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 ...
of
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 Nishonoseki group of stables. In its modern form, it dates from September 1955, when it was set up by former ''
komusubi''
Kotonishiki Noboru. Former ''
yokozuna''
Kotozakura took over the running of the stable in 1974 following Kotonishiki's death. The stable is located in
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 ...
,
Chiba prefecture. Over the next thirty years the stable produced a string of top division wrestlers. Kotozakura stood down in November 2005, handing the stable over to his son-in-law, former ''
sekiwake''
Kotonowaka.
Between September 2007 and July 2010, it became the first stable since
Musashigawa stable in 2001 to have two wrestlers ranked at ''
ōzeki'' simultaneously, with
Kotomitsuki and
Kotoōshū. It happened again between November 2011 and November 2013 with Kotoōshū and
Kotoshōgiku. As of January 2022 the stable has 26 wrestlers, four of them being ''
sekitori.'' In March 2020 Sadogatake-''oyakatas son, who also goes by the name of Kotonowaka, reached the top ''
makuuchi'' division. On the May 2020 ''
banzuke
A , officially called is a document listing the rankings of professional sumo wrestlers published before each official tournament (''honbasho''). The term can also refer to the rankings themselves. The document is normally released about two w ...
'' all five ''sekitori'' were ranked in the top division, although none were above ''
maegashira'' 13. The most the stable has ever had in ''makuuchi'' simultaneously is seven, in November 1992 and January 1993.
In January 2021, junior wrestler Kotokantetsu retired and publicly criticized Sadogatake-''oyakata'' for not supporting him during his sumo career and not allowing him to sit out that month's ''
honbasho'' despite his fears of contracting
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 ...
.
Ring name conventions
Virtually all wrestlers at this stable take ring names or ''
shikona'' that begin with the character 琴 (read: ''
koto''), in deference to the founder, Kotonishiki, and the owners who followed him.
Owners
*2005–present: 13th Sadogatake (''
riji'', former ''sekiwake''
Kotonowaka)
*1974–2005: 12th Sadogatake (
the 53rd ''yokozuna'',
Kotozakura)
*1955–1974: 11th Sadogatake (former ''komusubi''
Kotonishiki)
Notable active wrestlers
*
Kotoekō (best rank ''
maegashira'')
*
Kotonowaka, (best rank ''maegashira'', son of Sadogatake-''oyakata'')
*
Kotoshōhō (best rank ''maegashira'')
Coaches
*Hidenoyama Kazuhiro (''
toshiyori'', former ''ōzeki''
Kotoshōgiku)
*Kumegawa Yoshikiro (''
iin'', former ''komusubi''
Kotoinazuma
Kotoinazuma Yoshihiro (born 26 April 1962 as Masahiro Tamura) is a former sumo wrestler from Niiharu, Gunma, Japan. He made his professional debut in 1978, and reached the top division in 1987. His highest rank was ''komusubi'' and he earned two ...
)
*Shiratama Katsuyuki (''
iin'', former ''
maegashira''
Kototsubaki
Kototsubaki Katsuyuki (born 6 December 1960 as Katsuyuki Tokashiki) is a former sumo wrestler from Naha, Okinawa, Japan. He made his professional debut in March 1976, and reached the top division in January 1991. His highest rank was ''maegashira ...
)
*Hamakaze Hideaki (''
iin'', former ''maegashira''
Gojōrō)
Assistant
*
Kotochitose (''
wakaimonogashira'', former ''maegashira'', real name Minoru Yamamoto )
Notable former members
*
Kotogahama (former ''
ōzeki'')
*
Kotokaze (former ''ōzeki'')
*
Kotomitsuki (former ''ōzeki'')
*
Kotoōshū (former ''ōzeki'')
*
Kotoshōgiku (former ''ōzeki'')
*
Kotogaume (former ''sekiwake'')
*
Hasegawa (former ''sekiwake'')
*
Kotonishiki (former ''sekiwake'')
*
Kotonowaka (former ''sekiwake'')
*
Kotofuji (former ''sekiwake'')
*
Kotoyūki (former ''sekiwake'')
*
Kotobeppu (former ''maegashira'')
*
Kotokasuga (former ''maegashira'')
*
Kotoryū (former ''maegashira'')
*
Kototenzan (later known as the professional wrestler Earthquake)
Referees
*Shikimori Kinosuke (''
makushita'' ''
gyōji'', real name Kazuki Ikegami)
*Shikimori Shihō (''Makushita'' ''gyōji'', real name Hitoshi Fukuda)
Ushers
*Kotozō (''makuuchi'' ''
yobidashi'', real name Tsuyoshi Tsuma)
*Kotoyoshi (''makuuchi'' ''
yobidashi'', real name Masaki Takahashi)
Hairdresser
*Tokoazuma (4th ''
tokoyama'')
*Tokohibiki (5th class ''tokoyama'')
Location and access
Chiba prefecture,
Matsudo City, Kushizaki Minamicho 39
7 minute walk from
Matsuhidai Station on the
Hokusō Line
See also
*
List of sumo stables
*
List of active sumo wrestlers
*
List of past sumo wrestlers
This is a list of prominent past wrestlers (either retired or deceased) in the sport of professional sumo. They are listed in order of the year and tournament month that they made their professional debuts. The information listed below was gleaned ...
*
Glossary of sumo terms
References
External links
Japan Sumo Association profileOfficial site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sadogatake Stable
Active sumo stables