Akebone was Born in Hawaii. He was the first foreign sumo wrestler to reach the rank of ozeki, the second-highest in sumo wrestling.
But the respect held by the Japanese for sumo is different.
A single standing-only counter, jars of pickled bar food and local workers sighing over sumo wrestling on TV.
The judge repeats "nake, nake (cry, cry)" into the microphone, while the sturdy sumo wrestlers attempt to evoke tears with deep growls and wild grimaces.
It took nine hours, 48 minutes and 52 seconds, but former sumo wrestler Kelly Gneiting succeeded in crossing the finish line at the L.A. Marathon on Sunday - and earned his spot in the record books.
Top sumo players can get superstar status.
A novice will typically enter the almost feudalistic world of the sumo stable at age 15.
This is because a sumo wrestler should always stand on two legs like a chicken, not on all fours.
It waddled towards the pool, looking less like a predator than like an elderly sumo wrestler tottering uncertainly towards a bout with a reigning champion.
The iPad was chosen because the sumo association believed the device was big enough to cater to wrestler's fat fingers, unlike the smaller keys on mobile phones, according to reports。
I really take my sumo wrestling seriously, you know.
In sumo wrestling, the biggest, fattest, heaviest dude is going to win, or at least have the advantage.
The Nomura jellies that have plagued Japan in recent years are big, yes - 450 pounds and seven feet long, roughly the proportions of sumo wrestlers.
Thai kick boxing or Japanese sumo?
Police are investigating the incident and may sue the coach and some sumo wrestlers for manslaughter.
Competitive sumo wrestlers are recruited as young men and undergo a decade of training during which time they as much as double their normal, already stocky weights from 200 to 400 pounds.
Top-level sumo wrestlers average 350 pounds (160 kilograms).
But sumo's famously conservative professional body, the Nihon Sumo-Kyokai, said any boy turning up for tournaments wearing shorts would not be allowed to wrestle.
Most national sports suffer scandals. But the respect held by the Japanese for sumo is different.
What do you feed a sumo wrestler?
The highest rank of a sumo wrestler is known as yokozuna. A yokozuna grand champion retains the rank other wrestlers are promoted or demoted according to whether they have a wining or losing record.
Former sumo wrestler Kelly Gneiting poses before a training session for the U.S. sumo Open.
Japan's debt burden, which is already the largest of the world's big economies, will reach a sumo-sized 225% of GDP in 2010.
Sumo is reputed to be about 2000 years old and is often referred to as the national sport of Japan,The average weight of a sumo wrestler is 150 kilograms,But they can weigh in at up to 250 kilos．
國文精選館
