By a strange twist of fate, that statue remains in Hawaii and serves as a greeting ... He was more than just a sumo wrestler in Japan. We would see him on TV and everywhere." ...

During his reign, other Hawaii wrestlers would also become stars ... who owns Sam’s Kitchen and bought the life-sized statue of the sumo grand champion said Akebono was a hero who leaves ...

To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. Hawaiian-born Akebono was the first foreigner to win the highest ranking in Japan's national sport, sumo wrestling. He died in Tokyo this month, age 54.

Sumo wrestling fans are mourning a former native of Hawaii who was the first foreigner to attain the highest ranking in Japan's national sport. Akebono died of heart failure in a Tokyo hospital this ...