Brothers in Sumo –
part one
Brian Lewin
Brothers no longer active on the dohyo come under the SFM microscope

NHK & the Ozumo
English Broadcast
Mark Buckton
A visit to NHK, years of watching the show and the opinions of our Ed-in-Chief

Hanging With the Rikishi
Barbara Ann Klein
Barbara Ann Klein recounts her experiences with the “boys” in a pictorial diary series

Rikishi of Old
Joe Kuroda
A look at a rikishi of yesteryear with Chiyonoyama – our man for December

Sumo Exhibit at the
Edo-Tokyo Museum
Barbara Ann Klein
SFM’s Editor takes in the exhibit celebrating 80 years of the Japan Sumo Association at this famous Tokyo museum

Heya Peek
John Gunning
John’s early morning trip to Hakkaku – a visit that almost didn’t happen

SFM Interview
Dave Wiggins sits down
with SFM’s Mark Buckton to discuss the broadcast scene – and maple syrup

Photo Bonanza
What a collection – All-Japan Sumo Tournament, Hakkaku-
beya visit and sumo exhibits at the Edo-Tokyo Museum

Kyushu Basho Review
Lon Howard
Lon gives us his Kyushu Basho summary, along with the henka sightings results, and his take on the year in brief

Lower Division Rikishi
Mikko Mattila
Mikko Mattila covers lower division ups and downs

Hatsu Basho Forecast
Pierre Wohlleben & Mark
Buckton
Pierre predicts the Hatsu Basho banzuke while Mark previews the ones to watch for in January

Sumo 101
Eric Blair
Eric explains all you need to know and then some about the Kokugikan building – the mecca of sumo

Kimarite Focus
Mikko Mattila
Mikko walks us through his chosen kimarite in expert fashion

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

Online Gaming
Eric Blair
For the lowdown on Guess the Kotomitsuki – baby of SFM’s John Gunning

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

Fan Debate
Intra heya bouts –
OK or not? See what our debaters had to say

SFM Cartoons
Stephen Thompson
In the second of our cartoon bonanzas, sit back and enjoy ST’s offerings

Let’s Hear From You
What was it that made you a sumo fan? American Todd Defoe 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.

  when he joined Izutsu-beya two months later, he took on her maiden name as his shikona: Terao.

In several years’ time he would pass Kakureizan, and in July of 1984 a little more history was made when, for the first time, three siblings had achieved
 
Shikoroyama-oyakata, the former Terao
 
 sekitori status. Perhaps to mark that occasion, he changed his shikona to Genjiyama. He quickly reconsidered however, and reverted to Terao the following basho. Two years later, and again almost three years after that, two of the brothers would make history again – this time, Sakahoko and Terao. First, in the September 1986 Aki basho, they became the first brothers to win sansho together; with the 1989 Haru basho, Terao caught up with his brother and they became the first simultaneous sibling sekiwake.

While some same-sport brothers show clear similarities 		in style, that was not the case with the Fukuzono brothers. Sakahoko ultimately became a more technique-oriented morozashi expert like his father, while Terao, the lightest at barely over 110kg, took a different tack, emphasizing fast movement on the dohyo, with a quick tsuppari, tsuki/oshi attack. The differences showed in their sansho as well. Sakahoko earned 5 shukun-sho (outstanding performance prizes) and 4 gino-sho (technique prizes), while Terao took 3 shukun-sho, 3 kanto-sho (fighting spirit prizes) and 1 gino-sho.

Differences showed in longevity as well. Sakahoko was relatively average in that respect, lasting just over 14 years and retiring a bit after his 31st birthday, in the 1992 Aki basho, taking the toshiyori name Kasugayama, before taking over as Izutsu for his retiring father two years later.


Izutsu-oyakata, the former Sakahoko
 But his younger brother would choose a different page from his father’s book, and take it to an even higher level. He would keep going long past his brother, eventually establishing himself as the Tetsujin (Iron Man) of sumo, and challenging numerous longevity records by the time he retired, exactly ten years after his brother. He remained with his brother’s heya for 16 months before leaving at the end of the 2004 Hatsu basho to establish his own Shikoroyama-beya.

Towards the end of his career in the autumn of 2000, Terao would have a rather unique experience, facing future yokozuna Asashoryu on the dohyo in juryo. On the face of it, there is nothing particularly unusual about that... except that when Terao started sumo in 1979, Asashoryu had not yet been born.

The almost-forgotten brother, Kakureizan (also known for a time as Tsurunofuji), retired in January 1990. Capitalizing on his youngest brother’s popularity, he later started Sumochaya Terao, a chanko nabe restaurant specializing in Izutsu-beya style chanko. The restaurant is peppered with memorabilia relating to the three brothers, but emphasizing

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