Andy Adams

[Yokotanoharry 1]

Haven't seen anything here so reporting just read on the digest news of Andy Adams' passing on Dec 13, in San Diego. He helped introduce me, to Sumo in the late 60's. His daily column in Japan Times including torikumis was then most popular english commentaries. Heard him, I think just last year on one of the english broadcasts. Very dull, news revealed he suffered from alzheimers. Was founder of SumoWorld mag.

[Asojima 2,874]

  Yokotanoharry said:

Haven't seen anything here so reporting just read on the digest news of Andy Adams' passing on Dec 13, in San Diego. He helped introduce me, to Sumo in the late 60's. His daily column in Japan Times including torikumis was then most popular english commentaries. Heard him, I think just last year on one of the english broadcasts. Very dull, news revealed he suffered from alzheimers. Was founder of SumoWorld mag.

A true hero to those of us trying to make sense out of the world of sumo in the early 70's.

[Chiyozakura 148]

That is sad to hear. I still love to look into the old Sumo World issues from time to time. He has done an excellent job with that magazine for nearly 30 years. What a pity that it does not exist in its former format anymore.

[Chankosan 0]

Thanks for the info on Andy. Sad. I remember buying the set of back issues from him around 1993 and devouring them in my hunger for all things sumo! But maybe his illness sheds some more light on his decision to leave Sumo World when he did?

Wow, it seems strange to think back to a time only 15 years ago when there was no internet... (Bouncing of excitement...)

[Yokotanoharry 1]

I'd never seen a copy of Sumo World mag, only knew him then from his JT columns. Wonder when it was first published.

[Washuyama 641]

  Yokotanoharry said:

I'd never seen a copy of Sumo World mag, only knew him then from his JT columns. Wonder when it was first published.

Sept. '73 if memory serves me correctly.

[Yokotanoharry 1]

  Washuyama said:

  Yokotanoharry said:

I'd never seen a copy of Sumo World mag, only knew him then from his JT columns. Wonder when it was first published.

Sept. '73 if memory serves me correctly.

Thanks. No wonder. We left Japan Jan 73, and I was kyujo for several years.

[Orion 431]

  Washuyama said:

  Yokotanoharry said:

I'd never seen a copy of Sumo World mag, only knew him then from his JT columns. Wonder when it was first published.

Sept. '73 if memory serves me correctly.

I just checked. Issue #1 was actually January 1973; I too thought it had started just before I arrived in late September '73. I bought each issue, and later acquired the first year of back numbers. My collection peters out in the early 2000s, after five of us had walked out in the hope of starting up something better. That project was, alas, a victim of the growing availability of free information on the Internet.

SW was always very patchy; some of the information was very good and right on the ball, but there was always something, in one or two articles, that was either out of date or plain wrong. But it was the only sumo magazine in English. I soon stopped sending in polite postcards giving corrections; but years later Stuart Atkin introduced me to Andy when we met by chance at the Kokugikan and I agreed to write the occassional article, which I did between 1987 and 1999. I think Andy's achievement in starting the magazine and keeping it going for all those years deserves praise, especially at this time of remembrance; but as the years went on, most of the actual writing and illustration work was done for free by enthusiasts like Lynn Matsuoka, Clyde Newton, Mark Schilling, Dave Shapiro, Katrina Watts and others.

Orion

[sekihiryu 51]

some more about his passing

http://www.fccj.or.jp/node/6343

[Jonsey 0]

Great man.

[Orion 431]

  Jonsey said:

Great man.

I would like to correct an inadvertent error. This morning I checked

my old payment records for 1987 onward, and it apears that from

my first appearance in Sumo World I was in fact paid a moderate sum,

plus I got, three times per basho, press entrance to the Kokugikan,

one of which I was never able to use as it came in the final three

days when the sumo started before the starting time of my regular employment.

I assume that the other contributors got the same privileges.

Orion

[kawika 123]

Well, Clyde is sort of keeping it going, although in his own special way....he seems to publish an issue, this way his privileges from the association stay intact.

http://www.amazon.com/Sumo-World-2013-David-Meisenzahl-ebook/dp/B00EFQUSJS/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1409998891&sr=8-10&keywords=sumo+world