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 t ...

wrestlers, one of the Takasago group of stables. It is correctly written in Japanese as "髙砂部屋", but the first of these ''

kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are still used, along with the subsequ ...

'' is rare, and is more commonly written as "高砂部屋".

History

The stable was established 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 o ...

'' Takasago Uragorō as in 1873 and joined the Tokyo Sumo Association in 1878. Takasago stable has produced many successful wrestlers, including six '' yokozuna'' and the first non-Japanese '' ōzeki'', American

Konishiki Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e (born December 31, 1963), professionally known as is an American former sumo wrestler.Franz LidzMeat Bomb, 05.18.92 - ''Sports Illustrated'' He was the first non-Japanese-born wrestler to reach '' ōzeki'', the second ...

, as well as the 33rd Kimura Shōnosuke, the '' tate-gyōji'' or chief referee. In February 2002, the stable merged with Wakamatsu stable, with Wakamatsu's coach, former '' ōzeki'' Asashio, taking over. Future ''yokozuna'' Asashōryū was among the wrestlers transferring over. The demotion of Asasekiryū to the ''

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. Fo ...

'' division for the January 2017 tournament saw the stable without any ''

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 ...

'' for the first time since 1878. However, at the end of that tournament Asanoyama earned promotion to 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. F ...

'' division, ensuring ''sekitori'' representation once again from March. As of January 2022, it had 26 wrestlers. The former Asasekiryū took over from the former Asashio as head coach of the stable in November 2020. In June 2021, ''ōzeki'' Asanoyama was handed a one-year (six tournament) suspension for violating sumo protocols related to

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 identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

. The following month, Takasago Oyakata, Asanoyama and six lower-ranked ''

rikishi A , or, more colloquially, , is a professional sumo wrestler. follow and live by the centuries-old rules of the sumo profession, with most coming from Japan, the only country where sumo is practiced professionally. Participation in official t ...

'' in the stable all tested positive for COVID-19.

People

Ring name conventions

Most wrestlers since the mid 1990s and all since 2003 at this stable have quickly 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'' ...

'' that begin with the character 朝 (read: asa), meaning morning, in deference to their head coach, the former Asashio, as well as many of his predecessors who had the same ''shikona'' in their active years. For example, the wrestler formerly known as Tamaki changed his ''shikona'' to Asagyokusei when he was promoted to ''jūryō'' in July 2019.

Owners

*2020–present: 8th Takasago (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 o ...

'' Asasekiryū) *2002-2020: 7th Takasago (former ''ōzeki'' Asashio Tarō IV) *1988-2002: 6th Takasago (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 ...

'' Fujinishiki Takemitsu) *1971-1988: 5th Takasago (the 46th ''yokozuna''

Asashio Tarō III was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Tokunoshima in the Amami Islands. He was the sport's 46th '' yokozuna''. He was also a sumo coach and head of Takasago stable. Career He was born on Tokunoshima in the Amami Islands. Due to the ...

) *1942-1971: 4th Takasago (the 39th ''yokozuna'' Maedayama Eigorō) *1915-1941: 3rd Takasago (former ''ōzeki'' Asashio Tarō II) *1900-1914: 2nd Takasago (former ''

'' Takamiyama) *1871-1900: 1st Takasago (former ''maegashira'' Takasago)

Notable active wrestlers

* Asanoyama (best rank ''ōzeki'') * Asabenkei (best rank '' jūryō'') * Asagyokusei (best rank '' jūryō'') * (best rank '' jūryō'') * (best rank '' jūryō'')

Coaches

*Wakamatsu Takehito ('' iin'', former ''maegashira'' Asanowaka)

Assistant

* Iyozakura ('' wakaimonogashira'', former ''jūryō'', real name Masayuki Ichiki)

Notable former members

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 ''yokozuna'') * Konishiki Yasokichi I ( the 17th ''yokozuna'') *Maedayama Eigorō ( the 39th ''yokozuna'') * Azumafuji Kin'ichi ( the 40th ''yokozuna'') *Asashio Tarō III ( the 46th ''yokozuna'') *

Asashōryū Akinori is a Mongolian former professional sumo wrestler ('' rikishi''). He was the 68th '' yokozuna'' in the history of the sport in Japan, and in January 2003 he became the first Mongolian to reach sumo's highest rank. He was one of the most succes ...

( the 68th ''yokozuna'') * Maenoyama Tarō (former '' ozeki'') *Asashio Tarō II (former ''ōzeki'') *Asashio Tarō IV (former ''ōzeki'') *

Konishiki Yasokichi Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e (born December 31, 1963), professionally known as is an American former sumo wrestler.Franz LidzMeat Bomb, 05.18.92 - ''Sports Illustrated'' He was the first non-Japanese-born wrestler to reach '' ōzeki'', the second- ...

(former ''ōzeki'') * Tachihikari Denemon (former ''ōzeki'') * Takamiyama Daigorō (former ''

'') * Asasekiryū (former ''sekiwake'') * Mitoizumi (former ''sekiwake'') * Fujizakura (former ''sekiwake'') *33rd Kimura Shōnosuke (given name Yōichi Nozawa - former chief referee)

Referees

*Kimura Asanosuke (''jūryō'' '' gyōji'', real name Katsuya Ishida) *Kimura Satoshi (''

'' ''gyōji'', real name Satoshi Maeda)

Ushers

*Rikinojō (''

'' '' yobidashi'', real name Riki Tsuchida) *Kunio (''jūryō'' ''yobidashi'', real name Kunio Maekawa)

Hairdressers

*Tokoyumi (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 ...

'')

Location and access

Tokyo, Sumida ward, Honjo 3-5-4
10 minute walk from Honjo-azumabashi Station on the

Toei Asakusa Line The is a subway line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the Tokyo subway operator Toei Subway. The line runs between in Ōta and in Sumida. The line is named after the Asakusa district, a cultural center of Tokyo, under which it passes. The Asa ...

References

External links

Official site (Japanese)Japan Sumo Association profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Takasago Stable Active sumo stables