, formerly known as Matsugane stable and Nishonoseki stable, is a stable of sumo wrestlers. It was founded in 1990 as Matsugane stable by

Wakashimazu (born 12 January 1957 as Mutsuo Hidaka) is a Japanese former sumo wrestler from Nakatane, Kagoshima, Japan. His highest rank was '' ōzeki''. He won two top division ''yūshō'' or tournament championships. He retired in 1987 and founded Matsug ...

who branched out from the

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 ...

. It has produced five top ''

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 o ...

'' division wrestlers; (2000), Wakatsutomu (2001),

Harunoyama Harunoyama Tatsunao (, born 2 August 1976), known as ''Tatsunao Haruyama'' is a former Japanese sumo wrestler from Toyota, Aichi. He made his professional debut in March 1992 and reached the top division in March 2004. His highest rank was ''mae ...

(2004), Shōhōzan (2011) and Ichiyamamoto (2021). After the retirement of Harunoyama in November 2006 the stable had no ''

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 ...

'' until Shōhōzan (then known as Matsutani) reached the ''

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 ...

'' division in March 2010. As of January 2023 it had 8 wrestlers. In late 2014, the general consensus among those with connections to the Nishonoseki ''ichimon'' was that an ''ichimon'' so named without a Nishonoseki stable as its head was a misnomer. In accordance with this general opinion, the ''

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

'' of Matsugane stable, which had absorbed support personnel from the defunct Nishonoseki when it closed, decided to revive the name. He switched his Matsugane elder name with the former Tamarikidō's Nishonoseki elder name, thus allowing him to rename the stable. The former Tamarikidō, now known as Matsugane-''oyakata'', also joined the newly renamed stable. In December 2021 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 ...

approved the transfer of the stable to Hanaregoma (former ''sekiwake''

Tamanoshima Tamanoshima Arata (born September 15, 1977, as Arata Okabe) is a former sumo wrestler from Izumizaki, Fukushima, Izumizaki, Fukushima Prefecture, Fukushima, Japan. A former amateur champion, he made his professional debut in 1998, reaching the to ...

); the stable changed its name to Hanaregoma stable accordingly. Nishonoseki ''oyakata'' swapped elder names with former ''yokozuna''

Kisenosato is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Ibaraki. He made his professional debut in 2002, and reached the top ''makuuchi'' division in 2004 at the age of just 18. After many years in the junior ''san'yaku'' ranks, he reached the seco ...

, and became Araiso-''oyakata''.

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'' ...

'' that begin with the character 若 (read: waka), meaning young, in deference to their former coach and the stable's founder, the former Wakashimazu.

Owner

*2021 to present: Hanaregoma Arata ('' iin'', former ''sekiwake''

) *1990–2021: (former '' ōzeki''

), known as Matsugane from 1990 to 2014 and Nishonoseki from 2014 to 2021

Notable active wrestlers

* Ichiyamamoto (best rank ''

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 ...

'') * (best rank ''jūryō'')

Coaches

*Araiso Mutsuo (former ''ōzeki'' Wakashimazu) *Minatogawa Tadamitsu ('' iin'' former ''komusubi''

Daitetsu is a former sumo wrestler from Ōno, Fukui, Japan. He made his professional debut in July 1971, and reached the top division in November, 1983. His highest rank was ''komusubi''. He retired in September 1990, and has worked as a coach at both ...

) *Matsugane Hideki ('' iin'', former ''maegashira'' Tamarikidō)

Notable former members

* Shōhōzan (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 ...

'') *

(former ''

'') * Wakatsutomu (former ''maegashira'')

Referees

*Shikimori Kindayū (''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 Hiromitsu Oshida, nephew of

Kirinji Kazuharu Kirinji Kazuharu, real name Kazuharu Tarusawa (9 March 1953 – 1 March 2021) was a sumo wrestler from Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. He made his professional debut in 1967, reaching the top ''makuuchi'' division in 1974. His highest rank w ...

) *Shikimori Shinnosuke (''jūryō'' ''gyōji'', real name Yōji Mizutani)

Ushers

*Matsuo (''jūryō''

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 Yoshihiro Mine) *Satoru (''jūryō'' ''yobidashi'', real name Satoru Asakura)

Hairdressers

*Tokohira (1st 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 ...

'') *Tokoshima (1st class ''tokoyama'')

Location and access

Chiba prefecture, Funabashi City , Kosaku 4-13-1
10 minute walk from Funabashihōten Station on

Musashino Line The is a railway line operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It links Tsurumi Station in Yokohama with Nishi-Funabashi Station in Chiba Prefecture, forming a 100.6 km unclosed loop around central Tokyo. Passenger operations ...

References

{{reflist

External links

Hanaregoma stable page at Japan Sumo Association Homepage
Active sumo stables