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SOS - Shinjinrui on Sumo |
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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.
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Sumo Souvenirs |
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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.
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Rikishi of Old |
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Joe Kuroda
Joe Kuroda's latest look at times past focuses on former makunouchi man Dewagatake.
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Eric Evaluates |
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Eric Blair
Eric takes a no-nonsense look at the claims of fixed bouts in the Japanese media.
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Rikishi Diary |
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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.
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Heya Peek |
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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.
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SFM Interview |
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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.
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Photo Bonanzas |
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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.
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Hatsu Basho Summary |
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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.
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Sumo Menko |
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Ryan Laughton
Sumo cards of old brought to life by expert collector Ryan Laughton. None of your BBM here.
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Haru Ones To Watch |
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Carolyn Todd
Carolyn ponders and puts fingers to keys on the ones to watch come March and the Haru Basho.
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Kimarite Focus |
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Mikko Mattila
Mikko's latest look at 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 the 'sumo factory' of lore - Nichidai.
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Kokugi Konnections |
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Todd Lambert
Click on Todd's bimonthly focus on three of the best the WWW has to offer.
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Fan Debate |
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Facilitator - Carolyn Todd
Moti Dichne comes back for more and takes on Bradley Sutton on the subject of 'Modernize the heya - yea or nay?'
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SFM Cartoons |
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Benny Loh & Stephen Thompson
In this issue's cartoon bonanza, sit back and sample Benny's artistic offerings.
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Sumo Odds & Ends |
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SFM's interactive elements - as always includes Henka Sightings, Elevator Rikishi and Eternal Banzuke!
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Let's Hear From You |
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What was it that made you a sumo fan? Ryan Laughton - sumo fan and menko expert reveals all.
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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 a genuine banzuke.
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oyakata’s absence.
Eight
jonidan sumotori trained with a solitary sandanme on the first morning
I attended, and they began by stretching the lower back, shoulders,
arms and neck, each for the count of ten. The sumotori performed the
stretches having partitioned themselves into three rows, with each row
three-wrestlers deep. To underline their sense of togetherness and
awareness, they established a formal system for administering the
ten-count. The front-right deshi, the slender and pretty-faced
Teraomaru, administered the first ten-count before handing over to the
front-centre deshi. He, in turn, handed over to the front-left deshi,
who was proceeded by the middle-left, middle-centre, middle-right etc.
The
procedure was slickly executed, and over in less than a minute. It was
followed by some light thigh and calf stretches, which led into the
obligatory session of shiko stamping. This time, 20-year-old Teraomaru
administered most of the count. After he reached ‘15,’ the shiko became
dramatically less co-ordinated; the collective thud of feet on clay
which accompanied earlier numbers giving way to a pitter-patter of soft
thwacks. Teraomaru, aware that all was not well, checked over his
shoulder to survey the problem. He found the two youngest sumotori –
whose legs had begun to redden – stamping the odd numbers only, while
some more experienced colleagues stamped on – or between – random
numbers of their choosing. He said nothing, though, and led the various
guises of shiko until the count of 30. A larger, slightly younger deshi
then assumed control of the exercise, and took his colleagues to the
50th shiko stamp, a milestone that was greeted with deep panting from
several quarters.
After the gale-force air-conditioning cooled them down, the sumotori
spent a considerable amount of time on squats, in order to strengthen
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The deshi prepare for the next exercise under the watchful eye of Homasho
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their
thighs and hamstrings. The count emanated from the voice of a
skinny, but well-toned, apprentice whose deep vocal chords belied the
youthfulness of his face. Not even 16, he had doubtless joined the heya
within the previous few weeks. Alongside him stood his best friend in
sumo, a fellow 15-year-old, much rounder and with marshmellowy cheeks,
but just as painfully inexperienced. His barely-broken voice was
soothing in tone, in stark contrast to the deep, hoarse cough he
occasionally emitted. The two novices bore absolutely no battle scars,
and their naïve, uncertain faces appeared hopelessly unprepared to
receive any. Their skin seemed so tender as to automatically demand
wrapping up in cotton wool. I still wince at the thought of their
getting hurt, perhaps during their inaugural matawari split. But, if
they possess a mental toughness hidden by their vulnerable appearance,
they will somehow evolve into the older wrestlers beside them, sporting
moderately cute faces but also scarred legs, purple pelvic joints,
bandaged toes and scaly feet.
Thirty squats later, the wrestlers decided to add some oshi (pushing)
movements to their routine, and propelled their hands forward
alternately in a thrusting motion
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upon
every squat. Having slapped
imaginary opponents into submission, hands were placed on heads for 30
further squats, before a push-up session was instigated. The skinny
novice hurtled towards the dohyo surface and completed ten push-ups
with less difficulty than most, but the bulkier novice had been given
special dispensation to rest his hands against the raised platform on
which I sat. He thus executed his push-ups at a 40° angle, but even
from this less arduous position, struggled to manage five. His oyakata
presumably cannot wait to introduce him to the dumb-bells.
Shortly afterwards, a door to my right was slid open with a screech,
and the deshi were jolted into shouts of ‘good morning!’ Two
tree-trunk-sized legs stomped onto the beige-vanished wooden floor,
carrying the well-formed torso of the stable’s most senior wrestler
into the dohyo area. The wrestler in question was Homasho, one of
sumo’s rapidly rising stars and fresh from an amazing jun-yusho in the
previous tournament. His rapid ascent to the eighth highest rank in
sumo (maegashira 4W) had not only made sumo fans proud to hail him
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