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.

regular sanyaku status, it will be slowly.

After four straight make-koshi, M13 Kyokushuzan jumps back on the banzuke elevator with the 11-4 mark we expected from him two basho ago. Since he accomplished this with only two documented henka, compared to seven in Hatsu, perhaps it's a sign he's recovered from the injury he's said to have suffered in Kyushu.

Yoshikaze












Another ray of light came from M16 Yoshikaze, who retained his seat on the makuuchi bus by following up his 5-10 debut in Hatsu with a razor-thin 8-7 mark. Moving more spontaneously now, he seems to be over the newbie jitters, but he'll have to work hard to hang in. M8 Asasekiryu's 10-5 was nice, but his higher Natsu banzuke spot will only serve to make him a training aid for ‘slice and dice school’. The last pleasant surprise of the Haru
Basho came from another senior citizen, the wily Tamakasuga, who tacked a splendid 9-6 mark onto his juryo jun-yusho show in Hatsu. Has the slippery thruster anything left? I hope so, but with all the new young blood coming from juryo, Natsu will probably be his makuuchi swan song.

Some performances were nice, but not unexpected: Kyokutenho's 11-4 at M5 is good enough for another cameo appearance at komusubi while Kakizoe, at 9-6, is positioned for another run at it. M9 Takekaze overwhelmed some of his foes while debuting some slick mawashi moves, but must now

Takekaze













fashion a follow-up to his 9-6 mark to give it some real meaning. He does appear to have departed the lower makuuchi environs for good, though. I expected more from Hakurozan at M12 than the 9-6
he put up but like his brother Roho and Kokkai, he shows no progress in correcting his bad habits. Somebody needs to get those three guys together and beat…oh well. Considering the vastness of his potential, sekiwake Kotomitsuki's third straight 8-7 showing was not nice, but unfortunately, it wasn't unexpected either. It is what it is, so we'll just give him a lifetime achievement award for his years of service at the sekiwake rank – he's done way more than most others, I guess.

So much for the sunny side of the street. Over in the shade, we find the aforementioned Kokkai and new komusubi Roho. Kokkai's got a mulligan coming for his 5-10 outing due to diminished training while attending his father's funeral in Georgia, and for all on his mind after that. Still, it seems he has learned little in his 14 makuuchi basho, as he still flails, sails and pulls as the spirit moves him, with no particular plan in mind. Right now, not much is known about that knee injury – we'll just have to see. Taken as a couple, Kokkai and Roho appear to be a mess right now. To be sure, Roho's 4-11 as a shin-komusubi was expected, but compared to

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