|
|
SOS - Shinjinrui on Sumo |
|
Chris Gould
Chris sinks his teeth deeper into how sumo can go about pulling in the younger fans in part two of a three-part series.
|
|
|
Azumazeki up close and personal |
|
Steven Pascal-Joiner / William Titus
A wiz with a pen and a wiz with a lens get together with SFM to share
their time with Azumazeki Oyakata - Takamiyama as was - with the wider
sumo following world.
|
|
|
Rikishi of Old |
|
Joe Kuroda
Joe Kuroda takes a detailed look at the life and times of a former yokozuna forgotten by many - Maedayama.
|
|
|
Eric Evaluates |
|
Eric Blair
Eric calls the musubi-no-ichiban kimarite call on nakabi in Kyushu as perhaps only he could.
|
|
|
Heya Peek |
|
Jeff Kennel
First time heya visitor Jeff Kennel wrote about, photographed and even
made a video of his time spent at Arashio Beya prior to the Kyushu
Basho. All to be found within.
|
|
|
SFM Interview |
|
Mark Buckton
Mark interviews Russian up and comer Wakanoho of Magaki Beya.
|
|
|
Photo Bonanzas |
|
See behind the scenes at the Kyushu Basho, morning training in Arashio
Beya through the eyes of an artist and exactly what the Azumazeki lads
had to eat halfway though the July Nagoya Basho. All originals, all
seen here and nowhere else, and all for you.
|
|
|
Kyushu Basho Summary |
|
Lon Howard
Lon wraps the Kyushu Basho in Fukuoka 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 eyeing of life down below the salaried ranks.
|
|
|
Hatsu Ones To Watch |
|
Carolyn Todd
Carolyn ponders and puts fingers to keys on the ones to watch come January and the Hatsu Basho.
|
|
|
Kimarite Focus |
|
Mikko Mattila
Mikko's latest clarification of a handful of sumo's kimarite offers unequalled analysis and in depth explanations.
|
|
|
Amateur Angles |
|
Howard Gilbert
Howard looks at makushita tsukedashi and what it means in real terms.
|
|
|
Kokugi Konnections |
|
Todd Lambert
Click on Todd's bimonthly focus on three of the best sumo sites online.
|
|
|
Fan Debate |
|
Facilitators - Lon Howard / Carolyn Todd
Two SFMers talk over the yokozuna benefiting from weak opposition - or not as the case may be.
|
|
|
SFM Cartoons |
|
Benny Loh & Stephen Thompson
In this issue's cartoon bonanza, sit back and sample Stephen's artistic offerings.
|
|
|
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? Starting with issue #10, the SFM
staff will reveal a little of their own routes into sumo fandom -
starting with Benny Loh.
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
 |
|
with
Asashoryu, I couldn’t help but echo the sentiments of the English
language announcers on the NHK telecast on senshuraku. “What a
shame,” they said that Tochiazuma re-injured his ailing left knee on
day 10 against Dejima. They were right of course, because he was
otherwise in good fighting shape and with only one loss going into that
day, had a good chance of keeping pace with Asashoryu with a chance at
forcing a playoff when they finally met. Chiyotaikai also
injured his right elbow during the basho, and one would probably guess
that Kaio’s chronic back ailment worsened as the basho wore on. I
would also include ozeki Kotooshu in the “What a shame!” parade.
The pundits say he’s recovered from the severe knee injury suffered at
the beginning of the year, but I just can’t buy into that because he
continues to wear the knee brace and his torikumi isn’t nearly as
aggressive as before. At the end of the basho he said that his
goal for 2007 was not to get injured again…hardly the mindset of
someone who feels he can go all out. Somehow, I still feel that
he could be a respectable yokozuna (uh huh, not ozeki) if he can set
his injury aside.
Tochiazuma
But injuries are a big part of sumo, so let’s just deal with the outcome, which is that Asashoryu will begin
|
|
|
|
the
New Year gunning for his 20th yusho with no viable challenger.
The conspicuous ozeki highlight in Kyushu was the home-turf favorite
Kaio leaping out to an 8-0 start, thereby clearing kadoban for the 10th
time, an auspicious feat in itself. The many pundits who have
been snipping at his mage will once again have to wait, as Kaio’s intai
will happen when it happens. But his own fast start, like those
by Chiyotaikai and Tochiazuma, faded in the basho’s second half and
they all plodded home, Kaio and Tochiazuma to 10-5 and Chiyotaikai to
9-6. Kotooshu’s five losses were scattered evenly throughout the
basho, and perhaps more telling is the fact that he was the only ozeki
to defeat the other three.
Almost every basho, there is at least one breakout performance by a
hiramaku rikishi, and this time it came from Homasho, who claimed
Homasho
the jun-yusho with an absorbing 12-3 showing. He also took home the
kanto-sho fighting spirit prize, as well as the gino-sho technique
prize, which he shared with M2 Kotoshogiku. It seems that
Shikoroyama Oyakata might have gotten through with a message that his aspiring sanyaku hope needed to |
|
|
|
mix some early offense with his dogged
perseverance. He did some of that this time and the results speak
for themselves. It also made many of his bouts shorter, which
will improve his endurance as he advances up the ladder. Don’t
look for another leap in January though, as he’s not overpowering
enough to handle the big boys on his first try. He’s definitely a
comer, though.
Kotomitsuki gave us what he did last time, when he also bolted to a
fast start, but once again fizzled down the stretch, losing six of his
final eight matches. Of those ranked above him, he was only able
to defeat Tochiazuma, this occurring after the ozeki had re-injured his
knee. During his fast fade, he lost to Asashoryu for a staggering
23rd consecutive time. On the bright side, he halted a six-basho
8-7 run by blowing out shin-komusubi Roho on senshuraku to post his 9-6
mark. It was rumored that the other sekiwake, Miyabiyama, might
gain his ozeki rank back with 13 wins this time, but he himself said
before the basho that he was not in good shape, and then authenticated
his prophecy by scratching out 8-7 to barely save his rank.
Had Miyabiyama slipped down, that sekiwake spot would probably have
gone to Kisenosato, who is now pitching a semi-permanent tent at
komusubi, having posted three straight 8-7 records there, and four
straight 8-7s overall. The young oft-touted ozeki hopeful had to
conquer Kaio and M4 Kakizoe on the last two days to stay at sanyaku,
but now remains poised to displace either Kotomitsuki or Miyabiyama,
should they falter. Of the other three komusubi, only Roho
managed to retain his rank, registering an 8-7 that some would say
deserved an asterisk due to the five wins achieved via the
Next
|
|
