Brothers in Sumo –
part one
Brian Lewin
Brothers no longer active on the dohyo come under the SFM microscope

NHK & the Ozumo
English Broadcast
Mark Buckton
A visit to NHK, years of watching the show and the opinions of our Ed-in-Chief

Hanging With the Rikishi
Barbara Ann Klein
Barbara Ann Klein recounts her experiences with the “boys” in a pictorial diary series

Rikishi of Old
Joe Kuroda
A look at a rikishi of yesteryear with Chiyonoyama – our man for December

Sumo Exhibit at the
Edo-Tokyo Museum
Barbara Ann Klein
SFM’s Editor takes in the exhibit celebrating 80 years of the Japan Sumo Association at this famous Tokyo museum

Heya Peek
John Gunning
John’s early morning trip to Hakkaku – a visit that almost didn’t happen

SFM Interview
Dave Wiggins sits down
with SFM’s Mark Buckton to discuss the broadcast scene – and maple syrup

Photo Bonanza
What a collection – All-Japan Sumo Tournament, Hakkaku-
beya visit and sumo exhibits at the Edo-Tokyo Museum

Kyushu Basho Review
Lon Howard
Lon gives us his Kyushu Basho summary, along with the henka sightings results, and his take on the year in brief

Lower Division Rikishi
Mikko Mattila
Mikko Mattila covers lower division ups and downs

Hatsu Basho Forecast
Pierre Wohlleben & Mark
Buckton
Pierre predicts the Hatsu Basho banzuke while Mark previews the ones to watch for in January

Sumo 101
Eric Blair
Eric explains all you need to know and then some about the Kokugikan building – the mecca of sumo

Kimarite Focus
Mikko Mattila
Mikko walks us through his chosen kimarite in expert fashion

Minusha
John McTague
John’s unique bimonthly view of news from outside the dohyo

Online Gaming
Eric Blair
For the lowdown on Guess the Kotomitsuki – baby of SFM’s John Gunning

Kokugi Connections
Todd Lambert
Todd’s bimonthly focus on 3 of the most interesting sumo sites today

Fan Debate
Intra heya bouts –
OK or not? See what our debaters had to say

SFM Cartoons
Stephen Thompson
In the second of our cartoon bonanzas, sit back and enjoy ST’s offerings

Let’s Hear From You
What was it that made you a sumo fan? American Todd Defoe tells all

Readers’ Letters
See what SFM readers had to say since our last issue

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

  Jack Edwards butchering the pronunciation of just about every Japanese word – opened the sport to a new and larger audience.

Oh, and there was that little thing in Las Vegas.

America, meet Sumo.

Americans are slowly learning that this noble sport is far from “two fat guys in diapers”. This is a battle that is usually decided in less than 5 seconds – perfect for the Ritalin generation. It’s a test of great strength and spirit – ideals shared by almost every athlete. It’s a way of life – see Sumo Kids above.

[read like a monster truck announcer]

“The date – October 24, 2005! The place – Madison Square Garden, New York City! The World S.U.M.O. Challenge: Battle of the Giants! For the first time in the United States, 24 of the world’s greatest sumo wrestlers will compete for the ultimate championship!”

Sumo, meet America.

With a marketing scheme that included a video featuring a Godzilla-sized rikishi stomping through Manhattan (check it out) and rikishi-sized rikishi actually walking the streets of Manhattan, Big Boy Productions hyped up a show 		that was billed as something HUGE.

Of course, they weren’t the Top 24 greatest sumo wrestlers in the world and the acronym actually stood for “Sumo Ultimate Masters Organization”. They couldn’t be taken seriously as “professional sumo”. Real professional sumo takes place every two months in Japan. How could they say these things?

Well, it turns out some of those 24 ARE champions! Looking at the bio page, two of Germany’s past World Champions were competing. Two of Bulgaria’s national champions were competing (isn’t Kotooshu – the Beckham of Sumo – from Bulgaria?). Champions from Norway, Holland, Poland and Georgia (isn’t Kokkai – the Takamiyama of European sekitori – from Georgia?) also took part.

OK, it’s amateur sumo. Some of the best amateurs in the world are hoping to make it big in a fledgling federation a la World Wrestling Entertainment. But, if there’s a reasonable facsimile of Ozumo happening within one day’s drive of me, I’m there!

Now if they would only book a second show...

Other News

– Geek On Stun has released 64 		new versions of Nintendo’s iconic Mario character for use in new Nintendo games and as “smileys”. Among the 64 is Mario the Sumo Wrestler.

– Susie Essman, from HBO’s hilarious “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, has an overweight Shih Tzu named “SUMO”.

– Former Amateur Craig “Big-T” Thompson has made the switch from sumo to muso. He’s leading the big band “Big-T and the Bada Bings” throughout Texas.

– Reviews for “Memoirs of a Geisha” are mostly positive, with some Oscar Award talk. No, Shonosuke Kimura is not being considered, nor is Mainoumi, although it’s nice to see him in a mawashi again. The film opens in wide release in the US on December 23. (Ed. note – just before going to press, it was announced that Ziyi Zhang who plays the title role, Sayuri, was nominated for a Golden Globe award for her portrayal. )
Random Site I Found While Searching For Sumo

www.myspace.com/sumometal


Thanks, you’ve been great. Try the chanko-nabe.

John McTague

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