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.

Kotooshu's 4-11 in the same role just a year ago, it was on the wimpy side. Then, Kotooshu, for the most part, attempted aggressive maneuvers while Roho often pulled and leaned against his opponent. Roho had two ugly matches against Kokkai and Tamanoshima, imitating a Siamese twin joined at the head for extended periods against both men, fearful of losing.

Although M1 Tamanoshima drew admiration in Hatsu for bearing up with his rib injury to eke out his 7-8 at komusubi, we note his ribs still wore heavy tape this time and he was no match for the division's big guns, sinking to 5-10. Even when healthy, they are too much for him, so he will probably hang around and below sanyaku for a few more years and then drift down with age.

M2 Hokutoriki was doing just fine around the mid-maegashira ranks until one of those innocent-looking 8-7 marks boosted him all the way up to M1 in Kyushu. That produced 2 wins, then 12 wins in Hatsu at M11, and one lonely win this time – and that was an industrial-strength henka applied to M3 Iwakiyama. With this, his new Elevator Index will be good enough for 4th place all-time on the Elevator Rikishi ranking. He needs only four more basho to be fully qualified
on the ranking, but he looked so weak this time out, you wonder how he can stay in makuuchi long enough to keep it going. I haven't heard of any injuries,

Hokutoriki















but there was no life in his nodo-wa and thrusts, and all his opponents grabbed his mawashi with ease, which of course spells doom for him.

M3 Iwakiyama's level of incompetence is gradually slipping down the banzuke, as he turned in a feeble 4-11 mark. For such a big man, he doesn't play the power game well at all, relying only on his bulk and a decent amount of flexibility to get by. He no longer poses a threat to any of the sanyaku regulars.

M5 Tokitsuumi was only slightly worse than expected. He hasn't been competitive in makuuchi in a couple of years, so despite the astonishing 12-3 showing at M11 in Hatsu, there
was no reason to expect anything other than a crash and burn this time, and crash and burn he did, at 2-13. This will probably put him back at the bottom of the division, where he will be lucky to remain.

M4 Futeno blogged and slogged his way to a dull 6-9 showing, very passive and defensive most of the time with some flashes of the power we all think he has. Still, he is more of a presence now than he was a year ago, and youth is still on his side. Youth is not on the side of 30-year-old M9 Jumonji, who has only one kachi-koshi in his last seven basho, and started this one off at 0-10, reportedly suffering from a bad back. He rebounded to 4-11 – probably good enough to stay in makuuchi, but still a small question mark there.

Dare we yet propose that another question mark to finish the year in the top division is the Robo-Man, Takamisakari? He just posted his fourth consecutive make-koshi at M11 and hasn't beaten anyone ranked higher than M7 in the last two basho. With the new rich blood coming up from below, is he up to it at age 30? Is there kensho in heaven – or juryo?

Wakanosato and Tochinonada are both on the way back from the bottom of the division after

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