Guests taking part in the hair-cutting ritual include US Ambassador to Japan Howard Baker, an ambassador representing the French President (and sumo fan) Jacques Chirac, Konishiki, Takanohana and finally Akebono's stablemaster Azumazeki Oyakata.
In 2000 Shinichi Watanabe, director of Excel Saga and Puni Puni Poemy, created an anime series called Dotto! Koni-chan, in which Koni, the protagonist, is a fat kid who strongly resembles KONISHIKI.
He then signed with K-1, a kickboxing and mixed martial arts organization, fighting under his old shikona (He uses the Latin script, appearing as "WAKASHOYO" rather than using the Japanese characters. The Sumo Association requested that Konishiki do the same thing in his post-sumo career).