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'. Kyushu Ones To Watch   Carolyn Todd Carolyn shares her thoughts on whom to keep an eye on in Fukuoka. 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! Lets Hear From You   What was it that made you a sumo fan? Kevin Murphy reveals all. 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.

Kimarite Focus #9 Tsuridashi, tsuriotoshi, okuritsuridashi and okuritsuriotoshi by Mikko Mattila

situation better and have a deep hold quite effectively. However, as pointed out above, gaining morozashi is already a very decisive moment in the bout, and rarely is one unable to go for a yorikiri win. There are some exceptions to this rule of thumb. Former ozeki Takanonami was one of the only rikishi who won many bouts by tsuridashi when his opponent had morozashi. Takanonami simply used his classic kime-arm hook hold to squeeze the arms of his attacker, and then lifted him up and out. Of the current rikishi, Baruto has a similar reach and enough power to go for a fairly identical move. Tsuridashi from a regular one hand inside, one hand outside grip is rarer as it enables the opponent to wriggle much more and use his own mawashi grip better to block the lift. Sometimes it is seen on the edge, where the attacker finishes a yorikiri drive by using his stomach to hoist the opponent over the tawara. One variation of tsuridashi is a reaction to an opponent’s throwing attempt. The best example of this was seen in the 2004 Nagoya basho. On day 11, when Asashoryu went for a throw, Kyokutenho reacted to Asashoryu’s body’s twist by Next

Hoisting the opponent up and carrying him out is a sure way to get cheers and applause from the crowd. This is even more so in sumo where weight plays a significant role and opponents tend to be on the heavy side making lifting moves more demanding. On the other hand, a mawashi enables quite decent grips for heavy lifts. There are four official techniques that include lifting the opponent off the ground and either carrying him out or slamming him down. Tsuridashi, tsuriotoshi, okuritsuridashi and okuritsuriotoshi are the featured kimarite in this issue. Only tsuridashi is somewhat common, depending on the definition of ”common” of course. Since the 1990 Hatsu  basho, the proportion of tsuridashi bouts in makuuchi level sumo has been around 0.6% and even that figure overestimates the current situation due to the decrease in

tsuridashi frequency compared to the early 1990s. Why isn’t tsuridashi seen more often, then? Probably because of its substantial stress on the lower back, the weight of opponents and the fact that if the attacker is in a position where tsuridashi becomes a viable option, he usually is in such a strong position already that the more traditional and safer yorikiri is the kimarite of choice. In tsuridashi, the attacker has a grip on his foe’s belt, or, in highly unusual cases, an arm-hook hold squeezing the opponent’s arms from above, and from one of those positions, he hoists the opponent up and carries/places him outside the dohyo. The best position from which to perform tsuridashi is, naturally, a morozashi-grip where both hands are gripping the opponent’s belt from the inside of the opponent’s arms. From this very advantageous position, the attacker can control the