| Nagoya Nears Eric Blair |
 |
| Rikishi of Old Joe Kuroda |
|
| Heya Peek Barbara Ann Klein |
|
| SFM Interview Mark Buckton |
|
| Sumo 101 Barbara Ann Klein |
|
| Photo Bonanza See the Natsu |
|
| Natsu Basho Summary Lon Howard |
|
| Lower Division Rikishi Mikko Mattila |
|
| Nagoya Ones to Watch Mark Buckton |
|
| Kimarite Focus Mikko Mattila |
|
| Amateur Angles Howard Gilbert |
|
| Sumo Game Bruce Rae |
|
| Sumo in Print Barbara Ann Klein |
|
| Kokugi Connections Todd Lambert |
|
| Fan Debate Facilitator – Lon Howard |
|
| SFM Cartoons Benny Loh & Stephen Thompson |
| Let’s Hear From You What was it that |
|
| Readers’ Letters |
|
Sumo Quiz
The Quizmaster
Answer the Qs and win yourself next basho’s banzuke.
On the night of senshuraku, Kagamisato returned to the heya and found Futabayama waiting for him. As his shisho approached him, Kagamisato heard him say simply, “I just forwarded your retirement notice tonight”. Futabayama then accompanied him to the retirement press conference. It was a display of immense affection by Futabayama who viewed sumo as more than a competition or mere sport. It was a gesture from a man who never wavered from living the way of sumo, sumo-do. He allowed Kagamisato to earn the honor of being a yokozuna who ended his active career by competing in his final basho
After retirement, Kagamisato took the toshiyori Tatsutagawa and worked along side his shisho until Futabayama's death in December 1968. Kagamisato then inherited the heya and became Tokitsukaze oyakata. However, the widow of Futabayama wanted to have former ozeki Yutakayama (later Kyokai Chairman) succeed her deceased husband as oyakata and Kagamisato was subsequently forced out of the heya.
Kagamisato managed to regain his old Tatsutagawa share and founded his own heya in 1971 with no recruits, and taking with him only one oyakata, Tatsutayama (former ozeki Ochiyama). During his oyakata tenure, Kagamisato was not blessed with any promising deshi and he was only able to produce one sekitori, juryo 9 Takamichi (also known as Morinosato). Tatsutagawa-beya was subsequently inherited by former sekiwake Aonosato upon Kagamisato's mandatory retirement from the Kyokai, and later produced Fukunosato (currently Wakaimonogashira), Shikishima (current Nishikijima Oyakata), and currently-active Jumonji, Toyozakura and Ryuho.
As a Kyokai director, Kagamisato worked tirelessly to set a new Kyokai agenda for the next generation, but unfortunately, he suffered a stroke and required a wheelchair to move around. He regained his health and suffered only slight muscle loss in his old age – he still weighed 110 kg in his later years. By yokozuna standards, he had a very long life as he lived to be 80 years of age. Only one other former yokozuna lived longer, the 15th yokozuna Umegatani Totaro, who died at 83.
Kagamisato was an old-
fashioned rikishi, powerful yet gentle, possessing a pure and innocent heart. He cared so deeply about his mother that he did not want this simple woman from the country to live her life bowing down to total strangers because they happened to be her son's supporters, so he never formed his own supporters club. One other noted example of his kindness reports that soon after
Next