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.
Kyushu Ones To Watch
by Mark Buckton
Ama
Oft lauded for his straight on, almost henka free sumo, the 113kg Ama is still the lightest makunouchi man around today, but carries in that relatively small frame one of the biggest hearts in modern sumo. Lacking in nothing as far as guts and gumption goes, Ama is perhaps the only non-yokozuna Mongolian who is guaranteed to ignite the crowds several times per basho with his bagful of tricks adapted to ‘big man’ sumo. In desperate need of another 20kg or so, he is starting to draw comparisons to Terao of old, but will potentially
Next Home
Still, hopefully things will go a little better in November, prediction-wise – and to stretch the margins a little – I have included one makushita man and also the yokozuna in my comments below.
With Lon Howard wrapping up the Aki Basho then, all I will say here is congrats to the yokozuna, better luck next time to sekiwake Kotooshu, and good luck to each and every one of the men in the sport of sumo for the 15 days of bouts in Fukuoka in November.
See what you think of this lot and as always, comments most welcome to our Fan Liaison Director or Editor via the front page.
MB
Yoshiazuma has been Tamanoi-
beya’s number 2 man since Kuniazuma of Brazil and Ohidake both called it a day a couple of years ago. Slightly too tall to successfully imitate the sumo of his heya’s top dog, Tochiazuma, the 196cm, 165kg Kumamoto native has been close to juryo promotion before but has never managed to make that final hell-up-to-heaven leap. By the time he is mounting the dohyo for his ‘home’ Kyushu basho however, look for more aggression and a real push for sekitorihood. Depending on his banzuke position after a 5-2 at ms19 in September and the Kyushu results of those in and around him, another similar kachikoshi could spell time for Tamanoi’s koenkai to shell out for a new kesho mawashi. Prediction – 5-2 and a shot at an oicho.
Baruto
Securing a fantastic 12-3 record in his very first basho as a sekitori, the Estonian giant (197cm and 157kg at just 21 years of age – come shonichi) Baruto, the only man with a
