SOS - Shinjinrui on Sumo   Chris Gould Wrapping up his look at increasing the popularity of sumo, Chris Gould caps a series the NSK would do well to refer to. Sumo Souvenirs   Mark Buckton Souvenirs are a part of every sport and sumo is no different - or is it? A look at collectibles and the downright trashy, the bona fide versus the unproven. Rikishi of Old   Joe Kuroda Joe Kuroda's latest look at times past focuses on former makunouchi man Dewagatake. Eric Evaluates   Eric Blair Eric takes a no-nonsense look at the claims of fixed bouts in the Japanese media. Rikishi Diary   Mark Kent Mark Kent - English pro-wrestler and amateur heavyweight sumotori - takes us through the first month or so of his training and preparation for the various European events lined up in in 2007. Heya Peek   Chris Gould SFM's Chris Gould was in Japan for the Hatsu Basho and popped along to the new Shikoroyama Beya to give SFM an online exclusive peek into sumo's newest heya. SFM Interview   Mark Buckton Mark interviews Mark - Buckton on Kent that is as Mark Kent, the UK's only active heavyweight amateur answers a few questions on his own recent entry into the sport. Photo Bonanzas   Sumo Forum stepped in to take the weight off the shoulders of SFM as far as Hatsu went so we could sit back, relax, enjoy the sumo and take a few more select pics you won't see anywhere else. Hatsu Basho Summary Lon Howard Lon wraps the Hatsu Basho and chucks in a few bits on the rush of henka that threatens to sully the good name of at least one foreign ozeki. Sumo Menko   Ryan Laughton Sumo cards of old brought to life by expert collector Ryan Laughton. None of your BBM here. Haru Ones To Watch Carolyn Todd Carolyn ponders and puts fingers to keys on the ones to watch come March and the Haru Basho. Kimarite Focus   Mikko Mattila Mikko's latest look at sumo's kimarite offers unequalled analysis and in depth explanations. Amateur Angles   Howard Gilbert Howard looks at the 'sumo factory' of lore - Nichidai. Kokugi Konnections Todd Lambert Click on Todd's bimonthly focus on three of the best the WWW has to offer. Fan Debate Facilitator - Carolyn Todd Moti Dichne comes back for more and takes on Bradley Sutton on the subject of 'Modernize the heya - yea or nay?' SFM Cartoons Benny Loh & Stephen Thompson In this issue's cartoon bonanza, sit back and sample Benny's artistic offerings. Sumo Odds & Ends SFM's interactive elements - as always includes Henka Sightings, Elevator Rikishi and Eternal Banzuke! Let's Hear From You What was it that made you a sumo fan? Ryan Laughton - sumo fan and menko expert reveals all. 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 a genuine banzuke.

dominance of  Asashouryuu.   BS: The fact that there aren’t any Japanese close to ozeki/yokozuna this year is a sad state of affairs.  Tochiazuma and Miyabiyama were closest, but would they have been that close if not for Asashoryu’s injury?   MD: Again, that “sad state of affairs” has nothing to do with heya life. You don’t really expect to see a newbie come in and become yokozuna in a year, right? All these guys you mentioned got to where they did thanks to heya life and training. They just got weakened by injuries suffered ON THE DOHYO, and are getting “old” in sumo years. Asashouryuu is so strong precisely BECAUSE he took his training very seriously. As someone who saw him training when he was in makushita,  I can testify that he went all out and didn’t let the higher rankers intimidate him. BS: As for the future, fewer Japanese children are pursuing sumo careers, even at the pee wee and high school levels, choosing baseball and soccer instead.   MD: Nothing new there. Same thing during the Waka-Taka popularity boom. Soccer and baseball simply pay better, that’s all.   BS: And one of the greatest yokozuna ever, Takanohana, cannot even seem to get a decent recruit. MD: That’s because he’s a lousy oyakata, nothing else. Look how some other heya (Onoe, Sakaigawa, Oitekaze) are doing and see the difference. BS: I think we should change the

perception of sumo heya life. Some might say,  sumo is not just a sport, it’s a tradition that can't be tampered with.  I say, you can tamper a little bit without hurting the tradition on the dohyo and of the sport overall.  For example, 50, even 30 years ago, would the Demon have been allowed anywhere near the commentator's booth? MD: Actually, celebrities invited to the booth is a common phenomenon and has been for years. Demon is just a tad more colorful than others. But I fail to see how this is related to heya life… BS: If the NSK is ok with publicity stunts during the tournaments, I do not see what would be wrong with changing heya life. The end result is the same. To make sumo more popular, and to attract more of the younger generation, namely, new recruits.  MD: I doubt that if the heyas start handing out cotton candy during keiko it would bring one more new recruit. Everyone knows what entering sumo means. This  whole  “number of new recruits” is, has, and always will be an ebb and flow thing. It has more to do with sumo’s general popularity. When sumo is in the spotlight, more youngsters find it “sexy”. When a guy dominates and nothing exciting is happening, the interest wanes. BS: But if I could, what would I change?  First, the attitude toward injuries and recovery.  How many kids are turned off sumo as they read of another guy who has to retire before the age of 30 due to chronic injuries, many of which come from never allowing sufficient time for injuries to heal?

MD: The average retirement age of a rikishi, regardless of injury, is around 28 years old. It’s the wear and tear of this  particular combat sport. BS: Gaman is a good thing, but at the cost of one's career and livelihood?  In the J-league, or in Yakyu, if they make it, they know that if they get a torn ACL, they won’t be forced by their coach to come back after two months. MD: Well, you can also say they are not forced to prance around nearly totally naked either, but that’s the sport. It’s the rikishi’s choice. BS: If they want to punish your rank if you miss a tournament, that’s excessive, but I can live with it.  But LET the guy get fully healed.  Let it be his decision if he wants to battle back from the lower ranks.  Endurance training I’m all for...but not to the extent it’s done at the heya. MD: It’s specifically that “endurance training” that ultimately  teaches them how not to get injured. It’s no secret that once the guys become sekitori, they tend to slack off keiko, which is one of the main reasons for injury. Baruto is a prime example of not enough training, and he still doesn’t know how to fall “correctly” to avoid injuries. In his case, he just came up the ranks too quickly to learn, and didn’t have the benefit of 4-5 years of college sumo either. BS: I think the extreme endurance training has little to do with the injuries you referred to such as Baruto.  A lower-division Baruto Next