Shibatayama Stable (Japanese: 芝田山部屋, ''Shibatayama-beya'') is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Nishonoseki group of stables. It was founded in 1999 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 ...

'' Ōnokuni. Located in Suginami, it is the only stable to be situated in the western half of

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

as of 2020.

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

n born became the stable's first wrestler to earn promotion to the ''

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. Fo ...

'' division, in March 2008, but he only lasted one tournament in the division and left sumo in acrimonious circumstances in 2010, claiming in a lawsuit that was eventually settled out of court that he had been forced to retire against his will. In February 2013 the stable absorbed its parent

Hanaregoma stable was a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Nishonoseki '' ichimon'' or group of stables. As of September 2010 it had eight active wrestlers. The stable was established in 1981 by former '' ōzeki'' Kaiketsu Masateru, as a breakaway from Hanakag ...

due to the imminent retirement of its stablemaster, former '' ōzeki'' Kaiketsu. Among the wrestlers transferring was another Mongolian, , who was ranked in ''jūryō'' for five tournaments between January 2014 and January 2015. In January 2020 returned to ''jūryō'' after 30 tournaments away. In March 2016 Shibatayama and wrestler Komatokuni were ordered by the

Tokyo District Court is a district court located at 1-1-4 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the ...

to pay 32.4 million

yen The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar (US$) and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the e ...

(287,500

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

) in compensation to a former wrestler who the court ruled had faced "daily abuse" since joining in 2008 and had to undergo four surgeries for a

detached retina Retinal detachment is a disorder of the eye in which the retina peels away from its underlying layer of support tissue. Initial detachment may be localized, but without rapid treatment the entire retina may detach, leading to vision loss and blin ...

, eventually losing sight in the eye in 2013. Shibatayama appealed the ruling, and in November 2016 a court-mediated, confidential settlement was reached. As of January 2023, it had nine wrestlers. The stable is unusual in that its training ''

dohyō A ''dohyō'' (, ) is the space in which a sumo wrestling bout occurs. A typical ''dohyō'' is a circle made of partially buried rice-straw bales 4.55 meters in diameter. In official professional tournaments (''honbasho''), it is mounted on a squa ...

'' is located in the basement. Daiyubu 2010 Jan

Ring name conventions

Many 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'' ...

'' that include either the character 大 (read: ō or dai) or 国 (read: kuni), in deference to their coach and the stable's owner, the former Ōnokuni whose ''shikona'' included both characters.

Owner

*1999–present: 12th Shibatayama (''

riji Riji are the pearl shells traditionally worn by Aboriginal men in the north-west part of Australia, around present day Broome. The word ''riji'' is from the Bardi language. Another word for it is ''jakuli''. Rijis are worn as pubic coverin ...

'', the 62nd ''yokozuna'', Ōnokuni)

Notable active wrestlers

*None

Notable past wrestlers

* (best rank ''

) * (best rank ''jūryō'') * Daishōchi (best rank ''Makushita'')

Coach

*Minezaki (''consultant'', 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 o ...

'' Misugiiso)

Assistant

Hananokuni Hananokuni Akihiro (born 15 October 1959 as Akihiro Noguchi) is a former sumo wrestler from Fujiidera, Osaka, Japan. Career He made his professional debut in March 1975, joining Hanakago stable. He joined Hanaregoma stable when Hanakago was woun ...

('' wakaimonogashira'', former ''maegashira'', real name Akihiro Noguchi)

Referee

*Kimura Ginjirō (''makuuchi'' ''

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 Noriyuki Itoi) *Kimura Kichijirō (''jūryō'' ''

'', real name Masahiro Nishino)

Ushers

*Katsuyuki (''

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

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 Katsuyuki Koyama) *Keisukei (''

juryo 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. F ...

, real name Daisuke Nakano)

Hairdresser

*Tokokado (1st 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, Suginami, Takaido 2-26-9
2 minute walk from Takaido Station on the

Inokashira Line The is a railway line operated by the Japanese private railway operator Keio Corporation in the western suburbs of Tokyo, connecting in Tokyo with in Musashino City. It is not physically connected to the Keio Main Line Network, but a transf ...

References

External links

Japan Sumo Association profileOfficial Site
{{coord, 35.6825, N, 139.6158, E, source:wikidata, display=title Active sumo stables