|
|
SOS - Shinjinrui on Sumo |
|
Chris Gould
Chris sinks his teeth into how sumo can go about pulling in the younger
fans - currently so noticeable by their absence. The first of a
three-part series.
|
|
|
Sumo World Championships |
|
Mark Buckton
Mark Buckton reports from Sakai near Osaka, site of the latest Sumo World Championships.
|
|
|
Rikishi of Old |
|
Joe Kuroda
Joe Kuroda finishes off his look at former yokozuna Minanogawa.
|
|
|
Sumo 101 / Eric Evaluates |
|
Eric Blair
Eric expains sumo fan terminology - with the inevitable twist - for
those just getting into the sport and still subject to the know it alls.
|
|
|
Age stands still for no man |
|
Joe Kuroda
Former ozeki Kiyokuni will retire in November under the compulsory '65
and you are out' rule. JK takes a look at this quiet earth mover.
|
|
|
Feel the Sumo |
|
Eduardo de Paz
Read and feel the renowned Leonishiki's passion for all things sumo at his first live event.
|
|
|
SFM Interview |
|
Mark Buckton
Mark interviews Colin Carroll - again - Irish star of Sakai.
|
|
|
Photo Bonanza |
|
See the Aki Basho bonanza as well as the largest collection of pics you
are likely to see on the Sumo World Championships earlier in October.
|
|
|
Aki Basho Summary |
|
Lon Howard
Lon wraps the September Aki Basho and throws in some henka sighting results for good measure.
|
|
|
Lower Division Rikishi |
|
Mikko Mattila
The lower divisions, their members and results get the once over thanks to Mikko's eye of things 'beneath the curtain'.
|
|
|
|
|
Kimarite Focus |
|
Mikko Mattila
Mikko's latest clarification of several of the sport's plethora of kimarite.
|
|
|
Amateur Angles |
|
Howard Gilbert
Howard Gilbert - manager of New Zealand's amateur sumo team takes a look at the approaching Russians.
|
|
|
Kokugi Konnections |
|
Todd Lambert
Click on Todd's bimonthly focus on three of the best sumo sites online.
|
|
|
Fan Debate |
|
Facilitator - Lon Howard
Jesse Lake and Rich Pardoe hammer out their differences on a current furor - promotion criteria.
|
|
|
SFM Cartoons |
|
Benny Loh & Stephen Thompson
In this issue's cartoon bonanza, sit back and enjoy Benny Loh's
offerings and put a caption to Stephen Thompson's picture to win
yourselves a banzuke.
|
|
|
Sumo Odds ’n’ Ends |
|
SFM's interactive elements including Henka Sightings, Elevator Rikishi and Eternal Banzuke!
|
|
|
|
|
Readers' Letters |
|
See what our readers had to say since we last hit your screens.
|
|
|
Sumo Quiz |
|
The Quizmaster
Answer the Qs and win yourself next basho’s banzuke.
|
|
|
 |
|
fight, or
even a good henka. If his low-energy bouts produced their usual
results, you could say that’s just his “way”, but when they don’t, it
gives the appearance of not caring anymore – but I won’t make that
pitch without more to go on. The remaining Mongolian in makuuchi,
M9 Asasekiryu, probably deserves applause for just eking out a 7-8 mark
on his bum knee and toe, but he was clearly just trying to avoid
getting dumped to juryo. Like Kotooshu, unless he’s willing to
take a basho or two off to get healthy again, he’ll never achieve the potential he once had.
One new Japanese hope, M11 Homasho, again showed flashes of skill in
just his third makuuchi basho, but his reluctance to go on early
offense worked against him, as many opponents knocked him around
at the tachiai to take control, holding him to 7-8. He’ll need
more than ottsuke and patience to thrive in the top division.
You could hardly call M10 Hakurozan’s 5-10 performance
Hakurozan
disappointing in light of the fact
that he had surgery on his knee prior to the basho. Clearly, he
was there only to stay in makuuchi somehow, which he probably
did. We’ll be reading the papers for his
|
|
|
|
recovery progress.
The 7-8 showings which surprised no one came from M3 Dejima, M5
Tochinonada, M9 Takamisakari, M12 Tosanoumi and M13 Tochinohana.
A 1-14 outing isn’t all that common, but since it spun off from the
waning throes of the over-ranked M4 Tamakasuga, it wasn’t surprising,
nor was the 4-11 from Toyonoshima, who found the air around M6 a bit
thin. An intai-watch may soon be forming around Tamakasuga.
Two ailing rikishi on the juryo bubble for Kyushu are M11 Jumonji at 4-11 and M12 Yoshikaze at 5-10.
Toyonoshima
Jumonji’s chronically weak lower back might spell the end of his
makuuchi career, while reportedly, Yoshikaze injured his neck during
practice before the basho.
M16 Shimotori’s return from a
four-basho tour in juryo proved to be just a cameo spot as he came up
short at 7-8, while M15 Kasuganishiki’s 6-9 mark assured that his
recurrent treks across the makuuchi-juryo border will go on.
Finally, the two shin-nyu-maku – M14 Hochiyama and M16 Ryuho – will be
getting re-acquainted with their juryo friends as they posted 5-10 and
4-11 respectively, although Hochiyama did well enough for a potential
eventual return to makuuchi.
|
|
|
|
Both promotion candidates and the rest of the ozeki suffered plenty of
losses so that any single upset there was
ultimately immaterial.
So the Upset of the Basho this time is the only one that any of us
probably still remember – that being the frantic sumo-cum hair-pulling
exhibition put on by Asashoryu and Chiyotaikai on day 14. It
reminded us that although the yokozuna is one of the most dominating
forces ever seen on the dohyo, he can still be had; that even though
his mental approach to competition is in itself overpowering, his
concentration is not absolute.
And if there are some doubters out there about the degree of the
yokozuna’s domination, consider this: In his first 22 basho as
yokozuna, Asashoryu has failed to get at least 13 wins only six
times.
Banzai, Yokozuna!
This is unmatched by Taiho, Kitanoumi and Chiyonofuji. It was
equaled by Takanohana, but he achieved 13 wins only four more times
after that. In historical terms, Asashoryu is already a mountain
of a man at the age of 26. Considering his frenzy on day 14 and
gift-wrapped win on senshuraku, and the now-grim prospects for a second
yokozuna any time soon, Kokonoe oyakata can be forgiven his post-basho
out-of-the-blue excoriation of Asashoryu. But he was dead on in
one respect: “The guy still has got a long way to go!” That
is something for which we can all be grateful. Thanks for
following along, and now it’s on to Kyushu and back to square one –
where ever that is.
|
|
