dv> "Stephen J. Turnbull" <turnbull(a)sk.tsukuba.ac.jp&gt; writes: dv> Wasn't there a sumotori named Akemono, pretty famous, like 4 years dv> ago? I think I remeber having seen him on TV there. Akebono is his nom-de-guerre[1] (can't remember his real name at the moment, Chad something) and he's actually a Hawaiian with Japanese citizenship. I've not seen him doing comercials (although some of the ones former ozeki Konishiki (another Hawaiian, now retired) are quite amusing. I know he has done some things for international promotion of sumo, and wouldn't be surprised if he'd done some other promotional things as well. Footnotes: [1] (did I get that right? my highschool French is quite rusty) All sumo wrestlers take on a name to use in public once they enter the sport. After retiring, those who have either inherited or purchaced the right to become an 'oyakata' (sumo elder who can have their own stable) take on a different name for that. -- Jareth Hein | jareth(a)camelot.co.jp | ハイン ジェラス Toolsmith & Program lead | http://www.camelot.co.jp | 開発部チーフ Camelot Software, Ltd. | |（株）キャメロット "It's a sad sign of the times when 'political machine' is redefined to include 'main-line battle tank'" - Ambassador Grossblunder