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.

evidence to refute such articles of faith (not least when replaying Konishiki-Onokuni matches), Japanese youngsters steadfastly believe that torikumi based upon Large versus Large are slow-moving and dull. Youngsters also believe that although sumo matches involving Small against Small demonstrate faster movement and admirable agility, they are still not as entertaining as K-1. Thus, sumo should market itself to shinjinrui by playing to their love of extremes. Generally speaking, the most obviously entertaining torikumi are those consisting of Little versus Large. (Who can forget Mainoumi’s magnificent uchigake (onside leg trip) against Akebono in November 1991, or Asashoryu’s dazzling shitatenage (underarm throw) on Musashimaru in May 2001?) Whenever Little faces Large, the tempo is fast and the combat is furious. TV and internet adverts should relentlessly remind shinjinrui that not even K-1 is crazy enough to force Little to fight Large using the same basic techniques. Sumo should exploit shinjinrui sympathy towards lighter wrestlers and encourage them to cheer their beloved underdog to victory. This strategy assumes particular importance given that youngsters find K-1 techniques infinitely more attractive than sumo kimarite. “Sumo wins are less impressive,” said the 17-year old Fumiko, to nods from her three friends. Furthermore, some shinjinrui find sumo custom so unbearably restrictive that they better enjoy sumo when its rules are broken! Several interviewees, although reluctant to openly condone yokozuna Asashoryu’s infamous groping of Kyokushuzan’s hair, still found the incident more entertaining

than a legal sumo kimarite. Of course, new kimarite terms are occasionally added to the sumo glossary – the last such occasion being in March 2001 – but these terms are introduced retrospectively, and only serve to explain existing sumo phenomena rather than invite sumotori to perform new, and radically different, moves. Shinjinrui will never be won over by sumo techniques alone. It is the context in which kimarite are used – preferably by Little on Large – that will arouse their enthusiasm.  Bad timing? The timing of matches renders sumo even less attractive to the shinjinrui. The sumo expert Liliane Fujimori captures my sentiments entirely: “In the West, we often find ourselves asking how it is that certain persons can permit themselves to… watch sumo… for fifteen consecutive days from morning to evening! It is not only the wealthy and the retired who should be entitled to this privilege.” The majority of shinjinrui interviewed favoured my suggestion that the midweek top division matches be moved to the evening, say 7.30pm, to allow for younger people to view them after work. Football, baseball and K-1 promoters would not dream of staging midweek matches in the afternoon (unless during the World Cup), so why should sumo? Furthermore, with the makunouchi schedule lasting but two and a quarter hours, its separation from the lower divisions would present youngsters with a spectacle of similar length to a football match, and thus more in keeping with their sports-related attention spans.

Clearly, the NSK might be hard pressed to adjust working patterns and meal times, and the tsukebito would probably lose yet more sleep, but it should be stressed that makunouchi sumotori successfully stage evening performances when touring abroad. However, some young Japanese are adamant that the timing of torikumi matters precious little. “Showing sumo at a different time makes no difference,” said one of them. “It is just not exciting enough. There is too much shikiri-naoshi (preparing for the bout).” Somnolent shikiri-naoshi? Among the shinjinrui, a firm conviction exists that sumo torikumi which last a mere few seconds simply do not warrant a four-minute build-up. To the unconverted, sumo’s shikiri-naoshi appears considerably less eventful than the prologues of K-1 fights, which contain verbal insults galore and even the odd face-mask. The shikiri-naoshi irks youngsters considerably. It is underpinned by a religion which they barely understand, let alone believe in, and appears moderated by a high degree of emotional restraint which is more likely to remind them of a strict, conformist upbringing than the unadulterated fun they share with friends. The question is therefore begged: would a one-minute shikiri-naoshi make youngsters more inclined to watch sumo? I am yet to discover another proposition capable of provoking shinjinrui into such violent laughter. “It could work,” was the assessment of Yu, a Tokyo language student, Next