What Will Become of the Dynasty?
Brian Lewin
The Hanada Dynasty – past or present?
Rikishi of Old
Joe Kuroda
A look at a rikishi of yesteryear with Tenryu our man for August.
Heya Peek
John Gunning
John attends a chanko session at Chiganoura Beya.
Photo Bonanza
For a glimpse at some of the sights you won't see on TV.
July Basho Review
Lon Howard & John Gunning
Lon gives us his Nagoya Basho summary and his take on upset of the tournament while John chips in with his ‘gem’ of the basho.
Lower Division Rikishi
Mikko Mattila takes a break and Eric Blair covers the lower divisions in his own ‘unique’ way.
Aki Basho Forecast
Pierre Wohlleben & Mark Buckton
Pierre predicts the Aki Basho banzuke while Mark previews the ones to watch next time out.
Sumo 101
Barbara Ann Klein
Gyoji goings on and several things you never knew about the ones officiating.
Kimarite Focus
Mikko Mattila
Mikko walks us through his 2 chosen kimarite.
Minusha
John McTague
John's unique view of news from outside the dohyo.
Boletín de Sumo en Español
Eduardo de Paz Gútiez
An article on sumo’s very first fan mag – Boletin de Sumo en Espanol
Online Gaming
Jezz Sterling
Hear from the founder of Bench Sumo of one of sumo's most popular games.
Kokugi Connections
Todd Lambert
Todd’s focus on 3 of the most interesting online sumo sites today.
Fan Debate
Henka – good, bad or ugly? See what our debaters think.
Let’s Hear From You
What was it that made you a sumo fan – the Petros Zachos story.
Ngozi on the Road
Ngozi T. Robinson
NTR visits an amasumo event in the north-east U.S. and tells us what it was like.
Sumo Quiz
The Quizmaster
Answer the Qs and win yourself next basho's banzuke.
wrestle one of their lower-ranking rikishi. He so impressed that one of their number, Hanakago oyakata, the former Onoumi, asked to recruit him for Nishonoseki, and ultimately, his own prospective stable. Katsuji accepted, later saying he did so only to help support his family (a common motivation at the time, and one that he later claimed has its analogue in the Mongolian rikishi of today).
Feeling the incredible responsibility to his family, Katsuji adapted to and eventually embraced the harsh work ethic of his heya. Starting in an era of only two basho per year – it would gradually increase to six by the time of his retirement – that drive would pay off in a rapid, three-year rise to the top division.
Once in makuuchi, he would quickly establish his reputation as the “Dohyo no Oni”, the Devil of the Dohyo, so called for his fierce work ethic, endurance and fighting spirit. One match that certainly cemented that reputation was the grueling, hard-fought bout against
yokozuna Chiyonoyama on the 11th day of the 1955 Aki Basho. After multiple mizu-iri (breaks), the match was finally declared a tie after an incredible 17 minutes, 15 seconds.
Mamushi and Oni
Wakanohana and his nemesis, legendary yokozuna Tochinishiki, had one of the fiercest rivalries of the postwar era. Similarly to Waka's “Oni”, Tochinishiki was nicknamed “Mamushi” – “Viper” –
for his wiriness, intense glare and tenacity, especially once he'd gotten hold of his opponent. As the nicknames might imply, when these two came together, the results were spectacular. This was perhaps most famously seen in the match on the seventh day of the 1953 Haru Basho, a fierce struggle in which Tochinishiki famously re-tied his mage with a strip of straw from the tawara after the cord had broken due to repeated blows against Wakanohana's chest. Many techniques were attempted, but all failed until finally Tochi won with a deftly executed sotogake leg trip.
Their rivalry was further cemented in the 1960 Haru Basho when the two rikishi became the first yokozuna in history to face each other with unbeaten records on senshuraku. In an unprecedented match that focused the attention of the nation, the still-ascendant Wakanohana would win a hard-fought match by yorikiri. That match, certainly one of their greatest, would also prove
to be their last, as Tochi retired the following basho.
That competitiveness was true to the tone of remarkably evenly-matched careers, in which each won ten yusho, but Tochinishiki ultimately came out on top, taking 19 of their 35 makuuchi matches. The younger Wakanohana outlasted his rival by about two years, winning his final two yusho just after Tochi's retirement, and staying around long enough to see the ascendancy of a new pair of legendary yokozuna rivals, Kashiwado and Taiho.
The Oni finally retired in the 1962 Haru Basho, after a 15-year career. Upon retirement, he took on the name Futagoyama Oyakata, leaving Nishonoseki not long after to found his own heya. That heya was quite successful, producing, among others, ozeki Takanohana and
Wakashimazu, yokozuna Wakanohana II (no relation) and Takanosato, and numerous sekitori by the time of Futagoyama's retirement from the Kyokai in 1993.
Takanohana I - Kakkai no Purinsu
The man who would become the “Prince of Sumo” joined his elder brother's Futagoyama-
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