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Brothers no longer active on the dohyo come under the SFM microscope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.

  always going to be around, but to label all as cheats is wrong. I would, of course, like to see such documented facts regarding a given sumotori’s inability to play fair, as opposed to rumors and innuendo. I have seen none to date.

So, considering your “surely you can’t believe that Takanonami and Takatoriki would not lay one down for the team”, having been oshitaoshi’d (Takanonami’s victories over Takanohana evidence of such), and also the mistaken belief that all men are inherently incapable of fair play if they belong to a stable or baseball team, I remain wholly unconvinced that the ban on intra- heya bouts should be maintained. After all, the Waka-Taka playoff in the 1995 Kyushu Basho is still remembered today, not because Waka won or because of the kimarite, but because it actually took place and was enjoyed all around the sumo world. Give such bouts, or the possibility of such bouts, to the fans each tournament and watch some of the so-called departing droves pull a U-turn.

EW: Mark, let me just touch briefly on your comment on drugs and bribery. I don’t think for one minute that you really believe in your heart that steroids and yaocho do not exist 		in sumo. The mere fact that the NSK does not acknowledge that they exist, or refuses to do anything about them, does not cause them not to exist. It stands to reason that there are some rikishi that are “incapable of competing fairly and on an even dohyo” at any point, much less in a bout with their own heya members. Even the great yokozuna, Asashoryu, has appeared in the past to ‘mail one in’ when the situation dictated. And because there is no mandatory drug testing in sumo, we may never know if some are getting help from the ‘juice’. Don’t see a completely even dohyo here, and maybe that is a problem with attendance, not the lack of inter-heya match-ups.

But I really want to focus on your statement, “after all – the Waka-Taka playoff in the 1995 Kyushu Basho is still remembered today, not because Waka won or because of the kimarite, but because it actually took place and was enjoyed all around the sumo world.” Yes, this match IS remembered because it actually took place. Because it was UNUSUAL! Out of the ordinary! One of a kind! Not the 23rd in a series of Waka-Taka matches, which is what it probably would have been had your concept of intra-heya bouts been in place at the time. And 		then, NO ONE would remember it. No one probably would have cared then. Oh well, here they go again. Major League Baseball adopted inter-league play in 1997. And with the minor exception of those Cubs-White Sox, Yankees-Mets, and Los Angeles-Anaheim series, nobody cares! It has done nothing for baseball attendance. What HAS helped baseball is the wild card system of playoffs - increased emphasis on the post-season, more chances for more teams to win it all, more fan interest.

Sumo does not need intra-heya matches to boost attendance. On the contrary, this will only make the Kotooshu-Kotomitsuki matches ho-hum when they meet for the yusho playoff in some future basho. What sumo needs is another strong sekitori to rise up from the ashes and become the great rival to Asashoryu. Right now, Asa has the run of the roost, and like it or not, that makes for bored fans (except for my buddy Barbara, the former Babanoshuzan, who would like to see his winning streak end when he retires in say, 2019). Now, have Kisenosato man up, and make himself a regular foe for Asa, and see if the fans don’t come out to watch. No Mark, intra-heya matches are best left for the basho playoff, so that,

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