is a stable of sumo 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 set up in 1985 as Kitanoumi stable 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 ...

Kitanoumi , born , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He was the dominant wrestler in the sport during the 1970s. Kitanoumi was promoted to '' yokozuna'' at the age of 21, becoming the youngest ever to achieve sumo's top rank. He won 24 tournament ...

, 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 ...

. It absorbed Hatachiyama stable in 2006, following the death of its head coach, former '' ōzeki'' Hokuten'yū. In May 2010 it also absorbed

Kise stable , also known as Kimura Sehei stable, was a heya or stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tatsunami '' ichimon'' or affiliated group of stables. History The original Kise stable (which had no connection to the current incarnation founded by the f ...

, which was forced to close after its stablemaster, 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 ...

'' Higonoumi, was implicated in the selling of tournament tickets to yakuza members. As a result of this move the stable had 46 wrestlers, making it by some margin the largest stable in sumo at this time. It was the first stable to have over 40 wrestlers since Futagoyama stable in 1998, and had difficulty in finding room for so many. As a result, Kise was allowed to reestablish the stable in April 2012, and all former members of Kise stable, as well as newcomers Jōkōryū and Daiseido Yoshitomo, Sasanoyama who had been recruited by Kise-''oyakata'', joined the reconstituted stable again. Stablemaster Kitanoumi died of colorectal cancer and multiple organ failure on the evening of November 20, 2015. Former ''maegashira'' Ganyū Kenji, Ganyū, who had been serving as a coach at the stable, inherited it. The stable was renamed Yamahibiki, the Toshiyori, elder name used by Ganyū, since the Kitanoumi name could not be inherited, due to it being a one-generation elder stock or ''Toshiyori, ichidai-toshiyori''. As of January 2022, Yamahibiki stable had 15 wrestlers. Following the demotion of Kitataiki after July 2017 tournament and Kitaharima after September 2017 tournament, it had no ''sekitori'' for the first time since May 2003.

Ring name conventions

A few wrestlers at this stable take ring names or ''shikona'' that begin with the character 北 (read: kita or hoku), meaning north, in deference to the stable's former owner, Kitanoumi. Some examples are Kitaharima, Kitataiki and Hokuseikai.

Owner

*2015–present: Yamahibiki Kenji (''toshiyori#Ranking, riji'', former ''maegashira'' Ganyū Kenji, Ganyū) *1985-2015:

(''toshiyori#Ranking, rijichō'', List of yokozuna#55, the 55th ''yokozuna'')

Coaches

*Onogawa Akeyoshi (''toshiyori'', former ''maegashira'' Kitataiki Akeyoshi, Kitataiki)

Notable active wrestlers

*Kitaharima Seiya, Kitaharima (best rank ''

'') * (best rank ''maegashira'')

Notable former members

*Hakurozan Yūta, Hakurozan (former ''

'') *Kitazakura (former ''maegashira'') *Kiyoseumi Takayuki, Kiyoseumi (former ''maegashira'') *Kitataiki (former ''maegashira'') *Ōrora Satoshi, Ōrora (former ''makushita'')

Referees

*Kimura Kankurō (''jūryō'' ''gyōji'', real name Yoshimi Nakamura)

Ushers

*Tasuke (''jūryō'' ''yobidashi'', real name Taisuke Kominami) *Sōichi (''makushita'' ''yobidashi'', real name Sōichi Takahashi) *Hiromasa (''jonokuchi'' ''yobidashi'', real name Hiromasa Nakamura)

Hairdresser

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

Location and access

Tokyo, Koto, Tokyo, Kōtō ward, Kiyosumi 2-10-11
3 minute walk from Kiyosumi-shirakawa Station on the Hanzōmon Line and Ōedo Line

References

External links

Japan Sumo Association profile of Yamahibiki beyaHome Page
{{coord, 35.6825, N, 139.7951, E, source:wikidata, display=title Active sumo stables