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.

 

Kyokushuzan























occasionally lucky to get the gyoji looking in his direction at the bell. Won't have improved sufficiently by May and will probably go bouncing back to juryo if he gets up to makunouchi. A 6-9 record in makunouchi.

Tosanoumi – Missed Tosanoumi's kachi-koshi winning record by just the single victory. I said 8-7. He won 9 and lost 6. Not the man he was on the dohyo and far from convincing at times, but he'll have another shot ‘up top’. What he will do with it remains to be seen, but if Tochinonada is
anything to go by, he may find an extra spring in his aging step. Not a scenario I'd put too much faith in and will thus opt for a 7-8 losing record – but thanks to banzuke placing, no relegation back to juryo.

Kyokushuzan – Kyokushuzan reads Sumo Fan Magazine, so he printed off and used my 6-9 and retirement predictions last time out to motivate himself onwards and upwards during the Haru Basho. Leaving Osaka with a magnificent 11-4 record and a sansho just for good measure, my hat came off to this true battling magician-
cum-hanger-on. That said –
after another trip up the maegashira rankings in the elevator, should I once again go for a make-koshi plus intai prediction? Pass.

Takamisakari – 9-6 was what I ‘thought’ Takamisakari was capable of in Osaka and I was probably on target until day 9, when he was 6-3 with six days left to fight. At that point, he probably agreed with me, too. On day 15 however, he finished 7-8 and as a result, will be demoted (yet again) thereby not making it to my ‘you can bet your mortgage on this guy’ list.

Next

Takamisakari