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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.

  instinct, as once on the dohyo Maedayama approached each bout as if he was prepared to kill his opponent or be killed. They were literally overwhelmed by his menacing intensity.

Within two basho, he was promoted to komusubi and proceeded to defeat yokozuna Tamanishiki after a mono-ii. The following basho he went on to finish with 11 wins and 2 losses and was promoted to ozeki from komusubi, jumping over sekiwake rank. It took him only four basho to reach ozeki from his makuuchi debut, the quickest promotion since Onishiki at the time.

Maedayama had a credible record as an ozeki but these years coincided with Japan’s involvement in World War II and the subsequent defeat, so despite coming close to yokozuna promotion, it didn’t happen. In fact, from when he became ozeki at the May 1938 basho to when he was finally promoted to yokozuna at the November 1947 basho, 10 years had gone by (during these years there were only two basho a year). Ozumo fans had accepted him as the “eternal ozeki” and never considered him to be a future yokozuna. During this 10-year span, he was overtaken by Haguroyama, Terukuni and Akinoumi as they were promoted to yokozuna ahead of him.  

In his later ozeki years he was not as effective as previously. Obviously he was older but he had mainly stopped utilizing his best weapons of tsuppari and harite. The change happened after the January 1941 basho when he unleashed his trademark vicious harite and pummeled all three stars of Tatsunami beya, Haguroyama, Futabayama and Nayoriiwa. Maedayama simply beat them to pulp. After their bout, they looked as if they had been hit by a runaway train.


Even the fans accustomed to seeing Maedayama using harite were aghast at witnessing the great yokozuna Futabayama enduring repeated savage slaps from Maedayama.  Maedayama was accused of disgraceful conduct undeserving of an ozeki by the media and public as they labeled him the master of dirty tricks. The vehement reaction hurt the normally cocky Maedayama and he appeared to make a conscious effort to tone down his sumo style soon after this basho. The only rikishi to come to Maedayama’s defense was the great yokozuna Futabayama who dismissed the uproar by saying “harite” was a legitimate sumo technique.

Another factor that may have contributed to lessening his ferociousness was his becoming a heya-owning oyakata. His shisho passed away and he inherited the heya while still active, known as “Nimai-Kansatsu” (this is no longer practiced; now a rikishi must retire from active rank before he can take over a heya as happened when Kotonowaka took over Sadogatake beya when his father-in-law retired at the 2005 Kyushu basho). 

At the November 1946 basho Maedayama finished with 11 wins and 5 losses and at the following June basho, he had 9 wins and 1 loss, good enough for a yusho-equivalent result. After the basho, at the age of 33, Maedayama was finally promoted to yokozuna with a pre-set condition. It was the first and last time that such a special clause was inserted into the yokozuna license by the purveyor of ozumo at the time, the House of Yoshida Tsukasa, which was the sole body permitted to issue an yokozuna license. The clause stated, “in case of rude and violent conduct the license shall be void”.

Maedayama spent his most productive years as ozeki so it was naturally expected that he would not leave any outstanding records as yokozuna. In fact, his yokozuna record turned out to be nothing but dismal. At his yokozuna debut basho, he had 6 wins and 5
losses, just barely managing to get kachikoshi. He followed this with 1 loss-10 kyujo, 3 wins-6 losses-2 kyujo, and 5 wins-3 losses-5 kyujo records. His kyujo days were mostly due to intestine-related problems but he failed to show up at the October 1948 basho altogether because of a sprained thumb.

At the October 1949 basho held in Osaka, he won against Rikidozan on day 1 by yorikiri but lost the next five bouts. On day 7 he submitted his kyujo report to the Kyokai, describing his illness as an inflammation of the intestine.

About this time there was a tour of Japan by the San Francisco Seals, a 3-A Pacific Coast League baseball team, headed by a well-known former major leaguer, Lefty O’Doul. Being a huge baseball fan, Maedayama snuck out of Osaka and went to Tokyo’s Koraku-en Park to see them play the Japanese All-Star team. He was promptly discovered by a sportswriter covering the game and he even agreed to be photographed shaking hands with Lefty O’Doul, the manager of the Seals.  Although no longer active, O’Doul was the most popular baseball player in Japan and Maedayama simply could not contain himself.

As expected, the next day the picture of him standing next to O’Doul appeared in newspapers all across Japan. The Kyokai executives were caught off-guard and had no explanation as they believed he was in Osaka recuperating from his illness. The oyakata were infuriated to discover that a yokozuna who was supposed to be on kyujo had left town to go watch a baseball game.

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