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 Tokitsukaze ''

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 June 2002 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 ...

'' Ōyutaka, who branched off from

Tokitsukaze stable The is a stable of sumo wrestlers in Japan, one of the Tokitsukaze group of stables. It was founded in 1769 and was dominant during the Taishō period. In its modern form it dates from 1941 when it was established by Futabayama, who was still an ...

. At the end of 2009 the stable produced its first ''

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 ...

,'' the

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

born (but ethnic Mongolian) Sōkokurai who in 2013 returned to active sumo after a two-year absence when his dismissal for

match-fixing In organized sports, match fixing is the act of playing or officiating a match with the intention of achieving a pre-determined result, violating the rules of the game and often the law. There are many reasons why match fixing might take place, ...

was nullified by the courts. The stable is home to the half-Japanese, half-

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

wrestler Kōtokuzan. As of January 2022, the stable has 12 wrestlers. The stable's second ''sekitori'',

Wakatakakage is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Fukushima. He made his debut in March 2017 and reached the top ''makuuchi'' division in November 2019. He wrestles for Arashio stable, where he is a stablemate of his older brothers Wakatakamoto and ...

, reached ''

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 ...

'' in May 2018, and the ''

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 for the first time in November 2019. In the July 2021 ''

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 ...

'' he became the first wrestler from the stable to reach the rank of ''komusubi''. In the January 2022 ''honbasho'', Wakatakakage became the first wrestler from the stable to reach the rank of ''sekiwake.'' Wakatakakage won the March 2022 ''honbasho.'' Apart from its human residents, the Arashio was home to the cats Moru and Mugi, former strays which were adopted by the stable. Mugi died in 2019. In March 2020 Sōkokurai became the new Arashio-''oyakata'' when his stablemaster reached the mandatory retirement age of 65. The stable is a popular for sumo fans to visit, as photos with the wrestlers are available, and there is a large window to view training from outside. On 31 December 2020, the

Japan 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 Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). ''Rikishi'' (active ...

announced that one of Arashio stable's top wrestlers, ''maegashira''

, had tested positive for

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 ...

. Subsequent testing revealed that a total of twelve members of the stable contracted the virus, including its stablemaster, a

hairdresser A hairdresser is a person whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques. A Hairdresser may also be refe ...

, ''

'' wrestler

Wakamotoharu is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Fukushima. He wrestles for the Arashio stable, where he is a stable mate of his brothers Wakatakakage and Wakatakamoto. His highest rank to date has been ''komusubi''. Career Wakamotoharu comes from ...

and eight wrestlers from the lower divisions.

Owner

*2020–present: 9th Arashio Eikichi ('' shunin'', 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 ...

'' Sōkokurai) *2002-2020: 8th Arashio Shūji (former ''

'' Ōyutaka)

Notable active wrestlers

(best rank, ''sekiwake'') *

(best rank, ''komusubi'') * Kōtokuzan (best rank, ''maegashira'')

Notable former wrestlers

* Sōkokurai (former ''

'' 2)

Referee

*Shikimori Kazuki (''

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 Sasai)

Hairdresser

*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 ...

'') *Tokomitsu (fourth class ''tokoyama'')

Location and access

*Tokyo, Chuo Ward, Nihonbashi Hamacho 2-47-2 3 minute walk from

Hamachō Station is a subway station on the Toei Shinjuku Line in Chūō, Tokyo, Japan, operated by Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei). The station opened on December 21, 1978, and it is numbered "S-10". Lines Hamacho Station is served by the T ...

Toei Shinjuku Line The is a rapid transit line in Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture, Japan, operated by Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei). The line runs between Motoyawata Station in Ichikawa, Chiba in the east and Shinjuku Station in the west. At Shinju ...

References

External links

Official site

Japan Sumo Association profileArticle on Arashio stableBBC article on Arashio stable
{{coord, 35.6868, N, 139.7884, E, source:wikidata, display=title Active sumo stables