Konishiki Yasokichi received a kidney transplant from his wife last year. Learning from the example of sumo wrestler Musashigawa, "I'm feeling much better now"

Former ozeki Konishiki Yasokichi and his wife Chie appeared on Kuroyanagi Tetsuko's long-running talk show "Tetsuko's Room" (TV Asahi) on May 28th. They looked back on the kidney transplant surgery that Chie underwent at the end of last year due to renal failure.

When asked about his current health, Konishiki said, "I'm feeling much better now." Last June, he fell ill while working in Chicago. Feeling "a bit tired and in pain," he went to the doctor, who told him, "In this condition, you can't get on a plane. You'll die." He was hospitalized there for about 10 days.

He was diagnosed with kidney failure and was forced to choose between artificial dialysis or a kidney transplant. Konishiki said, "Dialysis is out of the question because of the kind of work I do. I have to do it three times a week for about four to five hours." He consulted with his junior, the sumo wrestler Musashigawa (formerly Musashimaru), who had successfully received a kidney transplant from his wife, and decided to undergo the surgery.

During the actual surgery, Chie's left kidney was removed and transplanted into Konishiki's right. Looking back on that time, Chie said, "I was very nervous about having my own kidney transplant. I'm healthy, so the idea of them cutting me open and taking it out... made me very nervous. The fact that the sumo wrestler and his wife Musashigawa had received the transplant meant a lot to me."

The surgery was a success. Konishiki said he felt like his wife was inside his body, and added, "Whenever I do something inappropriate, it feels like she's kicking me (from the inside). When I eat too much, it feels like she's kicking me (laughs)."