Tokiwayama stable
Tokiwayama (常盤山部屋, Tokiwayama-beya) is a stable of sumo wrestlers, as of 2018 part of the Nishonoseki ichimon or group of stables. It is located in Taitō nearby the Sensō-ji temple.[1] It operates out of the same building as the old Takasago stable, before it merged with the Wakamatsu stable.[2] It was set up in September 2004 by former sekiwake Masudayama, who branched off from Kasugano stable of the Dewanoumi ichimon at the unusually late age of 53, after he lost out to Tochinowaka in his bid to take over Kasugano stable.[3] He took four wrestlers with him from Kasugano stable, the last of whom, Burinosato, retired in March 2019. It is home to the only Hungarian in professional sumo, Masutoo, who was on the podium at the 2004 Junior Sumo World Championships alongside Tochinoshin, Gōeidō and Kaisei but has yet to progress beyond the makushita division in professional sumo.[1] In April 2016 the former Takamisugi took over the running of the stable when ex-Masudayama reached the mandatory retirement age of 65, and aligned the stable with the Takanohana ichimon, leaving the Dewanoumi ichimon. The former Chiganoura changed to Tokiwayama and was re-employed by the stable as a consultant for five years. As of January 2021 it had 10 wrestlers. In June 2018 the Takanohana ichimon dissolved and Chiganoura joined the Ōnomatsu group, with ex-Masudayama choosing to be unaffiliated. In September, the stable joined the Nishonoseki group and on 1 October Chiganoura adopted the wrestlers and staff from the defunct Takanohana stable following the resignation of Takanohana from the Japan Sumo Association.[4] In November Takakeishō won the top division championship in his first tournament for his new stable, and in March 2019 he was promoted to ōzeki.[1] In November 2020, as former Masudayama's retirement approached, as part of a previous agreement, former Takamisugi and former Masudayama swapped back their elder names, and former Takamisugi changed the name of the stable to his original elder name, Tokiwayama.[5]
Ring name conventions
Many wrestlers at this stable take ring names or shikona that begin with the character 舛 (read: masu), in deference to their former coach and the stable's founder, the former Masudayama. Examples include Masunoshō, Masutoo and Masutenryū. However, when Masunoshō was promoted to the jūryō division after the September 2017 tournament his shikona was changed to Takanoshō, after the new head coach Takamisugi.
Owner
- 2016–present: 15th and 17th Tokiwayama Takakatsu (iin, former komusubi Takamisugi)
- 2004-2016: 19th Chiganoura Yasuhito (riji, former sekiwake Masudayama)
Notable active wrestlers
- Masunoyama (best rank maegashira)
- Takakeishō (best rank ōzeki)
- Takagenji (best rank maegashira)
- Takanoshō (best rank sekiwake)
Former wrestlers
- Takanoiwa (best rank maegashira)
- Takanofuji (best rank jūryō)
Coach
- Tokiwayama Yasuhito (consultant, former sekiwake Masudayama)
Assistant
Referees
- Kimura Hideaki (makushita gyōji, real name Akira Moriyasu)
- Kimura Masatoshi (jonidan gyoji, real name Shohei Uto)
Usher
- Hiroshi (jonokuchi yobidashi, real name Hiraoka Yoshitake)
Hairdresser
- Tokokatsu (1st class tokoyama)
- Tokosen (third class tokoyama)
Location and Access
Tokyo, Taitō Ward, Hashiba 1-16-5
16 minute walk from Minami-Senju Station on Jōban Line and Hibiya Line subway
See also
References
- Gunning, John. "New ozeki Takakeisho can draw strength from stable". The Japan Times. 3 April 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
- Gunning, John (August 2005). "Heya Peek: Chiganoura stable". Sumo Fan Magazine. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- Gunning, John (August 2005). "Heya Peek:Chiganoura Beya". Sumo Fan Magazine. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- "SUMO/ JSA approves Takanohana's retirement, transfer of stable". Asahi Shimbun. 1 October 2018. Archived from the original on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
- "2020 Nov 27 tweet from head of heya".
External links
- Official site (in Japanese)
- Japan Sumo Association profile