was a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Takasago

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...

of stables. It was founded in February 1986 by the

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

an born Takamiyama of the

Takasago stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Takasago group of stables. It is correctly written in Japanese as "髙砂部屋", but the first of these ''kanji'' is rare, and is more commonly written as "高砂部屋". History The stable was establi ...

in Higashi–Komagata,

Sumida, Tokyo is a special ward located in Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. The English translation of its Japanese self-designation is Sumida City. As of May 1, 2015, the ward has an estimated population of 257,300, and a population density of 18,690 persons per k ...

. It was the first stable ever to be run by a foreign-born coach. Azumazeki's 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 fra ...

'' was Akebono, also from Hawaii, in 1990, who subsequently reached the ''

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 ...

'' rank. A total of nine foreign born wrestlers have fought for the stable: seven from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, one from

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

and one (Kosei) from China who retired in January 2017. The stable's first Japanese ''sekitori'' was

Takamisakari Takamisakari Seiken (born May 12, 1976 as Seiken Katō) is a former sumo wrestler from Aomori Prefecture, Japan. A former amateur champion, he turned professional in 1999 and established himself in the top division in 2002 after a brief appearance ...

. As of January 2021 it had seven wrestlers. The former Takamiyama reached the mandatory retirement age of 65 in June 2009 and was succeeded by Ushiomaru who announced his retirement from active competition after the May tournament. In 2012 it absorbed

Nakamura stable was a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Takasago group of stables. It was established in its modern incarnation in May 1986 by Fujizakura of the Takasago stable. The stable's first ''sekitori'' was in November 1995. It did not produce any ''m ...

when Takamiyama's former stablemate

Fujizakura Fujizakura Yoshimori (富士櫻栄守) (born 9 February 1948 as Hideo Nakasawa) is a former sumo wrestler from Kōfu, Yamanashi, Japan. His highest rank was ''sekiwake''. He wrestled for Takasago stable. He made his debut in 1963 and had one of t ...

retired as a coach upon turning 65. In February 2018 the stable moved from Sumida to larger premises in Shibamata District,

Katsushika is a special ward located in Tokyo, Japan. The ward calls itself Katsushika City in English. As of May 1, 2015, the ward has an estimated population of 444,356, and a population density of 12,770 people per km². The total area is 34.80 ...

. The opening was celebrated at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan with around 500 guests from the sumo world. The move was encouraged by the Katsushika ward, to help increase tourism. Azumazeki-''oyakata'' died in December 2019 at the age of 41, and after the January 2020 tournament the former Takamisakari took over as Azumazeki-''oyakata''. However, this was on a provisional basis for one year only, and the Sumo Association announced the closure of the stable on April 1, 2021 due to no permanent successor to Ushiomaru being found, with the personnel moving to

Hakkaku stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Takasago ''ichimon'' or group of stables. It was established in September 1993 by former ''yokozuna'' Hokutoumi, who took with him four wrestlers from Kokonoe stable. The stable has so far produced nin ...

. The stable's premises were briefly used by

Futagoyama stable was a stable of sumo wrestlers, created in 2004 when Takanohana Kōji took over the running of Futagoyama stable from his father Takanohana Kenshi. Formerly of the Nishonoseki '' ichimon'' or group of stables, it became the leader of a breaka ...

. The original building used prior to 2018 still exists and was used for Kaonishiki's retirement ceremony in May 2021. Since 2022, the old Sumida building is home to the

Miyagino stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Isegahama '' ichimon'' or group of stables. It was founded by the 43rd ''yokozuna'' Yoshibayama as ''Yoshibayama dōjō'' while he was still an active wrestler, before changing to its current name in 19 ...

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'' ...

'' that begin with the characters 高見 (read: takami), meaning high and view, in deference to the coach and owner, the former Takamiyama. Examples include Takamisato and Takamiryū.

Owner

*2019–2021: 14th Azumazeki Daigorō ('' iin'', 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 o ...

) *2009–2019: 13th Azumazeki Daigorō (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 ...

'' Ushiomaru) *1986–2009: 12th Azumazeki Daigorō (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 o ...

'' Takamiyama)

Notable active wrestlers

* (best rank ''jūryō'')

Notable former members

* Akebono ( the 64th ''yokozuna'') *

(former ''

'') * Ushiomaru (former ''

'') * Takamishū (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. Fo ...

'') * Daiki (former ''

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 ...

'') * Hidenokuni (former ''

jonidan 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 ...

'')

Referee

*Kimura Yōnosuke (''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 Masashi Okuno)

Usher

*Daikichi (''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 Yūji Ōba)

Hairdressers

*Tokokei (third class ''tokoyama'')

Location and Access

*2018–2021: 2-10-13 Shibamata, Katsushika Ward, Tokyo Prefecture 125-0052 *1986–2018: Tokyo, Sumida Ward, Higashi Komagata 4-6-4 3 minute walk from Honjo-Azumabashi Station on

Toei Asakusa Line The is a subway line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the Tokyo subway operator Toei Subway. The line runs between in Ōta and in Sumida. The line is named after the Asakusa district, a cultural center of Tokyo, under which it passes. The Asa ...

Contact Information

Phone number: 03-5876-5713 Fax number: 03-5876-5714 Email: tokyo@azumazeki.jp

References

External links

Official site

Japan Sumo Association profile
{{coord, 35.7064, N, 139.8054, E, source:wikidata, display=title Defunct sumo stables