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, one of the Nishonoseki group of stables. In its modern form, it dates from September 1955, when it was set up 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 ...

Kotonishiki Noboru Kotonishiki Noboru (March 7, 1922 – July 14, 1974, born Noboru Fujimura) was a sumo wrestler and coach from Kanonji, Kagawa, Japan. His highest rank was ''komusubi''. He was runner-up in the January 1949 tournament and earned seven gold stars f ...

. 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 ...

Kotozakura was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Kurayoshi, Tottori. He was the sport's 53rd ''yokozuna''. He made his professional debut in 1959, reaching the top division in 1963. After several years at the second highest rank of '' ōzeki'', ...

took over the running of the stable in 1974 following Kotonishiki's death. The stable is located in

Matsudo 260px, Matsudo City Hall is a city in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 498,575 in 242,981 households and a population density of 8100 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Matsudo is loca ...

Chiba Chiba may refer to: Places China * (), town in Jianli County, Jingzhou, Hubei Japan * Chiba (city), capital of Chiba Prefecture ** Chiba Station, a train station * Chiba Prefecture, a sub-national jurisdiction in the Greater Tokyo Area on ...

prefecture. Over the next thirty years the stable produced a string of top division wrestlers. Kotozakura stood down in November 2005, handing the stable over to his son-in-law, 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 ...

'' Kotonowaka. Between September 2007 and July 2010, it became the first stable since

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 ...

in 2001 to have two wrestlers ranked at '' ōzeki'' simultaneously, with

Kotomitsuki is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Okazaki City. A former amateur champion, he turned professional in 1999. He reached the top ''makuuchi'' division in November 2000 and won one ''yūshō'' or tournament championship, in Septemb ...

and Kotoōshū. It happened again between November 2011 and November 2013 with Kotoōshū and Kotoshōgiku. As of January 2022 the stable has 26 wrestlers, four of them being ''

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 ...

.'' In March 2020 Sadogatake-''oyakatas son, who also goes by the name of Kotonowaka, reached the top ''

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 ...

'' division. On the May 2020 ''

banzuke A , officially called is a document listing the rankings of professional sumo wrestlers published before each official tournament (''honbasho''). The term can also refer to the rankings themselves. The document is normally released about two w ...

'' all five ''sekitori'' were ranked in the top division, although none were above ''

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 ...

'' 13. The most the stable has ever had in ''makuuchi'' simultaneously is seven, in November 1992 and January 1993. In January 2021, junior wrestler Kotokantetsu retired and publicly criticized Sadogatake-''oyakata'' for not supporting him during his sumo career and not allowing him to sit out that month's ''

honbasho A is an official professional sumo tournament. The number of ''honbasho'' every year has varied along the years; since 1958 there are six tournaments every year. Only ''honbasho'' results matter in determining promotion and relegation for ''riki ...

'' despite his fears of contracting

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Ring name conventions

Virtually all 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 begin with the character 琴 (read: ''

koto Koto may refer to: * Koto (band), an Italian synth pop group * Koto (instrument), a Japanese musical instrument * Koto (kana), a ligature of two Japanese katakana * Koto (traditional clothing), a traditional dress made by Afro-Surinamese women * K ...

''), in deference to the founder, Kotonishiki, and the owners who followed him.

Owners

*2005–present: 13th Sadogatake (''

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 ...

'', former ''sekiwake'' Kotonowaka) *1974–2005: 12th Sadogatake ( the 53rd ''yokozuna'',

) *1955–1974: 11th Sadogatake (former ''komusubi''

Kotonishiki Kotonishiki Katsuhiro (born June 8, 1968 as Hideyuki Matsuzawa) is a former sumo wrestler from Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, Japan. He began his career in 1984, reaching the top ''makuuchi'' division in 1989. He won two top division tournament titl ...

