SOS - Shinjinrui on Sumo Chris Gould Chris sinks his teeth into how sumo can go about pulling in the younger fans - currently so noticeable by their absence. The first of a three-part series. Sumo World Championships Mark Buckton Mark Buckton reports from Sakai near Osaka, site of the latest Sumo World Championships. Rikishi of Old Joe Kuroda Joe Kuroda finishes off his look at former yokozuna Minanogawa. Sumo 101 / Eric Evaluates Eric Blair Eric expains sumo fan terminology - with the inevitable twist - for those just getting into the sport and still subject to the know it alls. Age stands still for no man Joe Kuroda Former ozeki Kiyokuni will retire in November under the compulsory '65 and you are out' rule. JK takes a look at this quiet earth mover. Feel the Sumo Eduardo de Paz Read and feel the renowned Leonishiki's passion for all things sumo at his first live event. SFM Interview Mark Buckton Mark interviews Colin Carroll - again - Irish star of Sakai. Photo Bonanza See the Aki Basho bonanza as well as the largest collection of pics you are likely to see on the Sumo World Championships earlier in October. Aki Basho Summary   Lon Howard Lon wraps the September Aki Basho and throws in some henka sighting results for good measure. Lower Division Rikishi   Mikko Mattila The lower divisions, their members and results get the once over thanks to Mikko's eye of things 'beneath the curtain'. Kyushu Ones To Watch   Carolyn Todd Carolyn shares her thoughts on whom to keep an eye on in Fukuoka. Kimarite Focus Mikko Mattila Mikko's latest clarification of several of the sport's plethora of kimarite. Amateur Angles   Howard Gilbert Howard Gilbert - manager of New Zealand's amateur sumo team takes a look at the approaching Russians. Kokugi Konnections   Todd Lambert Click on Todd's bimonthly focus on three of the best sumo sites online. Fan Debate   Facilitator - Lon Howard Jesse Lake and Rich Pardoe hammer out their differences on a current furor - promotion criteria. SFM Cartoons    Benny Loh & Stephen Thompson In this issue's cartoon bonanza, sit back and enjoy Benny Loh's offerings and put a caption to Stephen Thompson's picture to win yourselves a banzuke. Sumo Odds ’n’ Ends    SFM's interactive elements including Henka Sightings, Elevator Rikishi and Eternal Banzuke! Lets Hear From You   What was it that made you a sumo fan? Kevin Murphy reveals all. Readers' Letters   See what our readers had to say since we last hit your screens. Sumo Quiz    The Quizmaster Answer the Qs and win yourself next basho’s banzuke.

shinjinrui have grown up in a society permeated by western fads, and their craving for Rie-Miyazawa waistlines renders them more nervous towards obesity than any of their ancestors. In the words of Michiko, a young midwife from Toyama: “Many Japanese like slim people. It is just not popular to be big. Most sumotori are just not good looking enough.” Yuko, a 26-year-old administrator, argues that heavy sumotori are more difficult to respect because they have been denuded of the powerful symbolism once associated with them. “After the war defeat in 1945, many Japanese people fell into poverty and had little to eat,” she explains. “They longed for men who were strong, physically and mentally, to protect them. After 60 years of peace, however, the young in Japan do not see sumo wrestlers as “protectors” of the nation and generally have a bad opinion of people who are fat. Young people are crazy about keeping their weight down, and, in their eyes, sumo wrestlers don’t present a healthy image”. Before the new millennium, the NSK’s conception of “health” was diametrically opposed to that held by shinjinrui. The doctrine that a young deshi would most surely succeed if he gained weight steadily throughout his career became almost fanatically interpreted after the rise of the three giant Hawaiians (Konishiki, Akebono and Musashimaru), whose success was rather dubiously attributed to sheer bulk alone. In a vain attempt to match the Hawaiians for size, novice sumotori raided fast food outlets to supplement their high-calorie

chanko diet. In doing so, they appeared evermore “unhealthy” in the eyes of shinjinrui. However, by the late 1990s, sumo tournaments were becoming blighted by a series of weight-related injuries and, in response, the NSK demanded that all sumotori have their body-mass indexes constantly monitored. The policy shift has produced significant results. Whereas in November 1990, the five heaviest rikishi possessed an average weight of 192 kg (423 lbs.), in March 2006 this average had fallen to 174 kg (384 lbs.)  Also, the mean weight for the ten heaviest rikishi tumbled from 174 to 164 kg between November 1990 and March 2006. The average weight of a Makunouchi rikishi, however, has remained constant at 150 kg over the past 16 years, and thus significantly above the mean weight of the six sumotori deemed “most attractive” by young Japanese interviewees: Chiyonofuji, Kyokudozan, Terao, Mainoumi and the Hanada brothers. The fact that this 150 kg average is unlikely to fall should be welcomed. Nobody who has stood by a 165 kg (364 lbs.) sumotori can fail to be impressed by the sheer power symbolized by that awesome physique. No-one who has had their ears pounded by the sound of two 165 kg rikishi colliding will ever forget the experience. In the words of Fumiko, a 17-year-old schoolgirl: “If sumo were full of light men, old people would definitely not watch it. Sumo would become too much like the other sports, and would lose a lot of tradition and identity.” Heaviness is literally a large part of what makes sumo intriguing. If this attribute were better taken advantage of, it could

still appeal to Japan’s youngsters. For young Japanese are not deterred by blubbery flesh alone. They are also deterred by its propensity to hinder athletic, fast-paced combat. Dislikeable combat style? Inappropriate as it may seem, shinjinrui have a tendency to compare sumotori with agile K-1 fighters and fleet-footed footballers. They notice that K-1 fighters appear to hit harder than sumotori, as they are permitted to use clenched fists. They notice that a head-kick from a K-1 fighter looks far more spectacular than sumo”s ketaguri (inside ankle sweep) or sotogake (outside leg trip).  They note that footballers move much more rapidly and sinuously than sumotori. And they find that both K-1 contests and football matches last far longer than a sumo bout, even though they have no need to incorporate “boring” Shinto rituals beforehand. In the words of Kenji, a sumo-sized student: “Sumo shows strength, but it is not as speedy and exciting as K-1.” Keisuke, another student, adds: “I like football now. It has much more movement than sumo and all its shiko stamping.” Even sumo coaches are hard pressed to disagree. One of them told me: “Football is fast. Sumo is slow and requires more thinking.” However, the virtues of “thinking” cannot be easily marketed to the instant-access generation of shinjinrui, capable of satisfying so many wants through technology before even having time to reflect. Although sumo can find plenty of Next