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.

  Sumo – La lucha de los Dioses

by Mark Buckton

format.

A couple of small points appear to already have changed – the heya address of Tamanoi-beya
just one example – but considering the ever flowing currents of sumo, no similar book will remain untouched by change for ever.

Another point of huge merit in setting this book apart from many of its peers is the involvement of several of sumo's more prominent non-Japanese fans, be they in the Land of the Rising Sun or not. The credits and acknowledgements make interesting reading themselves with many of these ‘names’ (to shamelessly borrow a stock phrase from Lloyds of London) appearing to have contributed to the book.

Add this factor to the pages detailing the sport as it has been adopted and modeled by the Internet community and a list of the sites owned by some of the aforementioned ‘names’ and you have, if I am not very much mistaken, the world's first book-published list of sumo-
themed Internet sites. (Although, SFM's non-
appearance in this chapter will have to be rectified in the second edition!)

Next
Over the last twenty-plus years, and really starting with former sekiwake Takamiyama's self titled – “Takamiyama, The World of Sumo,” four or five good English language books have been put into print on the subject of sumo and various aspects of the sumo lifestyle. Before that, at least two more existed, but both have long since gone out of print.

Many of these books are available on the Internet or from well-stocked Japanese bookshops with an English language section. Yet, while several other publications in European tongues have made it into print, sumo coverage in such a major linguistic force as Spanish has been noticeably underachieving in modern times.

All that changed earlier this year with the appearance in my and several other post boxes
around the world of: Sumo – La lucha de los Dioses.

Produced over a couple of years by Spain's most famous fan of
things sumo, Eduardo de Paz, this 165 page, 26cm x 18cm, soft cover addition to the shelves of sumo literature will be of interest even to the non-Spanish readers out there.

Containing chapters on the history of the sport with lists of Heisei era yusho winners, yokozuna of lore, kimarite and even heya life (with an admirably collated listing of each heya address), to name but a few, much of the subject matter covered in at least eleven other English-language publications is covered again – but is done so in a well-updated
















 
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