Yokozuna Comparisons
Joe Kuroda
SFM’s historian, JK, wraps his two-part article on the greatest of the tsuna wearers

Amateur Sumo's Global Aspirations
Courtesy: International Sumo Federation
What exactly is it and furthermore, what does it do? The ISF explain themselves and their purpose in existing

Rikishi of Old
Joe Kuroda
Man or myth? Sumo's first yokozuna comes under the spotlight

Heya Peek
Barbara Ann Klein
Tokitsukaze-beya and its famous find themselves the target of Barbara's peek into life inside the heya

SFM Interview
Mark Buckton
Featuring interviews with amateur sumo's European Sumo Union General Secretary and the President of the newly founded Irish Sumo Federation

Sumo 101
Barbara Ann Klein
Would chanko exist without sumo? What is chanko anyway? Find out in Sumo 101

Photo Bonanza
See the Haru
Basho through the eyes of the fans in the seats as SFM gives the mantle of photographer(s) for this basho to Barbara & Gerald Patten. And don't miss our all-Mongolian Bonanza supplied by our Editor, Barbara Ann Klein

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

Lower Division Rikishi
Mikko Mattila
Mikko Mattila covers the lower division goings on like nobody else around

Natsu Basho Forecast
Mark Buckton
Mark Buckton glances back to look forward in his ones to look out for come May

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

Sumo in Print
Mark Buckton
Our gaming thread takes a break for April so we can look at the Spanish language book on the sport not long since released

Kokugi Connections
Todd Lambert
Todd’s bimonthly focus on 3 of the WWW's best sumo sites today

Fan Debate
Facilitator – Lon Howard
April's man VS monkey debate covers the issue of reducing the number of honbasho

SFM Cartoons
Benny Loh & Stephen Thompson
Sit back and enjoy the offerings

Let’s Hear From You
What was it that
made you a sumo fan? Thierry Perran lets us in on his reasons for loving this sport

Readers’ Letters
See what some
See what our featured letter is for this issue

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

  be your own from dawn to dusk until you suffer the injury – it always comes too soon – which forces you to retire! Adulation may be yours and you may be allowed to walk around publicly in a bathrobe, but when and where will you be allowed just to relax for a good long spell? You're living in a fishbowl and the next basho is already upon you!

In the current six-per-year basho cycle, there's also no time to mount a meaningful competition elsewhere in the world, which is essential if the sport is to grow. How successful, one may ask, was the recent Las Vegas (USA) koen, with Konishiki's platitudes echoing hollow in the half-empty auditorium? Although it gave the rikishi and their shisho (and some of their deshi), and a whole lot of Kyokai officials a chance to do some casino gambling with less fan intrusion than usual, it didn't really advance the international popularity of the sport, and it wasn't exactly a vacation for the guys either, unless your idea of fun is balancing 350 pounds on a flimsy stool in a dark and smoke-filled room, while handing over cash in return for glimpses at disappointing playing cards!

What if one of these rikishi decided, sometime between the
ages of 16 and 29, to actually take a month off for a little travel? Or how about even a brief sabbatical? Try it – and he'd find himself back down in makushita, cleaning up other people's slop.

So here's my proposal – three basho per year, all in Tokyo. Since the folks in Fukuoka express their displeasure about the lack of Japanese yokozuna by failing to fill the seats, then let them come to Tokyo instead! Meanwhile let's initiate one official and meaningful fourth basho each year, elsewhere in the world – say, Paris one year, Berlin the next, followed by Barcelona, then Sydney. And I think that, if given the chance to experience it for themselves, the rikishi would agree that August, here on Lake Champlain in Vermont, can't be beat! I'm anxious for them to sample my maple syrup chanko! So let's give the guys some R&R time!

And while we're improving things, let's lower the dohyo and place some cushions around it, for crying out loud, to reduce the needless injuries and extend the men's careers. My other suggestions? A starter's pistol, helmets, shoes and gloves – and for cripes sakes, put some pants on those guys!

PS: Should the number of basho per year be reduced from six?
The straight answer to that question is no. Six basho a year – that's one every two months – is just enough to keep the interest of the fans but leave time between basho to recover from the physical exertions that one bout a day over 15 days demand.
I understand the point that Kaiopectate makes about injuries, kyujo and early retirement, and I agree that it puts undue pressure on the sumotori – with no kosho rules in place – to perform even when they are injured and make their injuries worse; but this is not an argument to reduce the number of basho, rather it is a rock-solid reason to reintroduce the kosho rules to give them time to recover.

As for increasing the popularity of sumo throughout the world – this one I don't understand. All I get to see of sumo are the six annual basho and then only through videos on the Internet. If you cut those basho down there is even less sumo for the new fan to see. Okay, you have your special events like the one in Las Vegas, but how many people were able to watch that, either in person or on TV? I would bet few non-American fans got to see any of it, especially when you weigh it against those who see the six

Next