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SOS - Shinjinrui on Sumo |
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Chris Gould
Chris sinks his teeth deeper into how sumo can go about pulling in the younger fans in part two of a three-part series.
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Azumazeki up close and personal |
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Steven Pascal-Joiner / William Titus
A wiz with a pen and a wiz with a lens get together with SFM to share
their time with Azumazeki Oyakata - Takamiyama as was - with the wider
sumo following world.
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Rikishi of Old |
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Joe Kuroda
Joe Kuroda takes a detailed look at the life and times of a former yokozuna forgotten by many - Maedayama.
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Eric Evaluates |
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Eric Blair
Eric calls the musubi-no-ichiban kimarite call on nakabi in Kyushu as perhaps only he could.
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Heya Peek |
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Jeff Kennel
First time heya visitor Jeff Kennel wrote about, photographed and even
made a video of his time spent at Arashio Beya prior to the Kyushu
Basho. All to be found within.
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SFM Interview |
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Mark Buckton
Mark interviews Russian up and comer Wakanoho of Magaki Beya.
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Photo Bonanzas |
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See behind the scenes at the Kyushu Basho, morning training in Arashio
Beya through the eyes of an artist and exactly what the Azumazeki lads
had to eat halfway though the July Nagoya Basho. All originals, all
seen here and nowhere else, and all for you.
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Kyushu Basho Summary |
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Lon Howard
Lon wraps the Kyushu Basho in Fukuoka and throws in some henka sighting results for good measure.
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Lower Division Rikishi |
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Mikko Mattila
The lower divisions, their members and results get the once over thanks
to Mikko's eyeing of life down below the salaried ranks.
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Hatsu Ones To Watch |
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Carolyn Todd
Carolyn ponders and puts fingers to keys on the ones to watch come January and the Hatsu Basho.
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Kimarite Focus |
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Mikko Mattila
Mikko's latest clarification of a handful of sumo's kimarite offers unequalled analysis and in depth explanations.
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Amateur Angles |
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Howard Gilbert
Howard looks at makushita tsukedashi and what it means in real terms.
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Kokugi Konnections |
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Todd Lambert
Click on Todd's bimonthly focus on three of the best sumo sites online.
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Fan Debate |
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Facilitators - Lon Howard / Carolyn Todd
Two SFMers talk over the yokozuna benefiting from weak opposition - or not as the case may be.
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SFM Cartoons |
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Benny Loh & Stephen Thompson
In this issue's cartoon bonanza, sit back and sample Stephen's artistic offerings.
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Sumo Odds ’n’ Ends |
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SFM's interactive elements including Henka Sightings, Elevator Rikishi and Eternal Banzuke!
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Lets Hear From You |
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What was it that made you a sumo fan? Starting with issue #10, the SFM
staff will reveal a little of their own routes into sumo fandom -
starting with Benny Loh.
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Readers' Letters |
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See what our readers had to say since we last hit your screens.
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Sumo Quiz |
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The Quizmaster
Answer the Qs and win yourself next basho’s banzuke.
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be one of the most
intriguing rikishi to follow in 2007. His 26-2 record so far is
similar to Shiraishi’s when he stormed up the banzuke but
Tochinoshin
Sakaizawa doesn’t have a size problem when facing high makushita and
sekitori level rikishi, so he is one of the hot candidates for a fast
juryo debut in 2007.
Gagamaru (19) also had a very strong makushita debut – scoring 6-1 at
ms55 – but his opponents were not of high caliber and he even got
his last win by default. The big Georgian beat lightweights like
Wakasuruga, Kyokutenzan and Satsukiumi on his way to 6-1. Gagamaru does
have power and size but also weaknesses and clumsyness in his sumo. The
Hatsu basho will be a bigger test for him. In any case, a 6-1 record
from a 19-year-old in his makushita debut hardly deserves harsh
critique.
Sasaki (19) from Naruto-beya was literally crushed in his makushita
debut as he lost many bouts by yoritaoshi, oshitaoshi and abisetaoshi.
He is a lanky rikishi with plenty of good sumo skills but evidently not
strong enough to compete in makushita yet. His 1-6 performance sends
him way back to sandanme for the Hatsu basho.
The sandanme yusho winner was decided in a playoff between
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23-year-old Mongolian
Tokusegawa and 19-year-old Daishoyu. The latter took the yusho and
decorated his career record with another 7-0. Without his absence in
the Nagoya 2006 basho, he would most likely be a makushita rikishi
already. Tokusegawa has a clear upward trend in his sumo, now getting
7-0 after 4-3, 4-3 and 5-2 in sandanme.
Hoshihikari (22) went 6-1 at sd21 and returns to makushita. Georgian
Tochinoshin (19) lost only to Matsutani and joins Gagamaru in makushita
in the Hatsu basho. Matsutani (22) will also make his debut after
getting all the way to 6-0 before losing the last bout against
Tokusegawa. Matsutani was a college rikishi as were Kitazono (23) and
Tokitairyu (23). Kitazono had three consecutive 6-1s since his debut
but was slowed to 4-3 at sd44. Tokitairyu defeated Tochinoshin in the
Aki playoff in jonidan but fell to 4-3 at sd22. One of the conspicuous
rikishi in sandanme is 16-year-old behemoth Mankajo, who tipped the
scales at over 220kg a while ago. He is possibly the heaviest Japanese
rikishi in ozumo. His 6-1 at sd81 takes him quite high to the same
territory as the heaviest rikishi in ozumo, Russian
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Orora, despite having much less experience.
The jonidan yusho winner was Wakarikido (19), who beat Minanosato (23)
in a playoff between undefeated rikishi. Both have already been quite
high in sandanme. Chiganoura-beya’s young Masunoyama (16)
continued his good career start with another 6-1 record.
Brazilian Kainohama (20) also got his second 6-1 in a row after
recovering from an injury. Aki basho jonokuchi yusho winner
ex-makushita Kurazono (25) had changed his shikona to Satsumariki but
couldn’t repeat his 7-0 yusho and fell to a mere 5-2 at jd20. One of
the tallest Japanese rikishi, 16-year-old Ooazuma (195cm) from
Tamanoi-beya, had his first losing record, scoring 2-5 at jd67 after
two consecutive 5-2s from his debut.
In the jonokuchi division, the yusho went to 27-year old Tetsuhikari
who was truly happy about his achievement. He had suffered a lot of
injuries and hardships during his career but never gave up and finally
got a yusho. New Brazilian Kaisei (19) from Tomozuna-beya started his
career with a satisfying 6-1 record.
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