Sumo's Foreign InvasionMark Buckton
Sumo - still Japanese or truly International?
Rikishi of Old
Joe Kuroda
A look at a rikishi of yesteryear with Umegatani II our man for June
Heya Peek
John Gunning
John attends asageiko at Takasago-beya to give us the first of his bimonthly looks at sumo's stables
Photo Bonanza
Kurt Easterwood & Quinlan Faris
Kurt & Quin treat us to some of the best sumo pics around - and seen nowhere else
May Basho Review
Lon Howard & John Gunning
Lon gives us his Natsu Basho summary and his take on upset of the tournament while John chips in with his 'gem' of the basho
Lower Division Rikishi
Mikko Mattila
Mikko provides his round up of the boys in Makushita and below at the Natsu Basho
July Basho Forecast
Pierre Wohlleben & Mark Buckton
Pierre predicts the Nagoya Basho banzuke while Mark previews the ones to watch next time out
Sumo 101
Barbara Ann Klein
Rhyme and reason behind the pre-tachiai rituals that mystified us all as beginners
Kimarite Focus
Mikko Mattila
Mikko walks us through A, B & C
Minusha
John McTague
John's unique view of news from outside the dohyo
Las Vegas Jungyo Teaser
Ngozi Robinson
Months away but like kids at Christmas we are still too excited not to mention it
Online Gaming
Moti Dichne
Hear from the founder of Guess the Banzuke (GTB) on exactly what makes it tick
Le Monde Du Sumo
The original team at MDS tells us how it all started
Sumo Mouse
Todd Lambert
Heya Links Galore and a focus on 3
Fan Debate
JR & EB square off: Right or Left - which should Asashoryu use when receiving kensho?
Let's Hear from You
What was it that made you a sumo fan?
Ngozi Asks
Question of the month - What is Sumo?
Sumo Quiz
The Quizmaster
Answer the Qs and win yourself next basho's banzuke
Sumo Mouse
by Todd Lambert
http://www.sadogatake.com/
page013.html
Home
Each issue of SFM, Todd Lambert – our man online, will bring you a review of 3 sumo related sites to be found on the World Wide Web. Starting us off this month are reviews of the official Nihon Sumo Kyokai site, coverage of the world famous Moti Dichne’s pages and a look at the site of a major stable in the world of sumo. Enjoy.
Nihon Sumo Kyokai
This is the official homepage of the Japan Sumo Association. Content-wise, it's a fantastic resource. All the dates, events, the people, past greats, techniques, and customs unique to the sumo world as well as the photos and profiles of the men in the top two divisions. Plan to go see sumo? Get your tickets here. The colors and graphics exude the image of Grand Sumo and the general usability of the NSK’s official site is very good. The menu-bar at the top of the page is visible no matter what link you access, but the 'Kyokai' menu has two repeats from the main menu, and could be better labeled 'Tournaments & Events'. The interior pages are well laid out, user-friendly and intuitive. The pages are fast-loading, with clear, easy-to-read text. English and Japanese language versions available.
http://www.sumo.or.jp/eng/
Sumo Site by Kintamayama
This website is all about the rikishi – the men of sumo & the Internet games centered on them. Get the latest news, ages, ranks, injuries and retirements taking place in sumo. Learn how to pronounce the names with audio
files, and check out some novel pictures. Fan of a foreigner? Check up on him here. Play one or all of several sumo games, and shop for souvenirs. Site usability is good: the left-side menu-bar is available on all sub-pages, and makes navigation a snap. Grouping the menu items into a few categories and adding a 'home' link (the 'home' link at the bottom of the page loads an extra menu-bar) would help streamline navigation. Although some of the interior pages can be a bit slow to load, this is balanced by the clear, fun layout and large, colorful text.
http://www.dichne.com/
Sadogatake Beya
This homepage is devoted to a large, well-known, successful sumo stable. The English side gives you the history of the stable, profiles of the current coaches and sumotori, as well as photos of the top division people and fan club information. The Japanese portion includes an introduction to the stable, the stable master, all rikishi and staff, recruiting info, details on observing morning practice and having chanko with the heya members, and a schedule of events.
