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.

upon controlling her giggling, “but wrestlers need time to concentrate and create an atmosphere.” Kentaro, another language student, chuckled: “We can’t have a one-minute shikiri-naoshi. It is important for the wrestlers to put on a performance.” Kentaro did not mean that it was “important” for himself, though. Like Yu, he firmly believed that the older generation had a right to enjoy their shikiri-naoshi, and that this right should not be impinged upon by shinjinrui. Of course, the notion that outsiders are not really supposed to influence insiders has been rife throughout Japan for centuries. But 21st-century sumo should view this notion with trepidation. Kentaro, Yu and many of their contemporaries often imply that their enjoyment of sumo can only be increased if the enjoyment of older people is compromised, and that they would rather resign themselves to disliking sumo rather than risk antagonising their elders. Sumo will never recruit hoards of youthful admirers while this perception exists. Rather, sumo must stress to shinjinrui that their interests are not diametrically opposed to those of older fans, and must assert that the shikiri-naoshi offers something for everyone. Whereas older fans simply appreciate every aspect of it, young people should be particularly fascinated by the expressions on wrestlers’ faces as they size each other up. The older generation may detest Asashoryu’s scowling looks in his pre-match build-up, but younger fans find them both intriguing and amusing. They should coo when wrestlers venomously slap their own bodies and become

curious as to how effectively the power behind such slaps can be deployed on the opponent. They should be anxious to know what each wrestler would like to say to the other, were they permitted a K-1 style press conference. In short, the religious aspect of the shikiri-naoshi should be downplayed to shinjinrui, in favour of highlighting the gripping tension and scintillating mental warfare on display. Under no circumstances should the shikiri-naoshi be shortened. Older fans already react angrily when the NHK broadcast substitutes shikiri-naoshi coverage with special features and interviews. In the West, though, sumo must tailor its rituals to the type of audience it wishes to attract. It if seeks approval from those intrigued by all things far-Eastern, a four-minute shikiri-naoshi is perfect. If, on the other hand, it seeks to win over those who are purely interested in combat, a shorter build-up is strongly advised. The full-length shikiri-naoshi worked beautifully in front of 11,000 UK fans at the Royal Albert Hall, most of whom were acquainted with it through Channel Four’s sumo broadcasts. It also impressed the majority of supporters at Grand Sumo Las Vegas in 2005. Conversely, when America’s World Wrestling Entertainment ambitiously attempted to stage a sumo bout involving Akebono in front of 20,000 pro-wrestling fans craving for choke-slams and suplexes, even one-minute of salt-tossing was met with derision. However, a similarly-minded audience which gathered to witness the 2006 US Sumo Open was suitably placated by the fact

that amateur sumo requires combatants merely to bend their knees and clap once before wrestling. As long as some element of the build-up remains – even if just a tantalising glimpse – sumo can simultaneously respect tradition while outreaching to fans from pastures new. K-1 competition The task of re-endearing sumo to young people was made decidedly more difficult by the events of 31st December 2003. On that New Year’s Eve, around half of Japan saw a former yokozuna, Akebono Taro, bludgeoned to defeat by Bob Sapp in a K-1 fight. It is impossible to underestimate the impact of Akebono’s painful pounding on Japan’s impressionable shinjinrui. Sapp had become a cult figure in their eyes after transferring his outgoing personality to a series of TV commercials. He was seen to represent the forces of modernisation, whereas Akebono’s sumo history aligned him with the forces of tradition. The shinjinrui not only saw modernisation win, but also saw a rather average K-1 fighter defeat a yokozuna, sumo’s symbol of invincibility. Their suspicions of sumotori no longer being the toughest warriors in Japan were spectacularly reinforced, while the yokozuna dohyo-iri – designed to portray the yokozuna as sheer magnificence personified – was in danger of appearing little more than bravado.   Kenji, the chunky teenager from Next