Nagoya Nears
Eric Blair
As Nagoya nears, EB gets a head start on the pack by focussing on points of interest, past and present surrounding sumo's hottest basho

Rikishi of Old
Joe Kuroda
The 42nd yokozuna Kagamisato falls under the JK microscope

Heya Peek
Barbara Ann Klein
Kokonoe-beya and the Chiyo Boys

SFM Interview
Mark Buckton
SFM's Ed-in-Chief interviews Estonian up and comer Baruto

Sumo 101
Barbara Ann Klein
SFM's Editor looks at all the twists and turns involved in the tsunauchi-shiki and adds a photo bonanza to boot

Photo Bonanza
See the Natsu
Basho and Kokonoe-beya photo bonanzas

Natsu Basho Summary
Lon Howard
Lon gives us his Natsu Basho summary, along with the henka sightings results

Lower Division Rikishi
Mikko Mattila
Mikko Mattila lets you know what is going on down below the curtain

Nagoya Ones to Watch
Mark Buckton
MB's mixed bag of things to look out for in Nagoya

Kimarite Focus
Mikko Mattila
Our man Mikko takes us on a tour of several defensive oriented kimarite

Amateur Angles
Howard Gilbert
The first of our regular column pieces on the amateur sumo scene from a man who knows more than most

Sumo Game
Bruce Rae
For a look at his very own: PTYW (Pick The Yusho Winners)

Sumo in Print
Barbara Ann Klein
SFM's Editor reviews the newly published biography of Akebono, Gaijin Yokozuna – but sees it as more than just a biography

Kokugi Connections
Todd Lambert
Check out Todd's bimonthly focus on 3 of the WWW's best sumo sites around

Fan Debate
Facilitator – Lon Howard
Sumo author Mina Hall and long long time fan Jim Bitgood discuss how to make sumo more entertaining – if such a concept is even necessary

SFM Cartoons
Benny Loh & Stephen Thompson		  
Sit back and enjoy the offerings of sumo's premier artists

Let’s Hear From You
What was it that
made you a sumo fan? James Vath in rural Japan lets us in on his gateway to the sport

Readers’ Letters
See what our readers had to say since we last went out

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

  Ama – Hammered last time out, Mongolia's pint-sized battler will hit back in the year's warmest basho with a red hot kachikoshi by day 10 or 11 as he puts the experiences of Natsu to good use. He is too good for the rank and file maegashira on his day – but as we so often hear – lacks the girth to get much higher. He is a crowd favorite but will, I fear, be destined to be hanging about at the sanyaku border with odd forays upwards in search of experience and fresh scalps until he fills out – if he fills out! Good basho, though, as long as his injuries have cleared – 9-6 or higher.

Hakuho and Tochiazuma – Nagoya will be a crucial test of nerves for both these men, but for vastly differing reasons. Tochiazuma will be kadoban yet again and will be trying to earn his kachikoshi as early as possible so he can relax and head for the ozeki standard of 10 wins. Hakuho, meanwhile, is going for his second consecutive yusho and automatic yokozuna promotion – ironically the position Tochiazuma was in at the start of May's Natsu basho! For Tochiazuma, I'm going to go with a good 10-5 and talk centered on the ‘injury’ last time
being a face saver, while with Hakuho – the yusho and promotion. Score wise – a 15-0 zensho or close 14-1. As I said; editor@sumofanmag.com

Asashoryu – Including a dai-
yokozuna on a Ones to Watch list may seem odd until I say – remember the arm injury, remember how hard this guy is on himself, and remember the rock-hard mentality of him wanting to be the best at all he does that sumo's most impressive Mongolian to date seems to display basho in, basho out. Asashoryu will one day surpass Takanohana and Kitanoumi in terms of yusho collected. Whether he gets up to the Chiyonofuji and Taiho mark is still undecided between these ears, but presuming he will return for Nagoya, I cannot see him doing so at 100%. To that end, given the arm and the possible rush back to the front line whilst still not ready, I predict a ‘disappointing’ 11-4 or 12-3. I see the yusho this time as out of his control as he truly does adopt the standard ‘one day at a time’ moniker and looks long term by avoiding undue risk to that already weakened arm.

NHK – Strange to include a
focus on Japan's scandal-
tainted public broadcaster in a Ones to Watch column perhaps, but giving a recent mail received from the deepest annals of NHK's corridors of power the light of day, it appears the bilingual broadcast could be on the last of its already shaky legs as even more cuts are rumored in the works. There is always the chance I have been fed a dud, and so will reveal only that my source has the English show as once again the potential target for a major chop but without concrete dates, wheres and wherefores, etc., etc. Recent basho have seen the guest list chopped which some like, some don't, so exactly how the coming months will affect the sumo a la anglais remains to be seen.

And finally – To give you something – still sumo but well away from the dohyo – to chew on as I close, at least two other branches of the Japanese media are currently considering the introduction of non-print, broadcast forms of English language sumo coverage in the coming months and if they do go ahead with their plans look for it to be covered here first.

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