Ōnokuni Yasushi
A powerful Japanese sumo wrestler who rose to the sport's highest rank of yokozuna after a perfect tournament victory in 1987.
Born 1962 (age 64)·Japanese sumo wrestler·Birthday: October 9·Baby Boomers
Biography
Ōnokuni Yasushi went 15-0 in November 1987 to win his first top-division championship and earn promotion to yokozuna, sumo's highest rank. Born in Hokkaido in 1962, he built his career on immense physical strength and a straightforward pushing-thrusting style. His climb through the ranks was steady until that breakout tournament. Injuries limited his time at sumo's pinnacle; he won only one more championship as a yokozuna. After retiring, he became a respected elder and head of Shibatayama stable, training the next generation of wrestlers. His power in the ring during the late 1980s was undeniable, even if his reign at the top was brief.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Ōnokuni was born in 1962, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ōnokuni Was Born
The biggest hits of 1962
#1 Movie
Lawrence of Arabia
Best Picture
Lawrence of Arabia
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Ōnokuni's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1962Born
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1967Started school
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1975Became a teenager
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Could drive
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1980Could vote
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Turned 21
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1992Turned 30
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 40
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 50
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 60
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 64 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Promoted to the 62nd yokozuna in sumo history after a 15-0 tournament victory in November 1987.
- Won two top-division tournament championships (yūshō) in his career.
- Elected to the board of directors of the Japan Sumo Association in 2018.
- Remained in sumo as a stablemaster after retirement, leading Shibatayama stable.
Did You Know?
His shikona (ring name) Ōnokuni means 'great country'.
He was a contemporary and rival of other great yokozuna like Hokutoumi and Chiyonofuji.
His retirement ceremony (danpatsu-shiki) in 1992 was attended by a large crowd at the Ryogoku Kokugikan.
“The ring is a place of truth. You push, and the truth comes out.”
