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.

what was in the chanko. Here, the sekitori were also served their special eggs, fish, or whatever was on the rotation for each. Drinks were served in the same way – water, tea or juice, but never an alcoholic beverage. As at the other heya, too, there was always a lower ranked rikishi attending to our every need – making sure the rice bowls were filled, tea glass never empty, etc.

This was to be the norm, for the most part, at future breakfasts with the rikishi – always special dishes for the sekitori, always the careful attention to us, the “guests” at the table. I should mention here, too, that unless pressed VERY hard, we usually declined second helpings and left the table as soon as we were done eating so that the non-sekitori could eat before starving to death!

But after the first few times, we became curious about the chanko itself. In some cases, we shouldn't have asked – we just should have put the food in our mouths and swallowed. At the very heya where we had the veal and the pasta, we asked the sekitori what was in the day's chanko. “Feesh (fish) insides!” he proclaimed, pointing to his very generous midsection. I, for one, sort of gulped, and, after
being served, proceeded to stir the food around in the bowl, so that it looked like I was eating something. Another sekitori at that breakfast table asked if I liked “feesh”. He, himself declared in a deep, booming voice, “I like meat!” I ate more of the side dishes that morning than I had ever before. Now that I know that fish eyes are considered (and likely are, for all I know) very nutritional with lots of protein, I'm quite wary of eating fish chanko. But wait, I also was told at another heya that we were eating some sort of animal innards in another chanko breakfast. That time, even the sekitori made a face.

Still another heya also had something indeterminable in the chanko – but, here again, the side dishes were delicious, including one of pickled garlic. (That one stayed with us for a couple of days, but we seemed to have a few adjoining masu at the Kokugikan to ourselves!) This was also the heya that offered me sake – that, I did not refuse, at least not the first time. The highest ranked sekitori in this heya, too, had his special dishes – they all seem to like fried eggs – , but on one particular day, he had a special drink of champagne after a particular accomplishment of his at the
previous basho. Actually, one of our trio had brought the bubbly and presented it to him during the breakfast. He promptly had it uncorked and asked a tsukebito to bring him a bowl. Yes, a bowl. He proceeded to pour a fair amount of champagne in drank it down pretty fast. Just as he was going to pour what seemed to be the remainder in his bowl, he was reminded that perhaps we could all toast him with a bit, as well. Which we did.

At one heya, we were asked if we liked sausages, and, indeed, there were sausages in the chanko.


















We've eaten several times in about 4 or 5 different heya, and

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