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 t ...

wrestlers, part of the Tokitsukaze group of stables. Its last incarnation was in existence from 1972 until 2019. The stable was established in the

Meiji era The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

by 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 ...

Nishinoumi Kajirō I was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Sendai, Satsuma Province. He was the sport's 16th '' yokozuna'', and the first to be officially listed as such on the ''banzuke'' ranking sheets, an act which strengthened the prestige of ''yoko ...

, the 16th ''

'', who became the 7th Izutsu-''oyakata''. He was succeeded by

Nishinoumi Kajirō II was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He was the sport's 25th '' yokozuna''. Career His real name was , but he later changed his surname to . He entered sumo in January 1900, using the '' shikona'' name . He changed it to in May 1905 ...

, the 25th ''yokozuna'' who ran the stable from 1909 until his death in 1931. The latest incarnation of Izutsu stable was in the hands of the same family, having been founded as Kimigahama stable by his grandson-in-law

Tsurugamine Akio Tsurugamine Akio (26 April 1929 – 29 May 2006), real name Akio Fukuzono, was a sumo wrestler from Aira, Kagoshima, Japan. His highest rank was ''sekiwake.'' He was twice runner-up in a tournament and won 14 special prizes, including a record t ...

in 1972 and subsequently renamed Izutsu stable in 1977, after Tsurugamine obtained the stock from former ''yokozuna''

Kitanofuji is a former Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Asahikawa, Hokkaidō. He made his professional debut in 1957, reaching the top '' makuuchi'' division in 1964. He was the sport's 52nd '' yokozuna'', a rank he attained in 1970. He won ten to ...

(who would become the head of

Kokonoe stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Takasago group of stables. It was formed in 1967 and until 2021 was located in Ishiwara, Sumida, Tokyo. As of November 2022 it had 27 sumo wrestlers, four of whom are of '' sekitori'' rank. It is the most ...

). Tsurugamine Akio had previously attempted to obtain the Izutsu stock from the widow of his old stablemaster, the former ''maegashira'' Tsurugamine Michiyoshi, who had run a different version of the stable from 1947 until his death in March 1972, but had been unable to come to an agreement with her. All three of Tsurugamine's sons, ,

Sakahoko Sakahoko Nobushige (born Yoshiaki Fukuzono; 18 June 1961 – 16 September 2019) was a Japanese sumo wrestler. The son of Tsurugamine, he made his professional debut in 1978, reaching the top ''makuuchi'' division in 1982. His highest rank w ...

and Terao, were members of the stable, with Sakahoko and Terao emulating their father by reaching the ''

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 ...

'' rank. Sakahoko took over the stable from his father in 1994. Sakahoko's nephew, Fukuzono Yoichiro, was a wrestler at the stable from 1988 until 2007, reaching a highest rank of ''

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. F ...

'' 9. The stable declined from around 20 wrestlers when Sakahoko inherited it to just three as of 2019, of whom the sole ''

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 Kakuryū, who reached the ''yokozuna'' rank in March 2014. Sakahoko commented in 2008 that it was difficult to attract new recruits as "there are many heyas nowadays" but that as he was the only coach in the stable, a relatively small number meant he could give each wrestler close attention. Sakahoko died at the age of 58 in September 2019. The stable's wrestlers and ''

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 ...

'' were temporarily under the care of Kagamiyama, a director of 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 ...

and fellow member of the Tokitsukaze group, but moved to Michinoku stable, which is run by the former stablemate of Sakahoko, former ''ōzeki'' Kirishima, and originally branched off from Izutsu in 1974. Demolition of the building that housed Izutsu stable began on 4 November 2020. The Izutsu elder name is being used as of 2020 by the former Toyonoshima of the affiliated

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 ...

Ring name conventions

Most 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 character 鶴 (two alternative readings: ''tsuru'' and ''kaku''), meaning crane, in deference to the former owner, who was active as Tsurugamine.

Owners

*1994–2019: 14th Izutsu ('' fuku-riji'', former ''sekiwake''

) *1977-1994: 13th Izutsu (former ''sekiwake''

) *1974-1977: 12th Izutsu (former ''yokozuna''

) *1972-1974: 11th Izutsu (former ''maegashira'' Hoshikabuto Yoshio) *1947-1972: 10th Izutsu (former ''maegashira'' Tsurugamine Michiyoshi) *1931-1944: 9th Izutsu (former ''maegashira'' Hoshikabuto Saneyoshi) *1909-1931: 8th Izutsu (former ''yokozuna''

)

Notable former members

( the 25th ''yokozuna'') *

Nishinoumi Kajirō III was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He was the sport's 30th ''yokozuna''. Career He was born . He joined Izutsu stable and made a debut in January 1910. His first ''shikona'' or ring name was . In January 1914, he changed its given nam ...

( the 30th ''yokozuna'') *

Kakuryū Rikisaburō , , lead=yes is a former professional sumo wrestler from Sükhbaatar Province, Mongolia. He was a member of the top ''makuuchi'' division from November 2006 until his retirement in March 2021, and was the 71st ''yokozuna'' in history. He reac ...

( the 71st ''yokozuna'') * Toyokuni Fukuma (former '' ōzeki'') *

Kirishima Kazuhiro Kirishima Kazuhiro (Japanese: 霧島一博, born April 3, 1959) is a former sumo wrestler from Makizono, Kagoshima, Japan, who held the second highest rank of '' ōzeki'' from 1990 to 1992 and won one top division tournament championship, and was ...

(former ''ōzeki'') *

Terao Tsunefumi is a Japanese former sumo wrestler. He was born in Tokyo, but brought up in Kajiki, Aira District, Kagoshima, Japan. He fought out of Izutsu stable. The highest rank he reached was ''sekiwake.'' Despite his relatively light weight he had an ex ...

(former ''

'') * 36th Kimura Shōnosuke (given name Toshihiro Yamazaki - former chief referee)

Hairdresser

*Tokotsuru (1st class ''

'')

Location and access

Tokyo, Sumida Ward, Ryōgoku 2-2-7
8 minute walk from west exit of

Ryōgoku Station is a railway station in Yokoami, Sumida, Tokyo, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei). Lines The station is served by the JR East Chūō-Sōbu Line and the Toei Oedo L ...

on the Sōbu Line

References

External links

Official site

Japan Sumo Association profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Izutsu Stable Defunct sumo stables