The following is an alphabetical list of heya or training stables in professional sumo. All belong to one of five groups, called ichimon. These groups, led by the stable by which each group is named, are in order of size: Dewanoumi ichimon, Nishonoseki ichimon, Tokitsukaze ichimon, Takasago ichimon and Isegahama ichimon. Occasionally there have been independent stables, but the Japan Sumo Association agreed at a director's meeting in July 2018 that all sumo elders must belong to one of the five ichimon.[1] The founding dates listed below are for the current incarnation of each stable; in most cases this is not the first stable to exist under a given name, however.

The number of stables peaked at 54, with the opening of Onoe stable in August 2006. In order to limit the over-proliferation of stables, the Japan Sumo Association introduced new rules the following month that greatly raised the qualifications needed by former wrestlers wishing to branch out (namely, those ranked below yokozuna or ōzeki must have spent at least 60 tournaments in the top makuuchi division or 25 in the titled san'yaku ranks). Discounting the temporary closure of Kise stable from 2010-2012, over six years no new stables established while eleven folded, bringing the number of stables to 43. The streak of closures ended with the opening of former yokozuna Musashimaru's Musashigawa stable in April 2013, hence the opening and closing of stables has stabilized. There are 44 stables, all of which are located in the Greater Tokyo Region, especially in Tokyo's Ryogoku district.

The governing body of professional sumo is the Japan Sumo Association. Six tournaments are held every year: three in Tokyo (January, May and September) and one each in Osaka (March), Nagoya (July) and Fukuoka (November). Each tournament lasts 15 days during which wrestlers compete in one bout per day. All sumo wrestlers are classified in a ranking hierarchy (banzuke), which is updated after each tournament based on the wrestlers' performance. Wrestlers with more wins than losses go up while those with negative records are demoted. The top division is Makuuchi and the second division is Juryo. At the pinnacle of sumo hierarchy is yokozuna.

Pronunciation note

Due to a Japanese speech phenomenon known as rendaku, when the word for stable, heya, comes second in a compound word, the "h" in heya changes to "b" to become beya. A sumo stable is pronounced in Japanese as "sumo-beya" and Arashio stable, as an example, is pronounced "Arashio-beya".

Active stables

There are 44 stables as of December 2022.

