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.

Kimarite Focus #10 kozumatori, tsumatori, susotori    by Mikko Mattila

Goeido has been exhibiting signs of mastering leg techniques and showed in his Day 9 bout against the juryo leader Kobo that he is able to go for some ankle picks too. In this bout Goeido used a right hand outside grip and slow uwatenage turn to move Kobo close to the edge and then as Kobo resisted, he grabbed his left lower leg above the ankle, lifted it, and Kobo lost his balance and fell down. Both kozumatori were the finishing touches of a throwing maneuvre and hence were naturally in the ’kozumatori- from-behind’ category. Kozumatori fell under the definition of tsumatori before the kimarite expansion in 2001. The difference with tsumatori is that in tsumatori the target body part is the distal foot or toes. This technique is a bit bizarre in the kimarite list as it basically means that the attacker has worked his way to the side of the opponent and while the opponent rushes past, the attacker takes hold of the opponent’s toes and lifts the foot upwards while the opponent falls forward. Tsumatori is virtually never seen in sumo. The Next

Ankle-/foot-picking techniques are very rare in sumo. Kozumatori, tsumatori and susotori are representative and all are exceptional cases when appearing as the official winning technique. Kozumatori was added to the official kimarite list in 2001 and had only been seen once in makuuchi before the Hatsu 2007 basho, in which it was brought into play once in makuuchi and once in juryo; both were excellent examples of this uncommon technique. By definition, kozumatori is an ankle pick where the attacker pulls the back of the calf or the ankle of the opponent while applying pressure to topple the opponent over. It can be done either face to face or, as on both occasions in Hatsu 2007 basho, from behind. In either case, the point is that the attacker grabs the lower leg of the opponent and lifts it upwards and towards himself while pushing the opponent down.

Chiyotenzan was the first makuuchi rikishi to perform kozumatori when he beat Miyabiyama on Day 1 in the Haru 2001 basho. He also used it once against Musashimaru but as Musashimaru didn’t fall down and merely stepped out, hopping on one leg, it was not registered as kozumatori. In the recent Hatsu 2007 basho, Toyonoshima found himself to be a surprising yusho candidate on day 14 but was manhandled by Ama’s outstanding kozumatori. After the initial tussle, Ama got a right hand outside grip and executed an uwatedashinage move. In the middle of the move he reached for Toyonoshima’s left lower leg, grabbed it and pulled it upwards while pushing Toyonoshima from behind. The outcome was a quite dominating kozumatori that sent Toyonoshima rolling down off the dohyo. In juryo, rising star