Sumo Fan Magazine

Amateur Sumo – the sport as it should be Mark Buckton Sakai World Sumo Champs – not all about winning Las Vegas Koen Joe Kuroda Our man reports from the fight capital of the world Rikishi of Old Joe Kuroda A look at a rikishi of yesterday with Kotozakura – our man for October Heya Peek John Gunning John’s early morning dash to Azumazeki-beya & report on TKOTU SFM Interview Katrina Watts sits down with SFM’s Mark Buckton to discuss amateur sumo Photo Bonanza SFM’s best yet – Aki Basho/ Las Vegas / Amateur World Champs / Azumazeki-beya visit – seen nowhere else Aki Basho Review Lon Howard Lon gives us his Aki Basho summary, along with the henka sightings results, and his take on the tournament while ‘gem’ of the basho takes a break Lower Division Rikishi Mikko Mattila Mikko Mattila returns to cover lower division ups and downs Kyushu Basho Forecast Pierre Wohlleben & Mark Buckton Pierre predicts the Kyushu Basho banzuke while Mark previews the ones to watch next time out Sumo 101 Barbara Ann Klein Discovers and explains amasumo & ozumo variations Kimarite Focus Mikko Mattila Mikko once again walks us through his chosen kimarite Minusha John McTague John’s unique bimonthly view of news from outside the dohyo Online Gaming Zenjimoto of ‘game fame’ covers some of the very best sumo games around – his own! Kokugi Connections Todd Lambert Todd’s focus on 3 of the most interesting online sumo sites today Fan Debate Is the limit on foreign rikishi fair? See what our debaters had to say SFM Cartoons Benny Loh In the first of our cartoon bonanzas, sit back and chuckle at Benny Loh’s offerings Let’s Hear From You What was it that made you a sumo fan? Gernobono tells all Readers’ Letters See what SFM readers had to say since our last issue Sumo Quiz The Quizmaster Answer the Qs and win yourself next basho’s banzuke.	Kokugi Connections by Todd Lambert		site is heavily geared to the promotion of sumo and their association, and is most noteworthy for information on events, products, and demonstrations. Need a sumotori for an advertisement? How about a demonstration at your next soiree? These are the guys who want to bring sumo to you! Follow the ‘What’s New’ section, and keep up-to-date on all the latest sumo happenings in America. http://www.usasumo.com/ International Sumo Federation This is the homepage of the main governing body in the world of amasumo. It is packed with information on just what is sumo, its history, the rules, and the federation and people who run the show. There is a schedule of events (the most recent of which is found in the ‘What’s New?’ section), results from past regional and world tournaments, world rankings of amateur rikishi, and a smattering of photos and videos from those events. While not a particularly exciting website – the layout is quite basic, and the menu could be reorganized – it is a rich source of information for those following or participating in the sport. http://amateursumo.com/ Next Home
	Each issue of SFM, Todd Lambert – our man online – will bring you a review of some sumo related sites to be found on the World Wide Web. Featured in October are reviews of the Komatsuryu Dojo site, coverage of USA Sumo and the International Sumo Federation and a look at Sumoudou. Enjoy.
	Komatsuryu Dojo This is the very same club that took in SumoFanMag’s Mark Buckton and John Gunning in the middle of 2004, when they were looking to get out of the armchair and into sumo ‘for real’. There’s even a picture featured on the main page with Gunning and visiting sekitori Ishide and Daishodai standing at the rear of the club members. Both sekitori started their sumo careers in this north eastern Tokyo club, and come to the club’s practices when they have a spare moment, imparting the lessons learned in the big league. Komatsuryu Dojo is found in Tokyo’s Taito ward – literally around the corner from the new Chiganoura-beya and a stone’s throw from Asakusa. Wandering around this website one can get a feeling of just how popular sumo still is at the grassroots	level in Tokyo and, while not the most professional of homepages, shows some of the events kids still take part in even in this age of baseball and soccer. Listings of events include the club’s spring and autumn invitational events as well as photos and records from the club’s participants in wanpaku kids’ tourneys in and around Tokyo. Full contact details are there for those wishing to follow in the footsteps of Buckton and Gunning. http://www.komatsuryu.jp/ USA Sumo The home of the California Sumo Association. This site is visually stimulating, with plenty of catchy photos and graphics, and an easy-to-navigate layout. The events section is especially generous; full of photographs and highlights of the US Sumo Open for the past five years. The