Name Ichimon Year opened Notable active wrestlers Notable past wrestlers Other notable information
AjigawaIsegahama2022head is former Aminishiki, branched off from Isegahama stable
ArashioTokitsukaze2002Kōtokuzan, Wakatakakage, WakamotoharuSōkokuraihead is former Sōkokurai, made headlines when it welcomed back exonerated Sōkokurai in 2013
AsahiyamaIsegahama2016head is former Kotonishiki, branched off from Oguruma stable
AsakayamaIsegahama2014Kaishōhead is former Kaiō, branched off from Tomozuna stable
DewanoumiDewanoumi1862 (c.)MitakeumiChiyonoyama, Mainoumi, Mienoumi, Tochigiyama head is former Oginohana, demotion of its last sekitori left the stable without any sekitori for the first time since 1898
FujishimaDewanoumi1981Bushozan, FujiseiunShōtenrō, Dejima, Miyabiyama, Musashimaru, Musōyama, Wakanoyamahead is former Musōyama, was the strongest stable in early 2000s, name was changed from its previous incarnation as Musashigawa
FutagoyamaDewanoumi2018RōgaHead is former Miyabiyama, branched off from Fujishima stable
HakkakuTakasago1993Hokutōfuji, KitanowakaHokutōriki, Kaihō, Ōiwato, Okinoumihead is former Hokutoumi, branched off from Kokonoe stable
HanaregomaNishonoseki1990Ichiyamamoto, ShimazuumiShōhōzanhead is former Tamanoshima, branched off from Futagoyama stable
IkazuchiDewanoumi1993ShishiMasatsukasa, Yōtsukasa, Sagatsukasahead is former Kakizoe, who inherited the stable from former Tochitsukasa who branched off from Kasugano stable
IsegahamaIsegahama1979Atamifuji, Nishikifuji, Midorifuji, Takarafuji, Takerufuji, Terunofuji, TerutsuyoshiAminishiki, Asōfuji, Harumafuji, Homarefuji, Kasugafujihead is former Asahifuji, until 2018 one of the most well represented stables in the upper divisions, renamed from its original incarnation as Ajigawa stable
IsenoumiTokitsukaze1949NishikigiHattori, Ikioi, Kashiwado, Tosanoumihead is former Kitakachidoki, the Isenoumi name has one of the longest traditions in sumo
KasuganoDewanoumi1925Aoiyama, Tochimaru, Tochimusashi,Tochinishiki, Tochinoshin, Tochinoumi, Tochihikari, Tochinowaka, Tochiōzanhead is former Tochinowaka, active since the Meiji era, currently one of the most successful stables
KataonamiNishonoseki1961Tamashōhō, TamawashiTamaasuka, Tamakiyama, Tamaryūhead is former Tamakasuga, branched off from Nishonoseki stable
KiseDewanoumi2003Churanoumi Yoshihisa, Daiseidō, Shiden, Hidenoumi, Kinbozan, Shimanoumi, UraAkiseyama, Gagamaru, Higonojō, Jōkōryū, Kiyoseumi, Kizenryu, Kizakiumi, Tokushinho,Tokushōryūhead is former Higonoumi, was dissolved over a ticket selling scandal, then allowed to reform two years later, well represented in two top divisions
KokonoeTakasago1967Chiyoarashi, Chiyomaru, Chiyonoō, Chiyonoumi, Chiyosakae, ChiyoshōmaChiyonofuji, Chiyonokuni, Chiyoōtori, Chiyotaikai, Chiyotairyū, Chiyotenzan, Hokutoumi, Kitanofuji, Kitaseumi, Takanofujihead is former Chiyotaikai, as of March 2018 five of its 17 wrestlers were sekitori
MichinokuTokitsukaze1974Kirishima IIHoshitango, Jūmonji, Kakuryū, Ryūhō, Toyozakurahead is former Kirishima, lost the largest number of wrestlers to the 2011 match fixing scandal
MinatoNishonoseki1982Ichinojōhead is former Minatofuji, who is the only top division wrestler the stable had ever produced until Ichinojō in 2014.
MiyaginoIsegahama1958Enhō, Hakuōhō, Hokuseihō, Kihō, TenshōhōHakuhō, Myōbudani, Mutsuarashi, Kōbō, Ryūō, Ishiura, Daikihohead is former Hakuhō, has had a convoluted series of successions
MusashigawaDewanoumi2013Wakaichirōhead is former Musashimaru, who is only the second foreign born wrestler to open his own stable
NarutoNishonoseki2017Ōshōma, Oshoumihead is former Kotoōshū, branched off from Sadogatake stable
NishiiwaNishonoseki2018head is former Wakanosato, branched off from Tagonoura stable
NishikidoTakasago2002MitoryūGokushindohead is former Mitoizumi, was home to the only Kazakh wrestler
NishonosekiNishonoseki2021Ōnosato, Shirokuma, Tomokazefounder and head is the former Kisenosato, the 72nd yokozuna; branched off from Tagonoura stable
