, formerly Naruto stable 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, one of the Nishonoseki group of stables. The stable was established as Naruto stable, on 1 February 1989 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 ...

Takanosato Toshihide , real name , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Namioka, Aomori. He was the sport's 59th '' yokozuna'' from 1983 to 1986 and won four top division tournament championships. After retirement he established Naruto stable which he ran ...

. The stable'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 fract ...

'' was Rikiō in 1994. Four more,

Wakanosato Wakanosato Shinobu (born Shinobu Kogawa; July 10, 1976) is a retired sumo wrestler from Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan. He made his debut in the top division in 1998, and his highest rank was ''sekiwake''. He holds the record for the most consecutive tour ...

, Takanowaka, Takayasu and

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 ...

, have reached ''

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 ...

'' rank, with Takayasu going on to reach the '' ōzeki'' rank, and the stable's first ''

'' being Kisenosato. It had a reputation for being a closed, family-knit stable, as Naruto did not allow his wrestlers to go out and train at other stables (which is unusual in sumo) or socialize with wrestlers from different stables. Naruto died suddenly on 7 November 2011. The stable's current master, former ''maegashira''

Takanotsuru Takanotsuru Shinichi (born 18 June 1976 as Shinichi Sekiyama) is a former sumo wrestler from Izumi, Kagoshima, Japan. He made his professional debut in March 1992, and reached the top division in January 2003. His highest rank was ''maegashir ...

, changed to the Tagonoura ''

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 ...

'' in December 2013 and renamed the stable accordingly. Upon changing the stable name, the stable was also moved to the

Ryōgoku is a district in Sumida, Tokyo. It is surrounded by various districts in Sumida, Chūō, and Taitō wards: Yokoami, Midori, Chitose, Higashi Nihonbashi, and Yanagibashi. In 1659, the Ryōgoku Bridge was built, spanning the Sumida River j ...

area from

Matsudo 260px, Matsudo City Hall is a city in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 498,575 in 242,981 households and a population density of 8100 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Matsudo is loca ...

, Chiba. It has no connection to the defunct Tagonoura stable established by the late

Kushimaumi Kushimaumi Keita (久島海啓太; 6 August 1965 – 13 February 2012), born as Keita Kushima (久嶋啓太), was a sumo wrestler from Shingū, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. A successful amateur, his highest rank in professional sumo was '' ...

. As of January 2022 it had 14 wrestlers. The stable sat out of the January 2022 tournament after four individuals, including the stablemaster, tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. The stable withdrew a second time in July 2022 after three wrestlers, including Takayasu, tested positive for the virus.

Ring name conventions

Many wrestlers at this stable have taken 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 end with the character 里 (read: sato), meaning village or native place, in deference to their coach and the stable's owner, the deceased former Takanosato.

Owners

*2011-present: 16th Tagonoura: ('' shunin'', 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 ...

) * 1989-2011: 13th Naruto: ( the 59th ''yokozuna''

Takanosato , real name , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Namioka, Aomori. He was the sport's 59th ''yokozuna'' from 1983 to 1986 and won four top division tournament championships. After retirement he established Naruto stable which he ran fr ...

)

Notable active wrestlers

Takayasu Akira is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He made his professional debut in 2005 and reached the top ''makuuchi'' division in 2011, the first wrestler born in the Heisei era to do so. His highest rank has been '' ōzeki''. He has been runner-u ...

(best rank '' ōzeki'')

Notable former members

Kisenosato Yutaka 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 se ...

(the 72nd ''yokozuna'') *

Wakanosato Shinobu Wakanosato Shinobu (born Shinobu Kogawa; July 10, 1976) is a retired sumo wrestler from Hirosaki, Aomori, Japan. He made his debut in the top division in 1998, and his highest rank was ''sekiwake''. He holds the record for the most consecutive tour ...

(best rank ''

'') *

Takanowaka Yūki Takanowaka Yūki (born 2 April 1976 as Yūki Ozaki) is a former sumo wrestler from Ikitsuki, Nagasaki, Japan. His highest rank was ''sekiwake''. Career Takanowaka was born as Yūki Ozaki, the son of a professional baseball player. In his yout ...

(best rank ''sekiwake'') *

Takanotsuru Shinichi Takanotsuru Shinichi (born 18 June 1976 as Shinichi Sekiyama) is a former sumo wrestler from Izumi, Kagoshima, Japan. He made his professional debut in March 1992, and reached the top division in January 2003. His highest rank was ''maegashir ...

(best rank ''

'') * Takanoyama Shuntarō (best rank ''maegashira'')

Coach

*''Vacant''

Referees

*Kimura Takao (''jūryō'' ''

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 Keiichirō Shigeyama)

Usher

*Mitsuaki (''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 Mitsuaki Kanai)

Hairdresser

*Tokonaru (2nd 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, Edogawa ward, Higashi Koiwa 4-9-20
10 minute walk from

Koiwa Station is a railway station on the Sōbu Main Line ( Chūō-Sōbu Line) in Edogawa, Tokyo, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group ...

on the Sōbu Line

References

External links

Official site

Japan Sumo Association profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tagonoura stable (2013) Active sumo stables