is a

stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...

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 th ...

wrestlers, part of the Isegahama ''

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 is located in

Chiba prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama ...

. The stable's predecessor in the name had a very long history in sumo, however the current incarnation is unrelated to it. A year after the closing of the previous incarnation of the stable, the retired former

Kotonishiki Kotonishiki Katsuhiro (born June 8, 1968 as Hideyuki Matsuzawa) is a former sumo wrestler from Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, Japan. He began his career in 1984, reaching the top ''makuuchi'' division in 1989. He won two top division tournament tit ...

, after several years of borrowing elder names, finally acquired the vacant elder name of Asahiyama, and set up his stable, a dream he had had long before. He financed a building to house his stable in

Kamagaya is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 109,941 living in 50,485 households and a population density of 5,200 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Kamagaya is located in the ...

, Chiba, near Kunugiyama Station on some land he had procured, quite near the stable he originally wrestled for, Sadogatake of the Nishonoseki ''ichimon''. Owner Asahiyama's hope was that he could bring together the demanding training he learned as an active wrestler in his original stable, Sadogatake (one of the strongest stables in sumo) and the warmheartedness towards trainees that he later learned as a coach at

Oguruma stable was a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Nishonoseki group of stables. In its modern form it existed from March 1987 when it was founded by Kotokaze, a former Sadogatake stable wrestler, until February 2022. The first wrestler from the sta ...

He took three low-ranked wrestlers from the aforementioned Oguruma stable (which, along with Sadogatake, is also a member of the same Nishonoseki ''ichimon'') to join his new stable. In January 2017 the stable left the Nishonoseki ''ichimon'' and joined the Isegahama ''ichimon'' (to which the previous incarnation of Asahiyama stable had belonged.) It was announced in February 2017 that Asahiyama's 18-year-old son, Akihide, would be joining the stable as a new recruit upon graduation from high school in March. He fought under the name Wakaseido. In January 2023, it had eight wrestlers, with no ''

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 fr ...

'' yet. The stable is known for being an organization that breaks away from the traditional shackles of sumo

s. In 2021, it organized a shelter for animals awaiting adoption, launching a program to take in cats abandoned during the COVID crisis. Since the death of comedian

Ken Shimura , known professionally as , was a Japanese comedian. He was born in Higashimurayama, Tokyo. He started his career as an assistant to the comedy band The Drifters, led by Chōsuke Ikariya. In 1974, He joined the group, replacing Chū Arai. H ...

, the stable has also taken in his dog. Also in 2021, the stable also opened a bakery under the impetus of the '' ōkami-san'', who is a certified baking instructor, and the second daughter of the master, who is a certified nutritionist. The stable's bakery is known for its success, as the setting made it popular, with customers coming not only from the neighborhood but also from other prefectures.

Ring name conventions

Currently, the wrestlers who branched out to the new stable with the former Kotonishiki have taken ''

shikona A is a sumo wrestler's ring name. The tradition of ring names in sumo dates back to the Muromachi period and established itself during the Edo period, where they were used as a means to hide the identities of the . Given by the master to his di ...

'' starting with "Asahi", (朝日) meaning morning sun, and which are the first two characters in the owner's elder name and that of the stable.

Owner

*2016–present: 19th Asahiyama ('' iin'', 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 ...

)

Notable active wrestlers

*None

Referee

*12th Shikimori Kandayu (, real name Hiroshi Kikuchi)

Usher

*Takeru (''jonokuchi'' ''

yobidashi A , often translated in English as "usher", "ring attendant", or "ring announcer", is an employee of the Japan Sumo Association, responsible for various tasks essential to the traditional running of Sumo#Professional sumo, professional sumo tour ...

'', real name, Takeru Miyasaka)

Location and access

Chiba, Kamagaya City, Kunigiyama 2-1-5
5 minute walk from Kunugiyama Station on

Keisei Matsudo Line The is a railway line in Japan owned by Keisei Electric Railway. The line runs between Matsudo Station in Matsudo, Chiba, and Keisei-Tsudanuma Station in Narashino, Chiba. The line, known as the Shin-Keisei Line from December 1947 until its m ...

References

{{reflist

External links

Japan Sumo Association profileHomepage
(in Japanese) Active sumo stables Sports clubs and teams established in 2016 2016 establishments in Japan