Yokozuna Comparisons
Joe Kuroda
SFM’s historian, JK, wraps his two-part article on the greatest of the tsuna wearers

Amateur Sumo's Global Aspirations
Courtesy: International Sumo Federation
What exactly is it and furthermore, what does it do? The ISF explain themselves and their purpose in existing

Rikishi of Old
Joe Kuroda
Man or myth? Sumo's first yokozuna comes under the spotlight

Heya Peek
Barbara Ann Klein
Tokitsukaze-beya and its famous find themselves the target of Barbara's peek into life inside the heya

SFM Interview
Mark Buckton
Featuring interviews with amateur sumo's European Sumo Union General Secretary and the President of the newly founded Irish Sumo Federation

Sumo 101
Barbara Ann Klein
Would chanko exist without sumo? What is chanko anyway? Find out in Sumo 101

Photo Bonanza
See the Haru
Basho through the eyes of the fans in the seats as SFM gives the mantle of photographer(s) for this basho to Barbara & Gerald Patten. And don't miss our all-Mongolian Bonanza supplied by our Editor, Barbara Ann Klein

Haru Basho Review
Lon Howard
Lon gives us his Haru Basho summary, along with the henka sightings results

Lower Division Rikishi
Mikko Mattila
Mikko Mattila covers the lower division goings on like nobody else around

Natsu Basho Forecast
Mark Buckton
Mark Buckton glances back to look forward in his ones to look out for come May

Kimarite Focus
Mikko Mattila
Our man Mikko takes us on a tour of his chosen kimarite

Sumo in Print
Mark Buckton
Our gaming thread takes a break for April so we can look at the Spanish language book on the sport not long since released

Kokugi Connections
Todd Lambert
Todd’s bimonthly focus on 3 of the WWW's best sumo sites today

Fan Debate
Facilitator – Lon Howard
April's man VS monkey debate covers the issue of reducing the number of honbasho

SFM Cartoons
Benny Loh & Stephen Thompson
Sit back and enjoy the offerings

Let’s Hear From You
What was it that
made you a sumo fan? Thierry Perran lets us in on his reasons for loving this sport

Readers’ Letters
See what some
See what our featured letter is for this issue

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

When on jungyo, or at a hon-
basho other than in Tokyo, some regional specialties are also included.

The published English-language recipes list the above-mentioned ingredients plus variously, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, spinach, eggs and sake, among other edibles. They all say to skin and/or clean the protein matter – i.e., fish, chicken or meat – then dice it to cook in the stock. Oh, yeah, right. Read on.

I don't really remember which of two heya first invited me to have breakfast. I DO know that the inviting rikishi did not ask if we wanted to stay for chanko, but rather that we were invited to “eat”. (Later, we would just be invited by an eating gesture.) This was the invitation extended in each of the heya in which I was fortunate to share the sekitori(s)' meal. Sometimes we were asked by the sekitori, sometimes a lower-ranked man on the instruction of the okamisan, sometime by a heya coach or manager. Needless to say, we always accepted. Who wouldn't? It was quite a surprise. Yes, there were chunks of chicken in the soup in one of those first meals. And vegetables. And some other unidentified items – perhaps mushrooms. We were served
refreshingly cold tea to wash down the rice that was placed before us. I also accepted a small glass of beer, from the year's supply of Czech beer that was part of the yusho loot for that particular heya one year. (Note: I don't like beer at all, but I must admit that this was quite palatable!) The sekitori drank only juice, tea or water. Much to our surprise, however, in addition to being served the chanko, we were also invited to share the several dishes of fresh and crisp green salad with tomato, and some helpings of beef, I believe, also on the side, as well as potato salad and some Japanese side dishes. The sekitori had a separate larger plate of salad and a couple of fried eggs on yet another plate. There were also two or three more sides, in addition to the ones mentioned previously, but I wasn't close enough to see exactly what they were. Of

course, the lower ranks would be lucky to have any of these non-chanko treats unless there were leftovers and none of the intervening diners ate them up first.

The other of the first heya where we were invited for breakfast had an even more extravagant and varied meal. While chanko was the “centerpiece”, we were also served spaghetti (with Italian sauce), breaded veal cutlets (more like wiener schnitzel), hot dogs, soups, more salads, rice, of course, and a variety of regional side dishes. Oh, and apples from Aomori after the meal. We were advised that the Western dishes were being perpared due to the recent addition of a new non-Japanese recruit to the rikishi roster. With so many plates of different food, I don't even remember

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