Isegahama stable was a
heya
Heya or Hey Ya may refer to:
*Heya (sumo) from the Japanese word for "room" (部屋), also in compounds -beya, or Sumo-beya, an organization of sumo wrestlers (pronounced ''beya'' when in compound form)
* Heya TV, from the Arabic word for "Hers", ...
or stable of
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 Tatsunami-Isegahama ''
ichimon
The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
...
,'' or group of stables.
![Tokyo-Honganzi-Kenseihi-7](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Tokyo-Honganzi-Kenseihi-7.jpg)
It was founded in 1859 by 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 ...
''
Arakuma.
It was led from 1929 by former ''
sekiwake
, 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 ...
''
Kiyosegawa. His daughter married the sixth head, the 38th ''
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 ...
''
Terukuni Manzō
was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Ogachi, Akita. He was the sport's 38th ''yokozuna''. He was promoted to ''yokozuna'' without any top division tournament titles to his name, although he later attained two.
Career
Born , he later ...
who led the stable from 1961 until his death in 1977. He had already made arrangements to pass control over to former ''
ōzeki''
Kiyokuni Katsuo before his death.
After Kiyokuni's wife and children were killed in the
Japan Airlines Flight 123
Japan Air Lines Flight 123 (JAL123) () was a scheduled domestic Japan Air Lines passenger flight from Haneda Airport in Tokyo to Itami International Airport in Osaka. On August 12, 1985, the Boeing 747SR operating this flight suffered a sudden ...
crash in 1985, the stable began to decline. He remarried and moved the stable's location, but his new wife was not as interested in helping to run the stable,
and recruitment suffered. Its last top division wrestler
Wakasegawa retired in 1992, and after ''
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 ...
'' division wrestler
Kiyonofuji fell to ''
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 ...
'' in January 1994, the stable had no more ''
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 ...
.'' By the end only two active wrestlers remained.
After Kiyokuni reached the mandatory retirement age of 65 in November 2006, it was led temporarily by the former
Katsuhikari
Katsuhikari Toshio (born Toshio Sugiura; 9 August 1942 – 1 January 2018) was a Japanese sumo wrestler. He made his professional debut in November 1958 and reached the top division in September 1969. His highest rank was ''maegashira'' 1. Upon ...
, who wound up the stable on February 1, 2007, moving to
Kiriyama stable
was a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tatsunami ''ichimon'' or group of stables. It was set up in January 1995 by the former ''komusubi'' Kurosegawa, who branched out from the now defunct Isegahama stable and took with him the remaining mem ...
.
A different incarnation of Isegahama stable was founded as
Ajigawa stable in 1979, before being re-named by ''yokozuna''
Asahifuji
is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Aomori. He joined professional sumo in 1981, reaching the top ''makuuchi'' division just two years later. He reached the second highest rank of '' ōzeki'' in 1987 and became the 63rd ''yokoz ...
in November 2007. Asahifuji's decision to switch to the Isegahama name can be seen as an attempt to restore his ''ichimons reputation (the ''ichimon'' was known as Tatsunami-Isegahama for many years before becoming solely Tatsunami; as a result of the success of the renamed stable the ''ichimon'' is now solely known as Isegahama).
Notable wrestlers
*
*Kiyokuni Katsuo (''ōzeki'')
*
Bishūyama Jun'ichi
Bishūyama Jun'ichi (1919-1962) was a professional sumo wrestler born as Jun'ichi Mitsuya in Hiroshima, Japan. His highest rank was sekiwake.
Life and career
He joined Isegahama stable and at 16 first entered the ring in the 1936 Spring tourna ...
(''sekiwake'')
*
Kairyūyama Teruhisa
Kairyūyama Teruhisa (born Kannojo Aoki; August 28, 1939 - September 10, 1986) was a sumo wrestler from Shōwa, Akita, Japan. He made his professional debut in March 1956 and reached the top division in July 1960. His highest rank was ''sekiwake' ...
(''sekiwake'')
*
Kurosegawa Kuniyuki
Kurosegawa Kuniyuki (born 13 May 1951 as Kensaku Sakai) is a former sumo wrestler from Higashimurayama, Tokyo, Japan. He made his professional debut in January 1966, and reached the top division in May 1978. His highest rank was '' komusubi''. ...
(''komusubi'')
*
Saisu Minoru
Takarakuni Minoru (born 16 August 1956 as Minoru Saisu) is a former sumo wrestler from Higashi, Fukushima, Japan. He made his professional debut in July 1971, joining the original Isegahama stable, recruited by former ''yokozuna'' Terukuni, and ...
(''
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 ...
'')
*
Wakasegawa Yoshimitsu
Wakasegawa Yoshimitsu (born Wataru Sato; July 28, 1962 - October 8, 2011) was a sumo wrestler from Sakata, Yamagata, Japan. He made his professional debut in 1978, reaching the top ''makuuchi'' division for the first time in 1983. His highest ra ...
(''maegashira'')
References
{{Reflist
Defunct sumo stables