Kasugano stable
Kasugano stable (春日野部屋, Kasugano-beya) is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ichimon or group of stables. As of January 2016 it had 24 wrestlers. It was one of the most successful stables in 2013, with six sekitori wrestlers, including the Georgian Tochinoshin and the now retired Japanese born (but Korean national) Tochinowaka, who used the current head coach's old ring name.
It was founded in the mid 18th century by a wrestler named Kasugano Gunpachi.[1] It became inactive for a long time but was led in the Meiji period by a referee named Kimura Soshiro (this is no longer allowed as oyakata must now be former wrestlers).[1] He adopted as his son the Yokozuna Tochigiyama, who led the stable for over thirty years. He in turn adopted as his son the 44th Yokozuna Tochinishiki, who became the head in 1959 whilst still an active wrestler and later served as the chairman of the Japan Sumo Association.[1] Tochinoumi took over upon Tochinishiki's death in 1990 and led the stable until his retirement in 2003. The stable absorbed Mihogaseki stable in 2013 when its stablemaster (former ozeki Masuiyama Daishiro II) reached the mandatory retirement age.
Ring name conventions
Many wrestlers at this stable take ring names or shikona that begin with the character 栃 (read: tochi), in deference to the long line of owners who have used this character in their shikona. It originally referred to Tochigi Prefecture, where Tochigiyama came from, but subsequent owners were not from there and the prefix no longer has a geographical meaning.[1]
Owners
- 2003–present: 11th Kasugano Kiyotaka (iin, former sekiwake Tochinowaka)
- 1990-2003: 10th Kasugano Terumasa (the 49th yokozuna Tochinoumi)
- 1959-1990: 9th Kasugano Kiyotaka (the 44th yokozuna Tochinishiki)
- 1925-1959: 8th Kasugano Takeya (the 27th yokozuna Tochigiyama)
Notable active wrestlers
- Aoiyama (best rank sekiwake)
- Tochihiryū 栃飛龍幸也 (best rank jūryō)
- Tochinoshin (best rank sekiwake)
- Tochiōzan (best rank sekiwake)
Coaches
- Matsuchiyama Takaharu (iin, former komusubi Banryūyama)
- Fujigane Masaharu (iin, former komusubi Daizen)
- Hatachiyama Hitoshi (iin, former komusubi Tochinohana)
- Mihogaseki Atsushi (toshiyori, former maegashira Tochisakae)
- Takenawa Taiichi (toshiyori, former sekiwake Tochinonada)
- Iwatomo Mamoru (toshiyori, former maegashira Kimurayama)
Notable former members
- Tochihikari (former ōzeki)
- Kaneshiro (former sekiwake)
- Masudayama (former sekiwake)
- Tochiakagi (former sekiwake)
- Tochiazuma (former sekiwake)
- Tochinowaka (best rank maegashira)
- Tochitsukasa (former sekiwake)
- Kasuganishiki (former maegashira)
Assistants
- Torafusuyama (sewanin, former makushita, real name Tomoyuki Tamaru)
- Tochigenō (sewanin, former makushita, real name Yasuyuki Shigeto)
- Tochinofuji (wakaimonogashira, former maegashira, real name Tatsuyuki Kusano)
Referees
- Kimura Shōtarō (makuuchi gyōji, real name Yoshimitsu Morita)
- Kimura Akijiro (makuuchi gyōji, real name Shigehiro Nakazawa)
- Kimura Shōji (makushita gyōji, real name Makoto Sasaya)
- Kimura Haruhiko (jonokuchi gyōji, real name Koku Kikuchi)
Ushers
- Takurō (junior chief yobidashi, real name Takurō Hanazato)
- Jirō (san'yaku yobidashi, real name Kazuo Nishide)
Hairdressers
- Tokomatsu (special class tokoyama)
- Tokokazu (first class tokoyama)
See also
- List of sumo stables
- List of active sumo wrestlers
- List of past sumo wrestlers
- Glossary of sumo terms