn’t until he was in high school that he started showing an interest in sumo.

By the time he was in college, he had already taken part in several competitions and later became the first former amateur from Asahi University to reach the sekitori ranks.

Tokushinhō’s peak weight during his days in the dohyō was 224 kg (494 lbs), making him one of the heaviest wrestlers in the sport ever.

His sumo wrestler weight also secured him a spot as the sixth-heaviest Japanese sumo wrestler, after Kainowaka, Kenho, Susanoumi, and Yamatoyama.

Hidenoumi

Status: Active
Born: 11 June 1989
Country: Japan
Height: 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight: 159 kg (351 lb)
Highest rank: Maegashira 6

Hidenoumi started sumo when he was in elementary school. Despite having enough experience in the sport, he didn’t manage to win two championships at university-level competitions, which meant he had to start pro sumo from the bottom of the ranks.

Once he did, he was immediately promoted to jonidan and went on to record a perfect score in that division. He recorded two consecutive promotions after that and was eventually promoted to the jūryō division, after which he adopted the shikona (ring name) Hidenoumi.

Hidenoumi is still active in the sport and is currently in the Kise stable.

How Much Do Sumo Wrestlers Weigh?

Most sumo wrestlers weigh around 150-180 kg (330-400 lbs).

To get this big, they typically eat 7,000 calories or more a day, which is three to four times more than an average adult.

This may not seem like a healthy lifestyle, but sumo wrestlers rarely suffer from health conditions like diabetes or experience strokes or heart attacks, which are all linked to obesity.

The reason? According to Business Insider, they don’t have much visceral fat.

Bottom Line

Sumo wrestling is one of the hardest sports in the world, and the wrestler’s size plays a massive role in their success. Although most wrestlers weigh around 150-180 kg, the biggest sumo wrestler– Ōrora– has reached a weight of nearly 300 kg.

You might also be interested in:

What are the colours of karate belts