Fighting as “Yamamotoyama” in Pro Sumo, he is now commonly known as simply “Yama”.

Starting sumo at age 7, Yama won Champion titles in elementary school, middle school, high school, and university levels. As a university student, he competed at the Sumo World Championships twice, and won World Champion titles both times! At Nihon University (the #1 sumo school in Japan), Yama won 5 National Champion titles!

After university success, Yama entered Pro Sumo, as the heaviest recruit ever (515 pounds at age 22), reaching the top (makuuchi) division in the second fastest time ever (under two years!), winning multiple division champion titles in the process. At roughly 600 pounds in his prime, Yama is the heaviest Japanese sumo wrestler ever, and likely the heaviest Japanese human being in recorded history.

After 4 years in Pro Sumo, Yama retired, partly due to injuries. Instead of seeking a coaching position in Japan, Yama availed himself of opportunities with USA Sumo. Since 2011, he has made over 100 international TV, film, and commercial appearances. He is also in huge demand for live events and sumo exhibitions, participating in several dozen of these every year, including “Sumo Sushi Show” tours, throughout the USA.

With years of daily experience in cooking “chanko-nabe” (sumo stew), Yama is one of the very best chanko-nabe cooks in North America, and has appeared on many cooking shows, to demonstrate his culinary talents. Aside from his entertainment career, Yama continues training and coaching others in sumo, on a weekly basis, year-round.