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, one of the Nishonoseki group of stables. In its modern form, it dates from September 1955, when it was set up by 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 ...

'' Kotonishiki Noboru. Former ''

yokozuna , 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 ...

'' Kotozakura took over the running of the stable in 1974 following Kotonishiki's death. The stable is located in Matsudo, 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. A successful stable, Sadogatake is currently the active stable with the longest continuous presence (59 years) of at least one of its wrestlers in the ''

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. 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 2023 the stable has 26 wrestlers, three of them being '' sekitori.'' In March 2020 Sadogatake-''oyakatas son, who has taken the name Kotozakura after his grandfather, reached the top ''

'' division. On the May 2020 '' banzuke'' 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 April 2024, the stable recruited Kōsei Motomura, a former Hakuhō Cup participant and the first wrestler since the end of the Second World War to measure less than since the abolition of the weight and height minimums system. In October of the same year, Hidenoyama (former ''ōzeki'' Kotoshōgiku) broke off from Sadogatake to found his own stable.

Controversy

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 the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

after undergoing cardiac surgery. The former Kotokantetsu, whose real name is Daisuke Yanagihara, subsequently filed a lawsuit against 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 ...

and Sadogatake in March 2023 for ¥4.1 million in monetary damages over claims of being forced to retire from professional sumo and for violations of his

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

, while also alleging that lower division wrestlers in the stable were mistreated. In a statement to the

Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (FCCJ) established in 1945 to provide support to foreign journalists working in Post-World War II Japan has historically been situated in the vicinity of Ginza, Tokyo. Today, the club offers a workroom fa ...

in July 2023, Yanagihara said that he wanted to reveal the actual state of the sumo world "which has been shrouded in mystery in the name of traditional culture," adding his concern that the Japanese media was not accurately covering the issue and that there was a possibility it could be covered up. He alleged that in 2011 he was repeatedly slapped by a senior wrestler with traditional footwear that contained metal. He also told reporters that lower-division wrestlers at the stable were often forced to eat rotten meat during their training. Yanagihara showed reporters a picture he took in July 2017 and sent to his mother using the communications app Line of a package of rib roast allegedly served at the stable that had been expired for years. When asked by

Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse (; AFP) is a French international news agency headquartered in Paris, France. Founded in 1835 as Havas, it is the world's oldest news agency. With 2,400 employees of 100 nationalities, AFP has an editorial presence in 260 c ...

about the lawsuit in July 2023, the Sumo Association declined to comment.

Ring name conventions

Virtually all 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 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

* Kotozakura (best rank '' ōzeki'') * Kotoshōhō (best rank ''maegashira'') * (best rank ''

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 ...

'')

Coaches

*Kumegawa Yoshikiro ('' iin'', former ''komusubi'' Kotoinazuma) *Shiratama Katsuyuki ('' iin'', former ''maegashira'' Kototsubaki) *Hamakaze Hideaki ('' iin'', former ''maegashira'' Gojōrō)

Assistant

* Kotochitose ('' wakaimonogashira'', former ''maegashira'', real name Minoru Yamamoto )

Notable former members

* Kotozakura ( the 53rd ''yokozuna'') * 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'') * Kotoinazuma (former ''

'') * Kotobeppu (former '' maegashira'') * Kotokasuga (former ''maegashira'') * Kotoryū (former ''maegashira'') * Kototsubaki (former ''maegashira'') * Kotoekō (former ''maegashira'') * (best rank ''

'') * Kototenzan (later known as the professional wrestler Earthquake)

Referees

*Shikimori Kinosuke ('' makushita'' ''

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 Kazuki Ikegami) *Shikimori Shihō (''Makushita'' ''gyōji'', real name Hitoshi Fukuda)

Ushers

*Kotozō (''makuuchi'' ''

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 Tsuyoshi Tsuma) *Kotoyoshi (''makuuchi'' ''

'', real name Masaki Takahashi)

Hairdresser

*Tokoazuma (4th ''

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 ...

'') *Tokohibiki (5th class ''tokoyama'')

Location and access

Chiba prefecture, Matsudo City, Kushizaki Minamicho 39
7 minute walk from Matsuhidai Station on the

Hokusō Line The is a commuter rail line operated by the third-sector Hokusō Railway (controlled by the Keisei Electric Railway) in Japan. It runs between Keisei-Takasago Station in Katsushika, Tokyo and Imba Nihon-idai Station in Inzai, Chiba. It is p ...

References

External links

Japan Sumo Association profileOfficial site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sadogatake Stable Active sumo stables Sports clubs and teams established in 1955 1955 establishments in Japan