Amateur Sumo – the sport as it should be
Mark Buckton
Sakai World Sumo Champs – not all about winning

Las Vegas Koen
Joe Kuroda
Our man reports from the fight capital of the world

Rikishi of Old
Joe Kuroda
A look at a rikishi of yesterday with Kotozakura – our man for October

Heya Peek
John Gunning
John’s early morning dash to Azumazeki-beya & report on TKOTU

SFM Interview
Katrina Watts sits down with SFM’s Mark Buckton to discuss amateur sumo

Photo Bonanza
SFM’s best yet – Aki Basho/ Las Vegas / Amateur World Champs / Azumazeki-beya visit – seen nowhere else

Aki Basho Review
Lon Howard
Lon gives us his Aki Basho summary, along with the henka sightings results, and his take on the tournament while ‘gem’ of the basho takes a break

Lower Division Rikishi
Mikko Mattila
Mikko Mattila returns to cover lower division ups and downs

Kyushu Basho Forecast
Pierre Wohlleben & Mark Buckton
Pierre predicts the Kyushu Basho banzuke while Mark previews the ones to watch next time out

Sumo 101
Barbara Ann Klein
Discovers and explains amasumo & ozumo variations

Kimarite Focus
Mikko Mattila
Mikko once again walks us through his chosen kimarite

Minusha
John McTague
John’s unique bimonthly view of news from outside the dohyo

Online Gaming
Zenjimoto of ‘game fame’ covers some of the very best sumo games around – his own!

Kokugi Connections
Todd Lambert
Todd’s focus on 3 of the most interesting online sumo sites today

Fan Debate
Is the limit on foreign rikishi fair? See what our debaters had to say

SFM Cartoons
Benny Loh
In the first of our cartoon bonanzas, sit back and chuckle at Benny Loh’s offerings

Let’s Hear From You
What was it that made you a sumo fan? Gernobono tells all

Readers’ Letters
See what SFM readers had to say since our last issue

Sumo Quiz
The Quizmaster
Answer the Qs and win yourself next basho’s banzuke.

  what’s best for sumo and I, too, regard sumo as somewhat of an oddity; really a perfect representation of Japanese being themselves. I saw a foreign observer once write that people never appeared more Japanese than when they were attending sumo in person. But if sumo is still an oddity, Japan itself is not. Japan is no longer a cloistered enclave and has openly revealed that it wants to be a major player on the world stage. Like the U.S. and other powers, it now invites and relishes attention and respect from the world at large. There is nothing wrong in this, but it does mean that more is demanded. This kind of role compels a magnanimity that was heretofore unimportant. Restricting the number of foreign participants in any venue is not being magnanimous – it is being grudging and protective, showing weakness. Of course, my own country has many of these shortcomings too – don’t get me started – but I am a sumo fan and Japan is where sumo is done, so I have to speak honestly. I look at this situation as a great opportunity for Japan. Now, as they prepare to show sumo on the world’s biggest stage – Las Vegas – they could use this venue to announce to the world that sumo is open to all who have the heart and soul to compete. Then it could be said that Japan is not only home to the best sumo in the world, but that it is home to the best possible sumo in the world.

ST: I’d like to continue to deal with the cultural side of things before getting into some details and statistics. For me this is about the integrity of the history of the sport which is very important to many – and maybe the most important thing – whether or not people follow what’s going on in great numbers or whether sumo receives recognition in a global sense, like soccer for example. There are many minor and peculiar sports with a dedicated fan base, not necessarily needing fickle crowds to endorse what those in the sport do. Sumo is a small fish in a big world – for me a special small fish. Who gives the right to any globally-minded person in or out of Japan to interfere? They have no right, and why should they have it anyway? They can comment – but not interfere – and that’s good, or else everything would be a homogenous, flavorless, crowd-
mentality led, characterless, bland mixture. Like a lot of fast food. Hurray for the Kyokai not giving in to have it’s traditions and style eroded by foreigners at a rate which would destroy something of a cultural essence, which needs preserving by a 		strong stand being taken. I mean, good gracious, in Asia there are calls for preserving the uniqueness of hill-tribe traditions and culture, and in South America, the same thing with the indigenous peoples there. Would we impose legislation to have foreigners in-breed with these tribal groups to render them more global?! Same with sumo…let’s support the preservation of that which is peculiarly Japanese. The Kyokai are in one sense the ‘village elders’, like the tribal leaders. They have a right to lead as they feel best serves their system. I reckon I’d feel the same way as them if I’d been through that system from the inside, and I’d respect it too. Some people (not you, Lon) have chosen to inject racism into this discussion. Perhaps this was inevitable – but it is wrong! ‘Racist’ is sometimes just a fashionable, politically correct and overly simplistic label used to try and bring everything down to the lowest common denominator when issues are more complex, as they indeed are regarding this topic. Surely, one foreigner per heya is a reasonable concession from the guardians of a proud and noble past who don’t want to suddenly lose, or dilute too much, its unique charm and character in one fell swoop with the

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