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SOS - Shinjinrui on Sumo |
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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.
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Azumazeki up close and personal |
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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.
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Rikishi of Old |
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Joe Kuroda
Joe Kuroda takes a detailed look at the life and times of a former yokozuna forgotten by many - Maedayama.
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Eric Evaluates |
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Eric Blair
Eric calls the musubi-no-ichiban kimarite call on nakabi in Kyushu as perhaps only he could.
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Heya Peek |
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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.
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SFM Interview |
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Mark Buckton
Mark interviews Russian up and comer Wakanoho of Magaki Beya.
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Photo Bonanzas |
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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.
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Kyushu Basho Summary |
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Lon Howard
Lon wraps the Kyushu Basho in Fukuoka and throws in some henka sighting results for good measure.
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Lower Division Rikishi |
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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.
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Hatsu Ones To Watch |
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Carolyn Todd
Carolyn ponders and puts fingers to keys on the ones to watch come January and the Hatsu Basho.
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Kimarite Focus |
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Mikko Mattila
Mikko's latest clarification of a handful of sumo's kimarite offers unequalled analysis and in depth explanations.
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Amateur Angles |
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Howard Gilbert
Howard looks at makushita tsukedashi and what it means in real terms.
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Kokugi Konnections |
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Todd Lambert
Click on Todd's bimonthly focus on three of the best sumo sites online.
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Fan Debate |
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Facilitators - Lon Howard / Carolyn Todd
Two SFMers talk over the yokozuna benefiting from weak opposition - or not as the case may be.
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SFM Cartoons |
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Benny Loh & Stephen Thompson
In this issue's cartoon bonanza, sit back and sample Stephen's artistic offerings.
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Sumo Odds ’n’ Ends |
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SFM's interactive elements including Henka Sightings, Elevator Rikishi and Eternal Banzuke!
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Lets Hear From You |
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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.
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Readers' Letters |
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See what our readers had to say since we last hit your screens.
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Sumo Quiz |
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The Quizmaster
Answer the Qs and win yourself next basho’s banzuke.
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okamisan,
everyone there (Otake beya) took good care of me. When I go back it is
like I am going home. I still know where everything is – what is in
every drawer, every cupboard.
MB: Tell me, what do the
rikishi at Otake call the place? The reason I ask being the usage of
Odake, with a ‘d’ that is seen in the Japanese media and among foreign
fans from time to time.
WT: Otake – with a ‘t’.
MB: The Russians in sumo seem very strong but recently Hakurozan-zeki has suffered with his knee.
WT: Yes, he’s doing his best on it – a lot of gym work and keiko.
MB: If you could meet one of the brothers (Hakurozan / Roho) in a honbasho how would you feel about that?
WT: Very happy. Really
happy. It wouldn’t matter if I won or lost. I’d still be happy. For a
long time the three of us have been like brothers and I’ve always
looked up to them.
MB: Do you have any particular hobby in Japan?
WT: Not really – only sumo. I wake up every day and do a lot of keiko.
MB: TV?
WT: mmmmm, I like using
my PC from time to time. TV entertainment shows are OK too. I like
variety game shows where they ask questions and everyone has to guess
the answers. I also have a lot of Russian language videos and Roho has
Russian language TV so I go there and watch with him and Hakurozan.
MB: Do you ever eat in the
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Russian restaurant near Mihogaseki beya?
WT: Ah, many many times.
MB: With Japanese food – any likes/ dislikes?
WT: (I like) Yakiniku
(grilled meat), steak sushi. I like tuna but, (on learning of MB’s two
personal sushi faves) can’t stand squid and octopus (pulls face). I
hate them – disgusting.
MB: Is there a particular place in Japan you like to spend your free time?
WT: (answering very quickly) Tokyo. I love Tokyo.
MB: You live in eastern
Tokyo which, along with my own home area in the north-eastern part of
the city, is often considered ‘downtown’ – less appealing than other
areas.
WT: Yeah, but I like it. This is my area now. Roppongi is interesting too.
MB: Another question sent in: this from one of our staff at SFM, Alex Hermann in Germany: where do you see yourself in 2010?
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WT:
For now I am just happy to be in juryo. I do want to get to makuuchi as
fast as possible and I’ll think then. Take it slow. It really hurts
when I get a kuroboshi. I’d like all shiroboshi and I know I can learn
from my losses but they hurt.
MB: I often hear sumo
fans talking about Kotooshu’s rise to makuuchi and ozeki, and many say
it was perhaps too fast now that he seems to have leveled off at ozeki.
WT: Ah, just like a usual ozeki now – yeah.
MB: Injuries play a big
part in sumo. Kotooshu has had problems this year, Hakurozan of course.
Any trouble in that department yourself?
WT: No, but you are
right. Basho come around so fast and there never seems to be a break.
One basho finishes and soon we are back doing keiko for the next. When
we stop keiko, we lose self-confidence and get injured. It’s always
next basho, next basho and if we miss it people say “you’re weak,
you’re weak”.
MB: There was a debate in SFM recently that discussed reducing the number of basho. Perhaps six is too
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