Sumo Fan Magazine

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Brothers no longer active on the dohyo come under the SFM microscope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.

Hatsu Ones To Watch

by Mark Buckton

facing a make or break tournament come January. Sadly, I see him going down several times in the first week and either going kyujo or opting for a haircut. His day has been and gone and what is happening now is hard to watch for those of us rooting for the Kasugano-beya rikishi. Prediction – makekoshi by day 10 and another top division intai – but I would be glad to be proven wrong here.

Jumonji – another personal favorite I am glad to see do well, albeit at a rank far below his

Photo by Barbara Ann Klein

abilities. Certainly needs to focus more and, while keeping his head down, also needs to

Next Home

Things didn’t go too badly prediction-wise last time out. Six of nine correct in terms of predicting a kachikoshi, two of the six spot on with predicted score (Takekaze and Asashoryu) and of the three I didn’t get – only Ama was predicted incorrectly after his dohyo doings – Baruto never took part and Kaio didn’t get a bona fide prediction in the first place.

Enough trumpet blowing though – onto Hatsu. Am I in for more ‘relative’ success or was Kyushu a flash in the predicting pan?

Shibuya – Tamanoi-beya rikishi and one I have been watching for a couple of years now. Even cleaned my bicycle when I was down at asageiko some time ago. Tokyo boy – hailing from Umejima in Adachi-ku in the north east of the capital, he went 5-2 at a career high rank of Ms31 last time out. The youngest rikishi in makushita in Kyushu, expect another 5-2 or similar in January, and a few more people starting to take notice as he approaches juryo.

Kambayashi – Disappointing performance in Kyushu for Kambayashi-zeki. If he stays in

the division come banzuke time, he won’t have another chance to put up the numbers so has to pull out all the plugs in the days after January 8th. Looking more and more like a Hokutoriki

Photo by Barbara Ann Klein

mixed with Kaiho, his elder and more experienced sekitori stable mates, this rikishi is soon going to have to decide on a style and stick with it. If he is still a sekitori in Tokyo, I would expect a solid 9 or even 10 wins. He is too good for makushita but still not good enough for 15 bouts a basho, it would seem.

Tochinonada – Juryo-bound Tochinonada had a great second week in Fukuoka but lost out on the very last day to secure his first drop to juryo since he came up all those years ago. Well on the wrong side of 30, Nada is