Brothers in Sumo –
part one
Brian Lewin
Brothers no longer active on the dohyo come under the SFM microscope

NHK & the Ozumo
English Broadcast
Mark Buckton
A visit to NHK, years of watching the show and the opinions of our Ed-in-Chief

Hanging With the Rikishi
Barbara Ann Klein
Barbara Ann Klein recounts her experiences with the “boys” in a pictorial diary series

Rikishi of Old
Joe Kuroda
A look at a rikishi of yesteryear with Chiyonoyama – our man for December

Sumo Exhibit at the
Edo-Tokyo Museum
Barbara Ann Klein
SFM’s Editor takes in the exhibit celebrating 80 years of the Japan Sumo Association at this famous Tokyo museum

Heya Peek
John Gunning
John’s early morning trip to Hakkaku – a visit that almost didn’t happen

SFM Interview
Dave Wiggins sits down
with SFM’s Mark Buckton to discuss the broadcast scene – and maple syrup

Photo Bonanza
What a collection – All-Japan Sumo Tournament, Hakkaku-
beya visit and sumo exhibits at the Edo-Tokyo Museum

Kyushu Basho Review
Lon Howard
Lon gives us his Kyushu Basho summary, along with the henka sightings results, and his take on the year in brief

Lower Division Rikishi
Mikko Mattila
Mikko Mattila covers lower division ups and downs

Hatsu Basho Forecast
Pierre Wohlleben & Mark
Buckton
Pierre predicts the Hatsu Basho banzuke while Mark previews the ones to watch for in January

Sumo 101
Eric Blair
Eric explains all you need to know and then some about the Kokugikan building – the mecca of sumo

Kimarite Focus
Mikko Mattila
Mikko walks us through his chosen kimarite in expert fashion

Minusha
John McTague
John’s unique bimonthly view of news from outside the dohyo

Online Gaming
Eric Blair
For the lowdown on Guess the Kotomitsuki – baby of SFM’s John Gunning

Kokugi Connections
Todd Lambert
Todd’s bimonthly focus on 3 of the most interesting sumo sites today

Fan Debate
Intra heya bouts –
OK or not? See what our debaters had to say

SFM Cartoons
Stephen Thompson
In the second of our cartoon bonanzas, sit back and enjoy ST’s offerings

Let’s Hear From You
What was it that made you a sumo fan? American Todd Defoe 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.

  the youngest. Kakureizan still works there, but retains a fairly low profile; most customers are unaware that it is even him, and seem to think Terao owns the place.

Salt Shaker and Plum Town


Nishikido and the former Umenosato
 
Koizumi Masato was scouted out by great Hawaiian sekiwake Takamiyama on a trip to Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture in the late ’70s. He made his debut with Takasago-beya in the 1978 Haru basho. He began as Koizumi, but three years later was given the shikona Mitoizumi, in honor of his famous hometown.

Exactly two years after Mitoizumi joined, he would be followed into the heya by his younger brother Shoji, who would take the name Umenosato, from the ume – plum/apricot that is Mito’s most famous product. Unfortunately, Umenosato would not meet with the same success as his brother. 		He spent just over thirteen years in the lower divisions before peaking out at Juryo west 13 – his only basho as a sekitori – at the Nagoya basho in July 1993. Following that, he dropped back down to makushita, but perhaps showing a bit of his brother’s tenacity, he would fight on for 7 ½ more years, before finally pulling the plug in January of 2001.

Even if they couldn’t do it together, Mitoizumi would do his brother proud and would become one of the most tenacious and popular rikishi of his time.

A big man at 194 cm, Mitoizumi took longer than expected – six years – to make it to juryo but stayed for only two basho, making his makuuchi debut in the September 1984 basho. He moved up and down the banzuke, but managed to impress enough to claim three kanto-sho in his first two years.

The Aki basho in September 1986 would prove to be one of the defining moments of Mitoizumi’s career. On the third day, facing future yokozuna Onokuni, he was twisted and forced down on his left knee, seriously injuring it. After a lot of rehabilitation and moral support from his brother, he would eventually return to the 		dohyo, but the knee would continue to bother him for the remainder of his career.

Oddly enough though, that leg injury was not the catalyst for the behavior that would help make him so popular and influence certain other recently-popular rikishi. As he stood in the corner for the last time before the tachiai, he would grab an enormous handful of salt and underhand it in a huge arc across the dohyo. Then, as he walked out to face his opponent, he would strike his face and shoulders to help focus his energy. Earning the nickname Salt Shaker, combined with a strong fighting spirit (6 kanto-sho and 1 shukun-sho) both in his torikumi and in battling through all his injuries, helped make him enormously popular with the fans.

Almost six years after the debilitating knee injury, in the 1992 Nagoya basho, Mitoizumi had perhaps the high point of his career. Capitalizing on his size, reach and power to their utmost, he won a spectacular 13-2 hiramaku yusho ranked at Maegashira 1.

For that, he was elevated to sekiwake the following basho, but was unable to capitalize on

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