Brothers in Sumo –
part two
Brian Lewin
Brothers still active on the dohyo get their turn

Yokozuna Comparisons
Joe Kuroda
SFM’s most eminent historian, JK, has a crack at the impossible and tries to see who was the greatest of the tsuna wearers

Rikishi of Old
John Gunning
Takanobori – former sekiwake, former NHK man and all ’round gent

Heya Peek
Barbara Ann Klein
Kitanoumi-beya, Kitazakura, mirrors & photo bonanza

SFM Interview
John Gunning
Kazuyoshi Yoshikawa (son of the late sekiwake Takanobori) on life in sumo way back when

Sumo 101
Barbara Ann Klein
Behind every good man there stands a good woman – read and ye shall see. A departure from our regular 101 feature

Photo Bonanza
See the Hatsu Basho
plus much more through the lens of our photographers

Hatsu Basho Review
Lon Howard
Lon gives us his Hatsu Basho summary, along with the henka sightings results

Lower Division Rikishi
Mikko Mattila
Mikko Mattila covers lower division goings on in detail

Haru Basho Forecast
Pierre Wohlleben & Mark Buckton
Pierre predicts the Haru Basho banzuke while Mark highlights the ones to look out for in Osaka

Kimarite Focus
Mikko Mattila
Mikko takes us on a tour of his chosen kimarite

Minusha
John McTague
John’s unique bimonthly view of sumo news from outside the dohyo and in the restaurants!

Online Gaming
Alexander Nitschke
SFM’s own Alexander Nitschke covers the long running Hoshitori Game

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

Fan Debate
Feb's debate sees
a pair of Kiwis exchanging opinions on the honbasho going on the road

SFM Cartoons
Benny Loh & Stephen Thompson
In the third of our cartoon bonanzas, sit back and enjoy BL’s offerings and put a caption to ST’s pic to win yourselves a banzuke

Let’s Hear From You
What was it that
made you a sumo fan? A unique perspective from a sightless reader.

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

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

 
Kakizoe
 
 both unspectacular and difficult to predict at this time. Noteworthy, perhaps, is Korean Kasugao, who is back at a single-digit rank for the first time since his early makuuchi days nearly three years ago, before persistent injuries started to trouble him. Former perennial ozeki candidate Wakanosato will continue to climb back up the banzuke as he further recovers from the injury he suffered back in September.

Tochinonada, the Hatsu Basho juryo yusho winner, will have the same goal. The crowded banzuke situation likely isn’t much help to him, and he should not go up very far this time despite 13 wins as the top-
ranked juryo rikishi. Joining him on the way back to makuuchi are rotund Ushiomaru (in his first top division appearance after
almost two years), the oldest sekitori Otsukasa, who continues to defy expectations of the impending collapse of his career at 35 years of age, and former sanyaku Tamakasuga, who is 34-years-old now himself. The final two spots in the division are very much up in the air – newcomer Yoshikaze and veteran Tosanoumi both failed to put up suitable numbers in Hatsu Basho, going 5-10 at very low ranks, but their potential replacements, Ryuho (11-4 at J8e) and Buyuzan (10-5 at J6w), are no lock for promotion with
 
Buyuzan
 
 their own results. My prediction splits the difference and has one further exchange, dooming Tosanoumi to at least one basho in juryo and treating late-bloomer Ryuho to a cup of coffee in the top ranks. Nevertheless, with a close-run case such as this, it’s just as possible that both Tosanoumi and Yoshikaze get demoted, as it is that both get to hang on.
 Definitely taking the plunge are Katayama, who continues to struggle against makuuchi-level opposition; Shunketsu, whom even prodigious henka usage couldn’t save this time; Wakatoba (one of my favourites, despite his habit of falling apart mid-basho); and Tochisakae, who had to yield to an injury for what must feel to him like the 20th time in his career. All of
 
Wakatoba
 
 them could be reasonably good candidates for an immediate return to makuuchi. Of course, the recently-arrived talents might have different plans. Mongolian Mokonami, who is said by some to be the second coming of Hakuho, proved that lower juryo, at the very least, is
 
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