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 Dewanoumi ''

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 established in its current form in December 2003 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 ...

'' and

Nihon University , abbreviated as , is a private university, private research university in Japan. Its predecessor, Nihon Law School (currently the Department of Law), was founded by Yamada Akiyoshi, the Minister of Justice (Japan), Minister of Justice, in 1889. ...

amateur champion

Higonoumi Higonoumi Naoya (born 23 September 1969 as Naoto Sakamoto) is a former sumo wrestler from Kumamoto, Japan. After his retirement he opened up Kise stable. Career A former amateur champion at Nihon University, he turned professional in 1992, joini ...

, who branched off from

Mihogaseki stable The was a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ichimon or group of stables. Its last head coach, former '' ōzeki'' Masuiyama Daishirō II who took charge in November 1984, was the son of the previous head, also an ''ōzeki'' under ...

. The stable's first top division wrestler was

Kiyoseumi Kiyoseumi Takayuki (born Takayuki Ichihara, 16 August 1984) is a former sumo wrestler from Nagoya, Japan. An extremely successful amateur, his highest rank in the professional sport was ''maegashira'' 13. He was forced to retire in April 2011 af ...

in January 2008. Its foreign recruit,

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

Gagamaru ), lead=yes is a Georgian former professional sumo wrestler from Tbilisi. The third Georgian national after Kokkai Futoshi, Kokkai and Tochinoshin to make the top ''makuuchi'' division, he made his professional debut in November 2005, reaching th ...

, in May 2010 earned promotion to the top division. It is a popular destination for wrestlers with collegiate sumo experience like its stablemaster, and the retirement of Gagamaru in November 2020 opened up another spot for a foreigner. Following the demotion of Kise-''oyakata'' (or stablemaster) in May 2010 after a scandal involving the selling of tournament tickets to members of the

yakuza , also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media, by request of the police, call them , while the ''yakuza'' call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ...

, Kise stable was dissolved with all 27 of its wrestlers moving to the affiliated

Kitanoumi stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi '' ichimon'' or group of stables. It was set up in 1985 as Kitanoumi stable by former '' yokozuna'' Kitanoumi, who branched off from Mihogaseki stable. It absorbed Hatachiyama stable in 200 ...

. Kise was allowed to reestablish the stable in April 2012. All former members, as well as newcomers Jōkōryu and Sasanoyama (now Daiseidō), joined the reconstituted stable. Jōkōryu reached the rank of ''

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 ...

'' in 2014, but has since fallen greatly down the ranks due to injury, and Daiseidō in September 2017 became the eleventh wrestler from Kise to reach ''jūryō'' since its founding in 2003. As of January 2023 has 22 wrestlers, five of them are ''

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 ...

'' (salaried ranks). Kise stable's first ''makuuchi'' championship was delivered by Tokushōryū in the January 2020 tournament. The 33-year-old won from the bottom-most ''makuuchi'' rank of ''

'' 17, after spending all but one of the previous 12 tournaments in the ''jūryō'' division. In May 2022 the stable recruited the first ever student of the

University of Tokyo , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...

, an elite academic institution, to join professional sumo.

Ring name conventions

Some wrestlers at this stable take 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 begin with the characters 肥後 (read: higo), in honor of their coach and the stable's owner, the former Higonoumi. The best known is former ''jūryō'' wrestler Higonojō. Some other low-ranking members are Higoarashi, Higonoryū, and Higohikari.

Owner

*2003-2010, 2012–present: 11th Kimura Sehei - abbreviated Kise ('' shunin'', former ''

)

Notable active wrestlers

* Tokushōryū (best rank ''

'' 2) * Ura (best rank ''maegashira'' 1) *

Hidenoumi is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler for Kise stable. A former amateur sumo competitor at Nihon University, he made his professional debut in 2012 and was promoted to the top ''makuuchi'' division in July 2015. His highest rank to date is ...

(best rank ''maegashira'' 6) *

Shimanoumi is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Shima, Mie. He debuted in sumo wrestling in July 2012 and made his ''makuuchi'' debut in May 2019. His highest rank has been ''maegashira'' 3. He wrestles for Kise stable. Background Hamaguchi Koyo ...

(best rank ''maegashira'' 3) * Akiseyama (best rank ''maegashira'' 12) * (best rank ''jūryō'') * (best rank ''jūryō'') * (best rank ''jūryō'') * (best rank ''jūryō'')

Notable former members

(former ''

'') * Jōkōryū (former ''komusubi'') *

(former ''maegashira'') * Tokushinhō (former ''jūryō'') * (former ''jūryō'') * (former ''jūryō '') * (former ''jūryō'')

Coach

*Inagawa Yūki ('' iin'', former ''komusubi'' Futen'ō)

Referee

*Kimura Shōichi (''

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 Daisuke Takano)

Usher

*Naoki (''

'' ''

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 Naoki Kitajima)

Hairdresser

*Tokokuma (Third 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 ...

'')

Location and access

Tokyo, Sumida Ward, Tachikawa 1-16-8
5 minute walk from Morishita 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 Shin ...

References

External links

Japan Sumo Association profile
{{coord, 35.6918, N, 139.8000, E, source:wikidata, display=title Active sumo stables