, formerly known as Ajigawa stable from 1979 to 2007, 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 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. Its current head coach is 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 ...

Asahifuji is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Aomori. He joined professional sumo in 1981, reaching the top ''makuuchi'' division just two years later. He reached the second highest rank of '' ōzeki'' in 1987 and became the 63rd ''yokoz ...

. As of January 2023 it had 19 wrestlers.

History

The original Ajigawa stable was established in April 1979 by 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 ...

'' Mutsuarashi. He had originally hoped to become head of

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 ...

and had married the daughter of the incumbent stablemaster there, but the marriage ended in divorce. He moved to Tomozuna stable upon his retirement in 1977 before opening up his new stable two years later. Ajigawa stable absorbed

Kasugayama stable was a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Isegahama '' ichimon'' or group of stables. In its modern form it dates from 1954 when it was re-established by former '' ōzeki'' Nayoroiwa who led it until his death in 1971. It went out of existence ...

in 1990 on the retirement of its head coach. In April 1993

acceded to the Ajigawa name and took over the stable, due to the poor health of the incumbent. In late 2007 Asahifuji switched to the prestigious Isegahama elder name which had become available upon the retirement of its previous holder, 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 ...

Katsuhikari Katsuhikari Toshio (born Toshio Sugiura; 9 August 1942 – 1 January 2018) was a Japanese sumo wrestler. He made his professional debut in November 1958 and reached the top division in September 1969. His highest rank was ''maegashira'' 1. Upon ...

, thereby also changing the name of his stable. Asahifuji's decision to switch to the Isegahama name can be seen as an attempt to restore his ''ichimons reputation (the ''ichimon'' was known as Tatsunami-Isegahama for many years before becoming solely Tatsunami; as a result of the success of the renamed stable the ''ichimon'' has been solely known as Isegahama since January 2013). He also moved the stable to new premises. In September 2012, ''ōzeki'' Harumafuji won his second consecutive tournament and was promoted ''

'' for the next tournament. In March 2013, the stable absorbed the coach and wrestlers (

Terunofuji , lead=yes), is a Mongolian-born naturalised-Japanese professional sumo wrestler. Wrestling for the Isegahama stable, he entered professional sumo in January 2011 and took the second division ''jūryō'' championship in his debut as a ''sekitori ...

, Wakaaoba and Shunba) of the

Magaki stable was a stable of sumo wrestlers, formerly one of the Nishonoseki group of stables. Wakanohana Kanji II, the 56th ''yokozuna'' in sumo history, re-established the stable in 1983. Its first wrestler to reach the top ''makuuchi'' division was the Ha ...

. Magaki was shut down due to the poor health of Magaki-''oyakata''. Isegahama stable had four of its wrestlers ranked in 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 ...

'' and ''

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 ...

'' divisions in 2017, although Harumafuji retired in November 2017 and ''ōzeki'' Terunofuji fell to the lower divisions through injury in 2018 before staging a successful comeback, eventually reaching the rank of ''yokozuna'' in July 2021. In March 2022, the stable managed to have six active ''sekitori'' wrestlers at the same time, with the promotion of, then 19 year-old, Atamifuji to the ''jūryō'' division for the March tournament, after a winning record at the top of the ''makushita'' division. In November 2022, the stable managed, in another rare occurrence, to have all six ''sekitori'' of the stable ranked at the elite first division ''makuuchi,'' with the promotion of then 20 year-old Atamifuji to the rank of ''maegashira'' 15. The last time a stable had six ''sekitori'' in the ''makuuchi'' division was

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 March 2004. In December 2022 two junior wrestlers in the stable were found to have acted violently against younger wrestlers, with the victims beaten with wooden beams and burned with

chankonabe is a Japanese stew (a type of nabemono or one-pot dish) commonly eaten in vast quantity by sumo wrestlers as part of a weight-gain diet. Ingredients and consumption The dish contains a ''dashi'' or chicken broth soup base with sake or ''m ...

hot water poured on their backs. One of the wrestlers held responsible submitted his retirement papers, while another was handed a two-tournament suspension. Following the investigation, stablemaster Isegahama (

) resigned his seat on the Sumo Association's Board of Directors.

Ring name conventions

During its time as Ajigawa stable, most of the wrestlers'

ring names Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

started with the kanji 安 (pronounced ''a'' or ''an'', meaning ''peaceful''). Since the name change to Isegahama, a new pattern has taken hold, with many wrestlers having ring names ending with the characters 富士 (read: fuji), in deference to their coach and the stable's owner, the former Asahifuji, although other stables use this suffix too. The 照 ("teru") prefix is also common; examples are Terunofuji, Terutsuyoshi, Terumichi and Teruju.

Owners

*1993–present: 4th Ajigawa / 9th Isegahama Seiya ('' yakuin taigu iin'', the 63rd ''yokozuna''

) *1979-1993: 3rd Ajigawa Hiroaki (former ''

'' Mutsuarashi)

Notable active wrestlers

(the 73rd ''

'') *

Takarafuji is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He completes in the ''makuuchi'' division. The highest rank he has reached is ''sekiwake''. Early life and sumo background From the third grade of elementary school, Sugiyama began practicing at a sumo ...

(best rank ''

'') *

Terutsuyoshi is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Hyōgo Prefecture. He made his debut in March 2010, and wrestles for Isegahama stable. He reached the top ''makuuchi'' division in March 2019 and has a special prize for Fighting Spirit. His high ...

(best rank ''maegashira'') * Midorifuji (best rank ''maegashira'') * Nishikifuji (best rank ''maegashira'') * Atamifuji (best rank ''maegashira'') *Satonofuji (best rank ''makushita'') regularly performed the '' yumitori-shiki'' or bow-twirling ceremony

Coaches

*Ajigawa Ryūji (''

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 ''

'' Aminishiki) *Tateyama Yoshiyuki (''

'', former ''maegashira''

Homarefuji is a retired professional sumo wrestler from the town of Ajigasawa in Aomori prefecture, Japan. A former amateur champion, he made his professional debut in January 2008 and wrestled for Isegahama stable, one of the more successful stables in s ...

)

Notable former members

* Harumafuji ( the 70th ''yokozuna'') * Aminishiki (former ''

'') * Asōfuji (former ''maegashira'') *

(former ''maegashira'') *

Kasugafuji Kasugafuji Akihiro (February 20, 1966 – March 9, 2017), born as Shoki Iwanaga, was a Japanese sumo wrestler and coach from Oshika, Miyagi. He was an active wrestler in professional sumo from 1981 until 1996, reaching a highest rank of ''maegashir ...

(former ''maegashira'')

Assistants

* ('' sewanin'', former ''jūryō'', real name Katsuaki Honma) * Saisu ('' sewanin'', former ''maegashira'', real name Minoru Saisu, retired August 2021)

Referee

*Shikimori Seiichirō (''

Sandanme 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 Rikuto Fukuda)

Ushers

*Teruki (''

'' ''

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 Takahisa Kudō) *Fujio (''

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 ...

'' ''yobidashi'', real name Shinsuke Onodera) *Teruya (''

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 ...

'' ''yobidashi'', real name Daisuke Kondō)

Hairdresser

*Tokoyodo (special 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 ...

'') *Tokoami (third class ''tokoyama'')

Location and access

Mōri 1-7-4, Kōtō-ku, Tokyo 135-0001
Near Sumiyoshi station on the

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 ...

and the Hanzōmon Line

References

External links

Official site

Japan Sumo Association profile
{{coord, 35.6908, N, 139.8126, E, source:wikidata, display=title Active sumo stables