|
|
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.
|
|
|
 |
|
They became more incensed when they
were told that he left secretly without telling any of his recruits
where he was going. His fellow heya-owning oyakata could not
forgive him for abandoning his recruits solely for his own pleasure.
Maedayama realized that he was in a serious predicament and proposed to
re-enter the basho on senshuraku but the idea was immediately nixed by
the Kyokai directors.
He realized that he had not even one sympathizer
or defender within the Kyokai. To preserve the honor and dignity of
ozumo, there was only one course of action left for him short of
committing suicide. Maedayama Eigoro, the 39th yokozuna, was
forced to make his retirement announcement on senshuraku at the October
1949 basho.
Maedayama’s brief yokozuna record was 24 wins, 27 losses (including 4
fusen), 25 kyujo. After his retirement, he inherited the Toshiyori name
of the 4th Takasago Uragoro and was subsequently elected as a Kyokai
director. He rebuilt the Takasago dynasty by developing yokozuna
Asashio, ozeki Maenoyama, and sanyaku Kuninobori, Miyanishiki,
Wakamaeda, Fujinishiki and Maedagawa.
However,
even as a Kyokai director, he continued his unorthodox ways. He went to
the United States, taking Fujitayama and Ounoumi, and even did a
dohyo-iri in a professional wrestling ring. He told the Kyokai
executives that the group would be back by the beginning of the next
basho but once he got to the |
|
|
|
U.S.
he continued the tour around the country and extended the visit without
the Kyokai directors’ permission or authorization. His love of baseball
was legendary but he also loved dancing and was an avid Go player, and
during jungyo tours, he never forgot to take his favorite golf
bag.
It’s been said that the legendary Lefty O’Doul was the father of
modern-day baseball in Japan as he tirelessly traveled around Japan to
hold clinics to popularize the sport. Without him, there may have
been no Ichiro or Hideki Matsui playing baseball in the United States
today. Maedayama perhaps wanted to do the same for ozumo when he became
an oyakata.
In retrospect we can possibly say that without Maedayama, we would have
had no Akebono, the first foreign-born yokozuna, or Asashoryu, one of
the most successful yokozuna of all time. Maedayama did not leave
significant records as a yokozuna but his legacy continues to shine
brightly. As we head into the Hatsu 2007 basho, there will be 17
foreign-born sekitori on the banzuke.
Toshiyori Takasago Uragoro / yokozuna Maedayama Eigoro died of
cirrhosis of the liver on August 17, 1971. He was 57 years old. Almost
one year later at the July 1972 basho, Takamiyama, the recruit he
brought from Hawaii, won his first (and only) makuuchi yusho. Maedayama’s
namesake, Dr. Maeda Wasaburo, passed away in 1979 on exactly the same
day, August 17. Even in death, they shared a bond.
|
|
|
|
Maedayama Eigoro
Born on:
|
4 May 1914
|
| Born at: |
Kisuki-mura, Nishiuwa-gun (now Yahatama-shi, Honai-cho, Kiki), Ehime Prefecture |
| Real Name: |
Kanematsu Hagimori |
| Shikona: |
Kigiyama => Sadamisaki => Maedayama |
Heya:
|
Takasago
| Dohyo debut:
|
January 1929 |
| Juryo debut: |
January 1934
|
| Makuuchi debut: |
January 1937 |
| Yokozuna debut: |
November 1947 |
| Last basho: |
October 1949
|
| Highest rank: |
Yokozuna |
| Makuuchi basho: |
27
|
| Makuuchi record: |
206 wins, 104 losses, 39 kyujo
|
| Winning percentage: |
0.66
|
Yusho:
|
1 (Makuuchi equivalent)
|
| Height: |
180 cm
|
| Weight: |
117 kg
|
| Favorite techniques: |
Tsuppari, hidari-yotsu, tsuri, yori
|
Died:
|
17 August 1971 |
| The Kyokai’s Maedayama page with bout video: |
http://sumo.goo.ne.jp/ eng/kiroku_daicho/ mei_yokozuna/ maedayama.html |
|
|