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Brothers no longer active on the dohyo come under the SFM microscope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

  underscored for me that until I obtain certification in a related field, the only body language I’m paying attention to is the thump of bodies hitting the clay or landing off the dohyo. That’s language no one can misinterpret!

Kotonowaka’s final showing on the dohyo was expected to occur exactly when it did – on day 13, the day before he was to become Sadogatake-oyakata. Fighting at M11w, he was shown the okuridashi door quickly and quietly by M13 Shunketsu – the former Ishide – who may not have been aware that by choosing to henka one so revered in his career-ending appearance, he was leaving the Romanized SHUN portion of his new shikona open to an alternate pronunciation. But as noted in the Aki Summary, the rikishi don’t lower their heads anymore when they look at henka. For them it’s just another move like maki-kai or nodo-wa. Kotonowaka recorded a 5-9-1 and his career will be covered in its entirety in a future issue.

While staying in the yusho hunt until day 14, Ozeki Chiyotaikai was heard to remark during the basho that he still believes he can make yokozuna. True, at 10-5 and now 11-4, he has been the most impressive of the ozeki the last 		two basho, and during that time has shown fairly consistent flashes of the old bull-rusher we remember. The leaky part of that idea is that if the ‘old’ healthy Chiyo couldn’t make yokozuna how can the older and hurting version pull it off? But he is looking like an ozeki again and for my money his senshuraku assault on Asashoryu and the yokozuna’s magnificent conquest of it to get the win was the most entertaining bout of the basho.

Kaio’s 10 wins shed the kadoban tag as expected and the other ozeki, Tochiazuma, obligingly scooped it up by withdrawing on Day 4 with an injured oblique muscle to record a 2-2-11 mark. Will there be another taker for Haru? Of course there is an additional kadoban possibility now but I wouldn’t bet on that becoming a factor. Hatsu will mark the eighth consecutive basho with at least one ozeki being kadoban. The fact that three of the ozeki involved have each, in turn, successfully fought off the last six of the kadoban may be deserving of praise in itself, and could also be some kind of record – a convoluted one for sure, but maybe someone will dig it out and write in.

When a new ozeki comes on the scene it usually prods one to look at the future, and with each 		passing basho a very dreary landscape begins to form – the possibility of a banzuke without an ozeki who actually met the customary requirements. Who might be out there that is capable of averaging 11 wins for three straight basho – or something similar? Let’s see who’s ‘available’ and look ahead two years:

Kotooshu has the look and feel of a yokozuna. He is consistent, has several go-to winning techniques, adding more all the time, and his raw power on the dohyo is still growing. Barring injury, he will be yokozuna by that time. The three erstwhile ozeki are older, hurting and holding on. The chances are excellent that during this time frame, all of them will reach the point where they can no longer survive kadoban nor regain the rank.

Komusubi Hakuho’s 9-6 performance this time was not only a disappointment but also a turn-off, beginning with a lame and failed henka against Asashoryu on shonichi followed by frequent lapses of concentration throughout the basho. He shows lots of heart when riled but that kind of vigor doesn’t come naturally and slips away too easily. He has the best chance, but at this point in his

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