was 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 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. In its modern form it dates from 1954 when it was re-established by former '' ōzeki'' Nayoroiwa who led it until his death in 1971. It went out of existence in 1990 when the stablemaster, 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 ...

'' Ōnobori, reached the mandatory retirement age of sixty-five, and was absorbed by Ajigawa stable, but it was revived by

Kasugafuji Kasugafuji Akihiro (February 20, 1966 – March 9, 2017), born as Shoki Iwanaga, was a Japanese sumo wrestler and coach from Oshika, Miyagi. He was an active wrestler in professional sumo from 1981 until 1996, reaching a highest rank of ''maegashir ...

after his retirement as an active wrestler in 1996. As of January 2016 it had 23 wrestlers. Its only wrestler to reach the top division was the

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

n born Kasugaō who retired in 2011. In 2012 Kasugafuji stood down as head following his election to 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 ...

's board of directors, handing over control to the former Hamanishiki of the affiliated

Oitekaze stable The is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tokitsukaze ''ichimon'' or group of stables. It was established in its modern incarnation on 1 October 1998 by former ''maegashira'' Daishōyama, who is the stable's current head coach. He had marrie ...

, and remained at Kasugayama stable under the name elder name Ikazuchi. However he resigned from the Sumo Association in September of that year. In 2013 the current and former heads of the stable sued each other, with the former Kasugafuji who still owned the deeds to the premises claiming unpaid rent and demanding eviction, while Hamanishiki claimed the Kasugayama '' myoseki'' certificate had not been handed over as promised. Two trials proceeded on the two separate issues. A settlement was reached on the rent issue in 2015 with Hamanishiki agreeing to move the stable to another location with the same ward of Kawasaki. In August 2016 the court ordered that Hamanishiki pay Kasugafuji 171.6 million yen for the certificate. Hamanishiki appealed this decision to the

Tokyo High Court is a high court in Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The is a special branch of Tokyo High Court. Japan has eight high courts: Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Sendai, Sapporo, and Takamatsu. Each court has jurisdiction over one of ...

. In October 2016 the Sumo Association ordered Kasugayama to resign as stablemaster of Kasugayama stable, and that it be absorbed into Oitekaze stable, because Kasugayama's lack of a ''myoseki'' certificate meant that he was not qualified to be a stablemaster. They also criticized him for not training or guiding his wrestlers at all during the September tournament, despite being told to after being removed as a

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

in August. The closure went ahead despite the stable's ''koenkai'', or supporter's group, sending a petition to the Sumo Association demanding the decision be reversed, and eleven of the stable's wrestlers refusing to move to Oitekaze and instead submitting their retirement papers in protest. In January 2017 Hamanishiki resigned from the Sumo Association. In the same month it was announced that the stable would be revived under the name

Nakagawa stable Nakagawa stable (中川部屋 ''Nakagawa-beya'') was a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tokitsukaze ''ichimon'' or group of stables. It was founded on January 26, 2017 with nine wrestlers, all of whom were previously members of Kasugayama stab ...

and run by Nakagawa-''oyakata'' (former ''maegashira''

Asahisato Asahisato Kenji (born 9 November 1965 as Kenji Masuda) is a former sumo wrestler from Ikeda, Osaka, Japan. His active career spanned 17 years and 102 tournaments from 1981 until 1998, and his highest rank was ''maegashira'' 14. Upon his retirement ...

) who had been looking after the remaining Kasugayama stable wrestlers within Oitekaze stable.

Ring name conventions

Some wrestlers at this stable took 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 characters , which are the first two characters in the stable name, and which is also in deference to Kasugayama who reestablished the stable.

Owners

*2012-2016: 21st Kasugayama Takamasa (''

toshiyori A is a sumo elder of the Japan Sumo Association (JSA). Also known as , former wrestlers who reached a sufficiently high rank are the only people eligible. The benefits are considerable, as only ''toshiyori'' are allowed to run and coach in su ...

'', former ''maegashira'' 11th, Hamanishiki,

Kumamoto is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2. had a population of 1,461,000, ...

) *1997-2012: 20th Kasugayama Yoshiaki (former ''

'' 1st,

Miyagi Miyagi may refer to: Places * Miyagi Prefecture, one of the 47 major divisions of Japan * Miyagi, Gunma, a village in Japan, merged into Maebashi in 2004 *Miyagi District, Miyagi, a district in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan Other uses * Miyagi (surna ...

) *1991-1996: defunct *1971-1990: 16th Kasugayama Takahiro (former ''maegashira'' 1st, Ōnobori,

Nagano Nagano may refer to: Places * Nagano Prefecture, a prefecture in Japan ** Nagano (city), the capital city of the same prefecture *** Nagano 1998, the 1998 Winter Olympics *** Nagano Olympic Stadium, a baseball stadium in Nagano *** Nagano Universi ...

) *1954-1971: 15th Kasugayama Shizuo (former ''ōzeki'', Nayori'iwa,

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

) *1925-1954: 14th Kasugayama Masahiro (former ''sekiwake'',

Fujinokawa Fujinokawa Takeo (born 26 September 1946 as Takeo Morita) is a former sumo wrestler from Otofuke, Hokkaido, Japan. He made his professional debut in May 1961 and reached a highest rank of ''sekiwake'' in May 1967. He was a runner-up in two top div ...

, Niigata)

Coaches

*Takashima Daizō ('' iin'', 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 ...

'' Kōbōyama)

Notable former members

* Ōnobori, during 14th and 15th owners (former ''maegashira'' 1st) * , during 15th and 16th owners (former ''sekitori'', or 7th) * , during 16th owner (former Jūryō 13th) *

, during 16th owner (former ''maegashira'' 1st) * Kasugaō, during 20th owner (former ''maegashira'' 3rd)

Assistant

*Byakuhōyama ('' sewanin'', former ''

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 ...

'', real name Fumio Izawa)

Referee

*Shikimori Yodayū (''

makuuchi , 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 ...

'' ''

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 Hiroshi Kikuchi)

Usher

*Kōhei (''

sandanme 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 ...

'' ''

yobidashi A is an announcer who calls a professional sumo wrestler, or ''rikishi'', to the ''dohyō'' (wrestling ring) immediately prior to his bout. He does this by calling the name of each wrestler fighting in turn while holding a traditional folding fa ...

'', real name Kōhei Ōyama)

Hairdressers

*Tokojin (first 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 ...

'') *Tokoharu (fourth class ''tokoyama'')

Footnotes

Notes

References

External links

Official site

Japan Sumo Association profile
{{coord, 35.5371, N, 139.7400, E, source:wikidata, display=title Defunct sumo stables