Sumo Souvenirs   Mark Buckton Second of a two parter on sumo souvenirs - some hints on avoiding the fluff. Konishiki Chris Gould Takamiyama's 60s / 70s successes notwithstanding Konishiki was sumo's first full-on mover and shaker from lands afar leaving Chris G to take an in-depth look at the ripples the big guy left behind when exiting the sumo pool. Rikishi of Old Joe Kuroda Joe Kuroda's looks back at the life and times of former yokozuna Shiranui. Eric Evaluates Eric Blair Eric IDs the true winners of the henkafest that was the Haru Basho senshuraku. Rikishi Diary Mark Kent Mark Kent - English pro-wrestler and amateur heavyweight sumotori - takes his training a step further on his road to European and World sumo glory. Heya Peek Mark Buckton Oitekaze Beya just to the north of Tokyo and not far from the abode of SFM's Ed-i-C falls under the microscope. SFM Interview Carolyn Todd Carolyn interviews Riho Rannikmaa during his recent trip to Osaka - head of all things sumo in Estonia, friend and mentor of Baruto, this is a man with something to announce. Sumo à la LA Alisdair Davey SFM's man in the shadows reports on his recent jaunt in LA, as guest of the Californian Sumo Association and SFM reporter at large. Photo Bonanzas Hot on the heels of the recent Ise bonanza - Haru up close and very very personal - some of our best pics to date. Haru Basho Summary Lon Howard Lon wraps the Haru Basho and chucks in a few bits on the henka issues the top dogs are suffering from at present. Sumo Menko Ryan Laughton Sumo cards of old brought to life once again by expert collector Ryan Laughton. None of your BBM offerings here - Pt II of III. Natsu Ones To Watch Carolyn Todd Carolyn ponders the ones to watch come May and Natsu when sumo comes home to Tokyo. Kimarite Focus Mikko Mattila Mikko's latest look at sumo's kimarite offers unequalled analysis and in depth explanations. Amateur Angles Howard Gilbert On your marks, get set, go - Howard Gilbert walks us through the months ahead on the amateur calendar. Kokugi Konnections Todd Lambert Click on Todd's latest selection of the best sumo sites the WWW has to offer. Fan Debate Facilitator - Carolyn Todd Should it or shouldn't it? Honbasho go on the overseas road that is. See what SFM's Chris Gould and James Hawkins have to say. SFM Cartoons Benny Loh & Stephen Thompson In this issue's cartoon bonanza, sit back and sample ST's latest artistic offerings. Sumo Odds & Ends SFM's interactive elements - as always includes Henka Sightings, Elevator Rikishi and Eternal Banzuke! Let's Hear From You What was it that made you a sumo fan - A. S. - the face in the crowd reveals almost all - to see everything you'll have to close your eyes. Readers' Letters See what our readers had to say since we last hit your screens. Sumo Quiz The Quizmaster Answer the Qs and win yourself a genuine banzuke.

as Grand Sumo Las Vegas 2005 showed. In Mongolia, I am sure there will be no problem in enticing enough fans; mainstream TV exposure has made Asashoryu and Hakuho heroes over there. But in the EU, where sumo wrestlers are vaguely-known faces but not A-list celebrities, I think empty seats beckon. I would prefer the NSK, with the help of NHK, to ensure that sumo receives the same level of TV exposure in ‘target’ EU countries to that which it received in 1980s Britain before trialing a tournament there. Also, in the EU, people have a narcissistic obsession with being seen to work so hard that they can’t possibly have time to attend sporting events on a weekday afternoon. Thus, staging a tournament between 9 and 6 on weekdays will meet with raised eyebrows. (When UEFA tried to make Baruto’s countrymen play football against Scotland at 3pm in 1996, the Estonian team and supporters didn’t believe it, and turned up for 8pm!) One way in which the NSK could draw in crowds would be to split the daily tournament schedule so that the upper two divisions are moved to 6.30pm. These are the wrestlers the crowds have come to see, and 6.30pm starts have generally worked well on sumo tours. However, two questions arise. Firstly, is a pedantic NSK - reluctant to even spice up a yusho race by tinkering with banzuke protocol slightly - prepared to boldly split the daily schedule? Secondly, even if it were, wouldn’t this schedule unfairly discriminate against the makunouchi tsukebito (and the poor bow-twirler!), who would find themselves working much later and feeling more tired than potential (especially non-tsukebito) opponents? If the answer

to either question one is ‘no’ and to question two is ‘yes,’ I would have difficulty supporting a tournament abroad. JH: During this debate, I have continually come back to the same point again and again. Quite simply, Chris and I are essentially on the same page and we’d both like to see a honbasho overseas. We are only finding difficulties with the logistics of the operation. The ‘can do’ attitude of the Japanese will carry Ozumo through any financial losses incurred by an overseas basho in the future. I would insist on adherence to sumo traditions so there would be no splitting of the bouts and no bending to suit local rules and work traditions. Sumo is sumo, it has the potential to carry itself well during trips but it will suffer some difficulties. Not everything in life is all plain sailing and rose-tinted glasses. This ‘can do’ attitude and the expectation of potential woes will prepare the NSK for such annoyances, but when all is stowed away for the long haul home, the lads in mawashi at the start of the 21st century are well ahead of the rikishi a century ago when no return tickets were prepped, and a yokozuna on the Kyoto banzuke was allegedly left to live out his days in Chile while trying to make his way back to Nippon. Sumo takes monetary and image abuse in Japan all the time, and changing the scenery won’t make it hurt any worse. It might be a pricey venture but given the pre-requisite 6 Ps (prior planning prevents piss poor performance), we should be looking at the advantages rather than worrying about the credit ratings, contemplating an option

inconceivable just a decade or two ago. CG: James and I are of the same opinion that a basho should be staged abroad – I’d love to see it happen and I wish the NSK every success in making it happen. Essentially, I seem to be saying: ‘I’ll support the basho abroad subject to certain conditions’ and James seems to be saying: ‘Don’t worry Chris, all your conditions will be met.’ I am quietly confident that they will – especially if the NSK matches James’s ‘can-do’ attitude. And I think James’s words: ‘sumo takes monetary and image abuse in Japan all the time,’ are particularly pertinent. Every time the NSK devotes one person to planning a non-Japanese basho, it leaves itself with one less person to plot sumo’s sustained revival in Japan – the land which, even if a basho is staged abroad, will still host five of the six annual tournaments. The problems of increasing sumo’s popularity in Japan will still exist, regardless of how successful the basho abroad is. Perhaps James is right – sumo has ‘had its day’ in Nippon. If so, the NSK should lay many foundations abroad with a view to staging more than one annual tournament overseas in the future. But it would be sad for James and I to admit that sumo may never again win over the hearts and minds of the nation that made Ozumo the beautiful sport that it is. I am sure we both hope that sumo someday returns to the glory years of the 1980s, when the NSK looked to stage tournaments abroad because the Japanese market was proving too easy to conquer! If James, I and my fellow SFMers and readers keep spreading the sumo word, anything’s possible. Home