Sadogatake Stable

Sadogatake stable (佐渡ヶ嶽部屋, Sadogatake-beya) is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Nishonoseki ichimon or 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. Kotozakura stood down in November 2005, handing the stable over to his son-in-law, former sekiwake Kotonowaka.

As of January 2023 it has 25 active sumo wrestlers.

## **History**

The stable was established in September 1955 by former komusubi Kotonishiki. Top division rikishi, Kotogahama, transferred to the stable from Nishonoseki stable. Kotogahama would later be promoted to ozeki in 1958. The stable produced their first sekitori when Kotozakura was promoted to juryo in 1962. Kotozakura would later be the most successful rikishi from Sadogatake when he became the 53rd yokozuna in 1953.

Kotozakura had been expecting to open up his own training stable, but when Sadogatake oyakata died suddenly just days after Kotozakura's retirement, he took over Sadogatake stable instead. Kotozakura would produce far more rikishi than his predecessor such as ozeki Kotokaze, Kotooshu, Kotomitsuki, and Kotoshogiku, sekiwake Kotogaume, Kotofuji, Kotonishiki, and Kotonowaka. By then Sadogatake stable has become one of the most successful stables in sumo.

In 1985, Sadogatake oyakata, recruited Canadian John Tenta after meeting him in a trip in Vancouver. Tenta would take the shikona Kototenta and would go undefeated, making it all the way to the makushita division before abruptly leaving. Sadogatake stable would have a string of unsuccessful foreigners, with Brazilian Kotoosako and Kotonomori, who both couldn't get past the jonidan division. Korean Kotoyanagi and Chinese Kotoo only made it to sandanme before retiring. Their worst foreigner being Indonesian, Kotoanbai, who only made it to jonokuchi.

Sadogatake's best foreign recruit would be Bulgarian Kotooshu Katsunori who made it to the second highest rank of ozeki in 2006. Kotooshu capture his first makuuchi yusho in 2008.

After 31 years as head coach, Kotozakura passed on ownership of the stable upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of sixty five in November 2005 to Kotonowaka, who had become his son-in-law. Shortly after attending the ōzeki promotion ceremony of Kotomitsuki, Kotozakura died on August 14, 2007.

Kotonowaka oversaw the promotion of Kotomitsuki to ōzeki in July 2007, and Kotoōshū's first top division championship in May 2008. The first wrestler from his stable to be promoted to the top division since he took over was Kotokasuga, also in May 2008. He produced his first new sekitori, Kotokuni, in January 2009, followed by Kotoyutaka in July 2009, although neither were able to maintain a position in jūryō .

In July 2010 Kotomitsuki was dismissed from sumo for illegal betting on professional baseball, and Sadogatake was punished for his lack of supervision of his top wrestler by being demoted two ranks in the Sumo Association's hierarchy.

In 2011 Sadogatake saw Kotoyūki reach the sekitori ranks, and Kotoshōgiku was promoted to ōzeki, the first Japanese wrestler to reach the rank since Kotomitsuki. Kotoyūki became his first makuuchi debutant in January 2013. Sadogatake oyakata's son, Kotonowaka, became a sekitori in May of 2019.

## **Ring Name Conventions**

Virtually all wrestlers at this stable take ring names or shikona that begin with the character 琴 (read: koto), meaning harp, in deference to the founder, Kotonishiki, and the owners who followed him.

## **Owners**

* 2005-present: 13th Sadogatake Mitsumune (iin, former sekiwake Kotonowaka)
* 1974-2005: 12th Sadogatake Yoshikane (the 53rd yokozuna Kotozakura)
* 1955-1974: 11th Sadogatake Noboru (former komusubi Kotonishiki)

## **Coaches**

* Kumegawa Yoshihiro (fuku-riji, former komusubi Kotoinazuma)
* Shirayama Katsuyuki (yakuin taigu iin, former maegashira Kototsubaki)
* Hamakaze Masamune (iin, former maegashira Gojoro)
* Hidenoyama Kazuhiro (iin former ozeki Kotoshogiku)
* Araiso Yuki (toshiyori, former sekiwake Kotoyuki)

## **Notable Active Wrestlers**

* Kotonowaka (best rank sekiwake)
* Kotoshoho (best rank maegashira)
* Kotoeko (best rank maegashira)
* Kotoyusho (best rank juryo)
* Kotodaigo (best rank makushita)
* Kototebakari (best rank makushita)
* Kotokenryu (best rank makushita)
* Kotosato (best rank sandanme)

## **Notable Former Wrestlers**

### **Ozeki**

* Kotokaze (former ozeki)
* Kotomitsuki (former ozeki)
* Kotoshogiku (former ozeki)
* Kotooshu (former ozeki)
* Kotogahama (former ozeki) - *transferred from Nishonoseki stable*

### **Sekiwake**

* Kotonishiki (former sekiwake)
* Hasegawa (former sekiwake)
* Kotofuji (former sekiwake)
* Kotonowaka (former sekiwake)
* Kotogaume (former sekiwake)
* Kotoyuki (former sekiwake)

### **Maegashira**

* Kotobeppu (former maegashira)
* Kotogatake (former maegashira)
* Kotowaka (former maegashira)
* Kototsubaki (former maegashira)
* Kotonofuji (former maegashira)
* Kotochitose (former maegashira)
* Kotokasuga (former maegashira)

### **Juryo**

* Asakaze (former juryo)
* Kotohakusan (former juryo)
* Kotokuni (former juryo)
* Kotoyutaka (former juryo)
* Kotokanyu (former juryo)
* Kototateyama (former juryo)
* Kotoarashi (former juryo)
* Kotonosato (former juryo)
* Kotonoryu (former juryo)
* Kotoiwakuni (former juryo)
* Kotomisen (former juryo)
* Kotonomine (former juryo)

### **Lower Divisions**

* Kotofujisawa (former makushita)
* Kotohanada (former makushita)
* Kotootori (former makushita)
* Kototenzan (former makushita)
* Kotoo (former sandanme)
* Kotonoumi (former sandanme)
* Kotokantetsu (former sandanme)
* Kototsurugi (former sandanme)
* Kotootomo (former sandanme)
* Kotoyanagi (former jonidan)
* Kotonomori (former jonidan)
* Kotoosako (former jonidan)
* Kotoanbai (former jonokuchi)

## **Referee**

* Shikimori Kinosuke (makushita gyoji)
* Shikimori Shiho (makushita gyoji)

## **Usher**

* Kotozo (makuuchi yobidashi)
* Kotoyoshi (makuuchi yobidashi)

## **Hairdresser**

* Tokoazuma (third class tokoyama)
* Tokohibiki (fourth class tokoyama)