, formerly known as Musashigawa stable, is a

stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by thr ...

wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ''

ichimon The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. A B C D E F G H ...

'' or group of stables. It was set up in August 1981 by former ''

yokozuna , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...

Mienoumi is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Matsusaka, Mie. He was the 57th ''yokozuna'' of the sport. After retiring he founded the Musashigawa stable and was a chairman of the Japan Sumo Association. He was the first rikishi in histo ...

, who branched off from

Dewanoumi stable is a heya (sumo), stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ''Glossary of sumo terms#ichimon, ichimon'' or group of stables. It has a long, prestigious history. Its current head coach is former ''maegashira'' Oginohana Akikazu, Oginohana. A ...

. Since its founding Dewanoumi had a long tradition of not permitting its coaches to break away and form new stables, and Mienoumi was the first to amicably depart Dewanoumi stable since

Tochigiyama was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He was the sport's 27th ''yokozuna'' from 1918 until 1925. Generally he is considered one of the pioneers of modern sumo. He remains the lightest ''yokozuna'' in the history of the sport with a weight ...

set up

Kasugano stable is a Heya (sumo), stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ''Glossary of sumo terms#ichimon, ichimon'' or group of stables. As of January 2022 it had 18 wrestlers. It has been led by former ''sekiwake'' Tochinowaka Kiyotaka since 2003. It w ...

62 years earlier. By the early 2000s it had become the strongest stable in sumo, with a ''yokozuna'', three '' ōzeki'' and several other top division wrestlers. Wrestlers from the stable won six consecutive tournaments from March 1999 to January 2000. In September 2008 Mienoumi also became head of the

Sumo Association The is the body that operates and controls professional sumo wrestling (called ''Ōzumō'', 大相撲) in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japanese Ministry of Education, Cultu ...

. In September 2010 the former Mienoumi stood down as head coach and passed the stable to former ''ōzeki'' Musōyama, who changed its name to Fujishima. Former ''yokozuna'' Musashimaru branched off from the stable in April 2013 after taking on the elder name of his former head coach, creating the next generation

Musashigawa stable The is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ''ichimon'' or group of stables. It is an off-shoot of the better known stable of the same name set up by former ''yokozuna'' Mienoumi in 1981, which is currently known as Fujishima stable ...

. As of January 2022 Fujishima had 14 wrestlers. It had no ''

sekitori A ''sekitori'' (関取) is a ''rikishi'' (力士, sumo wrestler) who is ranked in one of the top two professional divisions: ''makuuchi'' and ''jūryō''. The name literally translates to having taken the barrier, as only a relatively small fract ...

'' from the demotion of Shōtenrō to the ''

makushita Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win–loss records in official tournaments. For ...

'' division in March 2016 until the promotion of Bushozan five years later. Bushozan is the second wrestler to reach ''jūryō'' since the current head coach took over, following Tsurugidake in 2010.

Ring name conventions

Some wrestlers at this stable take ring names or ''

shikona A is a sumo wrestler's ring name. The tradition of ring names in sumo dates back to the Edo period, where they were used as a means to attract customers and hide the identities of the ''rikishi''. Like standard Japanese names, a ''shikona'' co ...

'' that include the character 武 (read: bu or mu), meaning war or weapon, which is taken from the first character of the former name of the stable, Musashigawa, and is also the first character in the name of the stable's current owner, former Musōyama. Examples include Bushozan, Mugendai and Musashiumi.

Owners

* 2010–present: 18th Fujishima Takehito ('' iin'', former '' ōzeki'' Musōyama) * 1981-2010: 14th Musashigawa Akihide ( the 57th ''yokozuna''

)

Notable active wrestlers

* Bushozan (best rank, ''

jūryō Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win–loss records in official tournaments. For ...

'')

Coaches

* Ōnaruto Takeharu (''iin'', former ''ōzeki''

Dejima , in the 17th century also called Tsukishima ( 築島, "built island"), was an artificial island off Nagasaki, Japan that served as a trading post for the Portuguese (1570–1639) and subsequently the Dutch (1641–1854). For 220 years, it ...

) * Yamawake Takeyoshi ('' iin'', former ''maegashira'' Buyūzan) * Matsuchiyama Takashi (''toshiyori'', former ''maegashira'' Bushūyama) * Kitajin Sho (''toshiyori'', former ''maegashira'' Shōtenrō)

Notable former wrestlers

* Musashimaru ( the 67th ''yokozuna'') *

(former '' ōzeki'') * Musōyama (former ''ōzeki'') *

Miyabiyama Miyabiyama Tetsushi (born July 28, 1977 as Masato Takeuchi) is a former sumo wrestler from Mito, Ibaraki, Japan. A former amateur champion, he turned professional in 1998. With the exception of two tournaments, he was ranked in the top division o ...

(former ''ōzeki'') *

Wakanoyama Wakanoyama Hiroshi (born May 12, 1972 as Hiroshi Nishizaki) is a former sumo wrestler from Gobo, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. His highest rank was'' komusubi''. Career Wakanoyama made his professional debut in March 1988. Joining at the same time a ...

(former ''

komusubi , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...

'') * Shōtenrō (former ''

maegashira , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...

'')

Assistant

* Aranonami ('' sewanin'', former ''

'', real name Jirō Takahashi)

Referee

* Kimura Fujinosuke (''

jonidan Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win–loss records in official tournaments. Fo ...

'' ''

gyōji A ''gyōji'' () is a referee in professional sumo wrestling in Japan. ''Gyōji'' usually enter the sumo world as teenagers and remain employees of the Sumo Association until they retire aged 65. There are currently a little over 40 active ''gy� ...

'', real name Kōta Hamada)

Hairdresser

* Tokotakeshi (second class ''

tokoyama A is a hairdresser employed by the Japan Sumo Association to cut and prepare sumo wrestlers' hair, which is done in the style. The Sumo Association ranks them according to experience and ability and only the most senior are entitled to prepar ...

'')

Location and access

Tokyo, Arakawa Ward, Higashi-Nippori 4-27-1
Short walk from

Uguisudani Station is a railway station in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The name relates to a valley where formerly many Japanese bush warblers (''uguisu'') were found. The station is to the north of the Tokyo Nationa ...

Yamanote Line The Yamanote Line ( ja, 山手線, Yamanote-sen) is a loop service in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It is one of Tokyo's busiest and most important lines, connecting most of Tokyo's major stations and urban ...

and Keihin-Tohoku Line

References

External links

Japan Sumo Association profile

Article on Musashigawa stable
{{coord, 35.7265, N, 139.7801, E, source:wikidata, display=title Active sumo stables