)

Notable active wrestlers

* Kotoekō (best rank ''

'') * Kotonowaka, (best rank ''maegashira'', son of Sadogatake-''oyakata'') * Kotoshōhō (best rank ''maegashira'')

Coaches

*Hidenoyama Kazuhiro (''

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 ''ōzeki'' Kotoshōgiku) *Kumegawa Yoshikiro ('' iin'', former ''komusubi''

Kotoinazuma Kotoinazuma Yoshihiro (born 26 April 1962 as Masahiro Tamura) is a former sumo wrestler from Niiharu, Gunma, Japan. He made his professional debut in 1978, and reached the top division in 1987. His highest rank was ''komusubi'' and he earned t ...

) *Shiratama Katsuyuki ('' iin'', former ''

Kototsubaki Kototsubaki Katsuyuki (born 6 December 1960 as Katsuyuki Tokashiki) is a former sumo wrestler from Naha, Okinawa, Japan. He made his professional debut in March 1976, and reached the top division in January 1991. His highest rank was ''maegashi ...

) *Hamakaze Hideaki ('' iin'', former ''maegashira'' Gojōrō)

Assistant

* Kotochitose ('' wakaimonogashira'', former ''maegashira'', real name Minoru Yamamoto )

Notable former members

Kotogahama Kotogahama Sadao (Jap 琴ヶ濵貞雄) (10 October 1927 – 7 June 1981) was a sumo wrestler from Kanonji, Kagawa, Japan. He reached the second highest rank of '' ōzeki'' in 1958. He was a tournament runner-up in the top ''makuuchi'' division o ...

(former '' ōzeki'') * Kotokaze (former ''ōzeki'') *

(former ''ōzeki'') * Kotoōshū (former ''ōzeki'') * Kotoshōgiku (former ''ōzeki'') *

Kotogaume Kotogaume Tsuyoshi (born 5 October 1963 as Satoru Kitayama) is a former sumo wrestler from Yatsuo, Nei District, Toyama Prefecture, Japan. He joined sumo in 1979 and made the top ''makuuchi'' division in 1985. His highest rank was ''sekiwake,'' ...

(former ''sekiwake'') * Hasegawa (former ''sekiwake'') *

(former ''sekiwake'') * Kotonowaka (former ''sekiwake'') *

Kotofuji is a former sumo wrestler from Chiba, Chiba, Chiba City, Japan. His highest rank was ''sekiwake''. In 1991 he won a top division ''yūshō'' or tournament championship from the ''maegashira'' ranks. Career Kotofuji made his professional debut ...

(former ''sekiwake'') * Kotoyūki (former ''sekiwake'') * Kotobeppu (former ''maegashira'') *

Kotokasuga is a former sumo wrestler from Kasuga, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. He began his professional career in 1993, reaching the top ''makuuchi'' division some 15 years later in 2008. His highest rank was ''maegashira'' 7. He retired in April 2011 after ...

(former ''maegashira'') * Kotoryū (former ''maegashira'') * Kototenzan (later known as the professional wrestler Earthquake)

Referees

*Shikimori Kinosuke (''

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 ...

'' ''

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 Kazuki Ikegami) *Shikimori Shihō (''Makushita'' ''gyōji'', real name Hitoshi Fukuda)

Ushers

*Kotozō (''makuuchi'' ''

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 Tsuyoshi Tsuma) *Kotoyoshi (''makuuchi'' ''

'', real name Masaki Takahashi)

Hairdresser

*Tokoazuma (4th ''

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 ...

'') *Tokohibiki (5th class ''tokoyama'')

Location and access

Chiba prefecture, Matsudo City, Kushizaki Minamicho 39
7 minute walk from

Matsuhidai Station is a passenger railway station in the city of Matsudo, Chiba, Japan, operated by the third sector Hokusō Railway. Lines Matsuhidai Station is served by the Hokusō Line and is located 8.9 kilometers from the terminus of the line at . Stati ...

on the

Hokusō Line The is a commuter rail line operated by the third-sector Hokusō Railway in Japan. It runs between Keisei-Takasago Station in Katsushika, Tokyo and Inba-Nihon-Idai Station in Inzai, Chiba. It is part of the primary Keisei route between centra ...

References

External links

Japan Sumo Association profileOfficial site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sadogatake Stable Active sumo stables