Yokozuna Comparisons
Joe Kuroda
SFM’s historian, JK, wraps his two-part article on the greatest of the tsuna wearers

Amateur Sumo's Global Aspirations
Courtesy: International Sumo Federation
What exactly is it and furthermore, what does it do? The ISF explain themselves and their purpose in existing

Rikishi of Old
Joe Kuroda
Man or myth? Sumo's first yokozuna comes under the spotlight

Heya Peek
Barbara Ann Klein
Tokitsukaze-beya and its famous find themselves the target of Barbara's peek into life inside the heya

SFM Interview
Mark Buckton
Featuring interviews with amateur sumo's European Sumo Union General Secretary and the President of the newly founded Irish Sumo Federation

Sumo 101
Barbara Ann Klein
Would chanko exist without sumo? What is chanko anyway? Find out in Sumo 101

Photo Bonanza
See the Haru
Basho through the eyes of the fans in the seats as SFM gives the mantle of photographer(s) for this basho to Barbara & Gerald Patten. And don't miss our all-Mongolian Bonanza supplied by our Editor, Barbara Ann Klein

Haru Basho Review
Lon Howard
Lon gives us his Haru Basho summary, along with the henka sightings results

Lower Division Rikishi
Mikko Mattila
Mikko Mattila covers the lower division goings on like nobody else around

Natsu Basho Forecast
Mark Buckton
Mark Buckton glances back to look forward in his ones to look out for come May

Kimarite Focus
Mikko Mattila
Our man Mikko takes us on a tour of his chosen kimarite

Sumo in Print
Mark Buckton
Our gaming thread takes a break for April so we can look at the Spanish language book on the sport not long since released

Kokugi Connections
Todd Lambert
Todd’s bimonthly focus on 3 of the WWW's best sumo sites today

Fan Debate
Facilitator – Lon Howard
April's man VS monkey debate covers the issue of reducing the number of honbasho

SFM Cartoons
Benny Loh & Stephen Thompson
Sit back and enjoy the offerings

Let’s Hear From You
What was it that
made you a sumo fan? Thierry Perran lets us in on his reasons for loving this sport

Readers’ Letters
See what some
See what our featured letter is for this issue

Sumo Quiz
The Quizmaster
Answer the Qs and win yourself next basho’s banzuke.

  Sumo Ireland is constantly undergoing transformation and being successful is a key to implementing any future changes.

MB – If accepted as an IFS member later this year, do you have plans to visit Japan for the Sakai City World Championships?

CC – Your question is the dream I have every night. More than anything in the world I would love to lead the first-ever Irish sumo team to the world championships in Japan. Our clear, indisputable aspiration is, in the short term, to compete in a national event somewhere in Europe and then travel to the European Championships in Germany in September, which would provide a great platform before going to the world's greatest sumo stage at the world championships in October.

MB – What about other tournaments closer to home? Anything lined up in the EU?

CC – As mentioned, our objective for the third quarter of the year is to attend the Europeans' while the fourth quarter involves aspiring to partake in the world championships in Japan.
 I certainly plan competing in a European national event in the coming few months to learn tips on how to stage such an event and observe the sumo standards. We are currently considering hosting the Irish Close this summer, using it as a forum to find the best possible sumo wrestlers on the entire island of Ireland.

Not wishing to get carried away, but with a very clear dream of where I want to take Sumo Ireland, I would love to think that on the back of discovering Ireland's best sumo talent that the organising bodies of some other national sumo associations might like to come to Dublin where we could stage a tri-nations competition. Can you imagine Ireland hosting, say, the Dutch and English sumo teams in Dublin? This would really blood us before the Europeans in Germany in September.

So this five-step approach would ensure we are battle-hardened by the time the World Championships come around in October of this year:

1. Attend a national open. Perhaps the Austrian or Bulgarian Open
2. Stage the Irish Close
3. Host an international sumo
competition in Dublin
4. Compete in the Europeans' in Germany in September
5. Go to the World Championships in Japan in October.

MB – What can you tell me about your members and their background in fighting
sports?

CC – I trained in aikido which is all about using the opponent's force and turning it back on the aggressor. I have also gone a few rounds with a middleweight kick-boxing world champion. How these experiences translate to sumo, I have yet to fully discover!

Graham trains with fellow wrestlers in Belfast who are a wily bunch and can throw some moves.

Carl and Justin both have a background in judo with Justin having been on the Irish Universities judo team. Many of the other members come from other sports, namely rugby, and it is a question of us all transferring our skills to sumo. For example, when the front row in rugby scrum-down, they are in effect charging the opponents in a manner very similar to sumo.

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