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. It had a long history. It closed its doors in January 2015, and its staff and wrestlers transferred to other stables.

History

In its active period, Asahiyama stable was one of the oldest continually-running stables in sumo, dating back to 1896. At the time of its closing it was the only stable still in existence that could trace its lineage back directly to the days of the once-rival

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

sumo organization where it had a strong base, producing the 28th ''

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 ...

Ōnishiki Daigorō was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He was the sport's 28th ''yokozuna''. Career He was born in Ama District, Aichi Prefecture, in what is now Yatomi City. There are several conflicting sources as to his specific birth date in 1883, ...

in 1918. During the 1970s the stable was home to six

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

n wrestlers (including

Sione Vailahi Sione Havea Vailahi (born 6 September 1958) is a Tongan professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, The Barbarian. He is best known for his various stints with National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and W ...

and

Tonga Fifita Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

) recruited by 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 ...

'' , but when he died in 1975 they were caught up in a succession dispute between former ''maegashira'' and the man who eventually became the new head, 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 ...

'' Wakafutase. They sided with Futaseyama's widow, who preferred Ryūō to take over, and were ultimately dismissed by 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 ...

. As a result of the controversy sumo officials had to fly to Tonga to explain themselves to the country's king,

Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV (born Siaosi Tāufaʻāhau Tupoulahi; 4 July 1918 – 10 September 2006) was the King of Tonga, from the death of his mother, Queen Sālote Tupou III, in 1965 until his own death in 2006. Immediately prior to his death, ...

. Wakafutase led the stable until his death in 1997. He was succeeded by former '' ōzeki'' Daiju. When Daiju reached retirement age in 2015 with no clear successor, the stable was closed. A number of staff and coaches and all of the active wrestlers (all being in the unsalaried divisions) transferred to

Isegahama stable Isegahama stable was a heya or stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tatsunami-Isegahama ''ichimon,'' or group of stables. It was founded in 1859 by former ''komusubi'' Arakuma. It was led from 1929 by former ''sekiwake'' Kiyosegawa. His daugh ...

(the head stable of the same ''

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

''), while all other remaining staff transferred to

Asakayama stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers. Previous incarnations with this stable name have existed, with the last being headed by former ''yokozuna'' Nishinoumi, and which folded in 1933. The current incarnation is part of the Isegahama ''ichimon'' or group ...

Ring name conventions

Many wrestlers in the later years 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 began with the character 大 (read: dai), meaning large, in deference to their coach and the stable's owner, the former Daiju.

Owner

*1896-1916: 11th Asahiyama Shirōemon (former ''

'' Iwagatani) *1916-1918: 12th Asahiyama Daigorō ( the 28th ''yokozuna'' Ōnishiki) *1918-1943: 13th Asahiyama Shirōemon (former '' ōzeki'' Futasegawa) *1943-1959: 14th Asahiyama Shirōemon (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 ...

'' Futasegawa) *1959-1963: 15th Asahiyama Shirōemon (former ''sekiwake'' ) *1963-1975: 16th Asahiyama Shōgo (former ''maegashira'' ) *1975-1997: 17th Asahiyama Tadayuki (former ''

'' Wakafutase) *1997-2015: 18th Asahiyama Toshiaki ('' yakuin taigu iin'', former ''ōzeki'' Daiju)

Notable members

* Kōtetsuyama (former ''

'') * Daihishō (former ''

'') *

Daimanazuru Daimanazuru Kenji (born January 16, 1977 as Kenji Omae) is a former sumo wrestler from Kawakami, Yoshino District, Nara, Japan. He began his professional career in 1992, and spent a total of 19 tournaments in the top two divisions, peaking at '' ...

(former ''maegashira'') * (former ''maegashira'') * Tokusegawa (former ''maegashira'') * Oniarashi (best rank ''

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 ...

'')

Coach

*Kiriyama Kuniyuki ('' iin'', former ''komusubi'' Kurosegawa)

Assistants

* Shiraiwa Masatoshi (''wakaimonogashira'', former ''jūryō'', real name Masatoshi Satō) *

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 ...

(''sewanin'', former ''maegashira'', real name Minoru Saisu)

Ushers

*Hideo (''tate'' ''

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 Hidehito Yamaki) *Kōji (''jūryō'' ''yobidashi'', real name Takuma Hatano)

Former hairdressers

*Tokoyodo (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 ...

'') *Tokosei (second class ''tokoyama'')

References

External links

Japan Sumo Association profile
{{coord, 35.6908, N, 139.8226, E, source:wikidata, display=title Defunct sumo stables