, formerly known as Matsugane stable and Nishonoseki stable, 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. It was founded in 1990 as Matsugane stable by

Wakashimazu (born 12 January 1957 as Mutsuo Hidaka) is a Japanese former sumo wrestler from Nakatane, Kagoshima, Japan. His highest rank was '' ōzeki''. He won two top division ''yūshō'' or tournament championships. He retired in 1987 and founded Matsug ...

who branched out from the

Futagoyama stable is a heya (sumo), stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ichimon, group of stables. It was established on 1 April 2018 by former ''Makuuchi#Ōzeki, ōzeki'' Miyabiyama, who branched off from Fujishima stable (2010), Fujishima stable, ...

. It has produced five top ''

makuuchi , or , is the top division of Professional sumo divisions, 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 ...

'' division wrestlers; (2000), Wakatsutomu (2001), Harunoyama (2004), Shōhōzan (2011) and Ichiyamamoto (2021). After the retirement of Harunoyama in November 2006 the stable had 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 ...

'' until Shōhōzan (then known as Matsutani) reached the ''

jūryō Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win–loss records in official tournaments. Fo ...

'' division in March 2010. As of January 2023 it had 8 wrestlers. In late 2014, the general consensus among those with connections to the Nishonoseki ''ichimon'' was that an ''ichimon'' so named without a Nishonoseki stable as its head was a misnomer. In accordance with this general opinion, the ''

oyakata The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. A B C D E F G H ...

'' of Matsugane stable, which had absorbed support personnel from the defunct Nishonoseki when it closed, decided to revive the name. He switched his Matsugane elder name with the former Tamarikidō's Nishonoseki elder name, thus allowing him to rename the stable. The former Tamarikidō, now known as Matsugane-''oyakata'', also joined the newly renamed stable. In December 2021 the

Japan Sumo Association The , officially the ; sometimes abbreviated JSA or NSK, and more usually called Sumo Kyōkai, is the governing body that operates and controls Professional sports, professional sumo wrestling, called , in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Min ...

approved the transfer of the stable to Hanaregoma (former ''sekiwake''

Tamanoshima Tamanoshima Arata (born September 15, 1977, as Arata Okabe) is a former sumo wrestler from Izumizaki, Fukushima, Izumizaki, Fukushima Prefecture, Fukushima, Japan. A former amateur champion, he made his professional debut in 1998, reaching the t ...

); the stable changed its name to Hanaregoma stable accordingly. Nishonoseki ''oyakata'' swapped elder names with former ''yokozuna''

Kisenosato is a Japanese sumo elder from Ibaraki Prefecture, Ibaraki. As a wrestler, he made his professional debut in 2002 and reached the top ''makuuchi'' division in 2004 at the age of just 18. After many years in the junior ''san'yaku'' ranks, he reac ...

, and became Araiso-''oyakata''.

Ring name conventions

Some wrestlers at this stable take ring names or ''

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 ...

'' that begin with the character 若 (read: waka), meaning young, in deference to their former coach and the stable's founder, the former Wakashimazu.

Owner

*2021 to present: Hanaregoma Arata ('' iin'', former ''sekiwake''

) *1990–2021: (former '' ōzeki''

), known as Matsugane from 1990 to 2014 and Nishonoseki from 2014 to 2021

Notable active wrestlers

* Ichiyamamoto (best rank ''

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 on ...

'') * Shimazuumi (best rank ''

'')

Coaches

*Araiso Mutsuo (former ''ōzeki'' Wakashimazu) *Minatogawa Tadamitsu ('' iin'' former ''komusubi'' Daitetsu) *Matsugane Hideki ('' iin'', former ''maegashira'' Tamarikidō)

Notable former members

* Shōhōzan (former ''

komusubi , 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 ...

'') * Harunoyama (former ''

'') * Wakatsutomu (former ''maegashira'')

Referees

*Shikimori Kindayū (''makuuchi'' ''

gyōji A is a referee employed by the Japan Sumo Association, responsible for a variety of activities which concern the organisation of the sport in general and the refereeing of matches, as well as the preservation of Sumo#Professional sumo, profess ...

'', real name Hiromitsu Oshida, nephew of

Kirinji Kazuharu Kirinji Kazuharu, real name Kazuharu Tarusawa (9 March 1953 – 1 March 2021) was a sumo wrestler from Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. He made his professional debut in 1967, reaching the top ''makuuchi'' division in 1974. His highest rank was ...

) *Shikimori Shinnosuke (''jūryō'' ''gyōji'', real name Yōji Mizutani)

Ushers

*Matsuo (''jūryō''

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 Yoshihiro Mine) *Satoru (''jūryō'' ''yobidashi'', real name Satoru Asakura)

Hairdressers

*Tokohira (1st class ''

tokoyama A is a traditional Japanese hairdresser specializing in the theatrical arts (kabuki and ) and Sumo#Professional sumo, professional sumo. The trade is the result of a slow evolution from the traditional Japanese barbers of the Edo period, some ...

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

Location and access

Chiba prefecture, Funabashi City, Kosaku 4-13-1
10 minute walk from Funabashihōten Station on

Musashino Line The is a railway line operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It links Tsurumi Station in Yokohama with Nishi-Funabashi Station in Chiba Prefecture, forming a unclosed loop around central Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tok ...

References

{{reflist

External links

Hanaregoma stable page at Japan Sumo Association Homepage
Active sumo stables Sports clubs and teams established in 1990 1990 establishments in Japan