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Brothers no longer active on the dohyo come under the SFM microscope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.

  ex-yokozuna Musashimaru lost 6 times with tottari, and that was before he started to do more yotsu-sumo. Also, Terao was defeated 6 times with tottari. Despite the size difference between those two, they both got their arm captured at times due to missed thrusts, which led to tottari losses.

Sakatottari is not the Halley’s comet of kimarite, but it is extremely rare and only seen as a counter move to tottari, as its 		name suggests. Basically, this technique is a possible consequence of a failed tottari attempt where the defender manages to pull his arm away and immediately utilizes the tottari attempting rikishi’s forward leaning position by seizing a mirror-grip and quickly repositioning his own hip in front of the rikishi whose tottari-attempt backfired, and from that position, twists him down. There hasn’t been any sakatottari in makuuchi for the last 10 years. Before that a few fast rikishi – like Mainoumi, Terao and Wakanohana – recorded some sakatottari wins. Tottari itself being rare, and sakatottari being a counter move that can be tried in only a fraction of those failed tottari-attempts, a crystal clear logic stands that sakatottari is bound to be very rare, as it indeed seems to be. NSK description of sakatottari

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