OitekazeTokitsukaze1998Daiamami, Daieishō, Daishoho, Daishōmaru, Endō, Hitoshi, Tobizaru, TsurugishōHayateumi, Kokkai, Hamanishikihead is former Daishōyama who branched off from Tatsunami stable
OnoeDewanoumi2006Baruto, Satoyama, Tenkaihō, Yamamotoyamahead is former Hamanoshima, branched off from Mihogaseki stable, lost three sekitori wrestlers due to match fixing scandal in 2011
ŌnomatsuNishonoseki1994Keitenkai, Ōnoshō, YumaDaidō, Katayama, Wakakōyū, Amūruhead is former Daidō, forced out of Nishonoseki ichimon and joined Takanohana ichimon in 2010
ŌshimaIsegahama1941KyokutaiseiKyokushūhō, Asahishō, Kaiō, Kyokutenhō, Kyokudōzan, Kyokushūzan, Sentoryū, Tachiyama, Kaiseihead is former Kyokutenhō, incarnations have a long and prestigious history, absorbed a number of strong wrestlers in 2012 from a previous, now defunct Ōshima stable
OshiogawaNishonoseki2022Yago, Amakazehead is former Takekaze, branched from Oguruma stable upon its closure
ŌtakeNishonoseki1971ŌhōŌzutsu, Rohō, Ōsunaarashihead is former Dairyū, the previous head (former Takatōriki) was forced out in a gambling scandal
SadogatakeNishonoseki1955Kotoeko, Kotonowaka, Kotoshōhō, KotoyushoHasegawa, Kotokaze, Kotomitsuki, Kotonishiki, Kotoshōgiku, Kotoōshū, Kotozakura, Kotoyūkihead is former Kotonowaka, has produced many wrestlers in makuuchi and san'yaku over the years
SakaigawaDewanoumi1998Myōgiryū, Sadanoumi, Hiradoumi, TsushimanadaGōeidō, Iwakiyama, Hochiyama, Sadanofuji, Toyohibikihead is former Ryōgoku, has produced many sekitori
ShibatayamaNishonoseki1999Daishōchi, Daiyubu, Sakigake, Wakanoshimahead is former Ōnokuni, in 2013 absorbed its parent stable (Hanaregoma), its only home-grown sekitori quit under acrimonious circumstances
ShikihideDewanoumi1992Senshohead is former Kitazakura, took almost 20 years to produce a sekitori in 2012
ShikoroyamaNishonoseki2004Abi, OkiHōmashō, Seirō, Irodorihead is former Terao, when he branched off from Izutsu stable, he unusually chose to start from scratch and take no wrestlers with him
TagonouraNishonoseki1989TakayasuKisenosato, Rikiō, Takanowaka, Takanoyama, Wakanosatohead is former Takanotsuru, founded by yokozuna Takanosato but renamed from Naruto and moved to Ryōgoku following his death
TakadagawaNishonoseki1974Dairaidō, Kagayaki, Ryūden, Hakuyozan, ShōnannoumiKenkō, Maenoshin, Shobushihead is former Akinoshima, stable was ousted from Takasago ichimon in 1998, finally accepted into Nishonoseki ichimon in 2013
TakasagoTakasago1878Asabenkei, Asanoyama, Asagyokusei, Asakōryū, Asanowaka, AsashiyuAsashio, Asashōryū, Azumafuji, Konishiki, Maedayama, Takamiyamahead is former Asasekiryū, the second oldest and arguably one of the most successful stables throughout its history
TakekumaDewanoumi2022Gōnoyamahead is former Gōeidō, branched off from Sakaigawa stable
TamanoiDewanoumi1990Azumaryū, Fujiazuma, Tōhakuryū, YoshiazumaRyūkōhead is former Tochiazuma Daisuke, passed onto him by his father, the stable's founder Tochiazuma Tomoyori
TatsunamiDewanoumi1916Akua, Hōshōryū, MeiseiAnnenyama, Futabayama, Futahaguro, Haguroyama, Hanakaze, Mōkonamihead is former Asahiyutaka, one of the most prestigious stables in sumo but declined by the 1980s
TokitsukazeTokitsukaze1941Shōdai, TokihayateYutakayama, Kitabayama, Kurama, Ōshio,
Tokitenkū, Aogiyama, Toyonoshima
founded by Futabayama, head is former Tosayutaka who took over when previous head (former Tokitsuumi) was expelled for failure to follow COVID-19 protocols
TokiwayamaNishonoseki2004Takanoshō, Takakeishō, TakakentoMasunoyama, Takagenji, Takanofuji, Takanoiwahead is former Takamisugi, branched off from Kasugano stable
YamahibikiDewanoumi1985Kitaharima, NionoumiHakurozan, Kitazakura, Kitataiki, Ōrorahead is former Ganyū who inherited it on the death of founder Kitanoumi, who branched off from Mihogaseki

Mergers and closures (1994 to present)

Name changes (2003 to present)

See also

References

  1. "JSA denies putting pressure on Takanohana to clear its name". Asahi Shimbun. 26 September 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.