Nagoya Nears
Eric Blair
As Nagoya nears, EB gets a head start on the pack by focussing on points of interest, past and present surrounding sumo's hottest basho

Rikishi of Old
Joe Kuroda
The 42nd yokozuna Kagamisato falls under the JK microscope

Heya Peek
Barbara Ann Klein
Kokonoe-beya and the Chiyo Boys

SFM Interview
Mark Buckton
SFM's Ed-in-Chief interviews Estonian up and comer Baruto

Sumo 101
Barbara Ann Klein
SFM's Editor looks at all the twists and turns involved in the tsunauchi-shiki and adds a photo bonanza to boot

Photo Bonanza
See the Natsu
Basho and Kokonoe-beya photo bonanzas

Natsu Basho Summary
Lon Howard
Lon gives us his Natsu Basho summary, along with the henka sightings results

Lower Division Rikishi
Mikko Mattila
Mikko Mattila lets you know what is going on down below the curtain

Nagoya Ones to Watch
Mark Buckton
MB's mixed bag of things to look out for in Nagoya

Kimarite Focus
Mikko Mattila
Our man Mikko takes us on a tour of several defensive oriented kimarite

Amateur Angles
Howard Gilbert
The first of our regular column pieces on the amateur sumo scene from a man who knows more than most

Sumo Game
Bruce Rae
For a look at his very own: PTYW (Pick The Yusho Winners)

Sumo in Print
Barbara Ann Klein
SFM's Editor reviews the newly published biography of Akebono, Gaijin Yokozuna – but sees it as more than just a biography

Kokugi Connections
Todd Lambert
Check out Todd's bimonthly focus on 3 of the WWW's best sumo sites around

Fan Debate
Facilitator – Lon Howard
Sumo author Mina Hall and long long time fan Jim Bitgood discuss how to make sumo more entertaining – if such a concept is even necessary

SFM Cartoons
Benny Loh & Stephen Thompson
 
Sit back and enjoy the offerings of sumo's premier artists

Let’s Hear From You
What was it that
made you a sumo fan? James Vath in rural Japan lets us in on his gateway to the sport

Readers’ Letters
See what our readers had to say since we last went out

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

Kagamisato Kiyoji (1923-2004) –
the 42nd Yokozuna


by Joe Kuroda
messenger to the boy's home.

Kiyoji's mother, however, being a simple country woman, refused to have her son sent to a big city and, in fact, did not want him involved with sumo at all. Kiyoji himself was not interested in sumo at the time either, as he enjoyed playing basketball. Exasperated, the messenger left a sum of money for Kiyoji and his mother to use to visit Kagamiiwa in Tokyo one day, but did not really expect anything to materialize. Meanwhile, faced with financial burden, Kiyoji's mother had to use the money to survive. But having a strong sense of duty, both mother and son worked hard and, in three years, saved enough money to finally travel to Tokyo and repay the debt personally.

By this time, Kagamiiwa had retired from active sumo career and became Kumegawa oyakata. He had founded his own heya and told Kiyoji and his mother that he was in need of more new recruits. Kiyoji and his mother were treated very kindly by the oyakata, and sensing that his mother felt very indebted to the oyakata, Kiyoji made up his mind to join the heya right away. In January

Next
The 42nd yokozuna Kagamisato Kiyoji had the unmistakable appearance of a traditional sumo rikishi. If there was a miniature sumo doll model to be made, Kagamisato would have been the prototype. He was aptly called “the Full Moon in the Dohyo” as he utilized his huge belly (Taiko-Bara, literally meaning Drum Belly) as a weapon to skillfully push out his opponent. Once seized by his favorite left uwate and closed in by his belly, not many rikishi could escape their fates and were easily thrust out of the dohyo. He was said to be able to carry three quail eggs in his navel. While Kagamisato would have met everyone's image of what a classic sumo rikishi looked like, he was also gentle in heart as well as powerful in physique.

Born Kiyoji Okuyama in a small farming village in the most northern part of Japan's main island, Honshu, Kiyoji lost his father early, and he and his mother had to eke out a meager
living by cultivating whatever they could from their small plot of land. When his older brothers and sister left the house, young Kiyoji struggled hard to support himself and his mother while quite young. This upbringing shaped the rest of his life as he was known for his straightforward, humble and dutiful personality. He never called attention to himself intentionally and was known for his dislike of reporters. Perhaps he felt reluctant to speak loudly due to his strong Northern (Japan) accent as he was not easily understood by Tokyo natives.

Despite never having enough to eat, Kiyoji grew up strong and was already over 170 cm tall, weighing 73 kg by the time he became a teenager. Because he was much bigger than most, he soon became well known locally. While visiting nearby Morioka City on a jungyo tour, then-ozeki Kagamiiwa heard of this large local youth and he decided to contact him by sending a
 
L10 Web Stats Reporter 3.15 LevelTen Hit Counter - Free PHP Web Analytics Script
LevelTen dallas web development firm - website design, flash, graphics & marketing