Isegahama Stable

Isegahama stable (伊勢ヶ濱部屋, Isegahama-beya), briefly known as Araiso stable from 1953 to 1961, was a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tatsunami-Isegahama ichimon, or group of stables. It had a long history. It closed its doors in February 2007, and its staff and wrestlers transferred to Kiriyama stable.

## **History**

It was founded in 1859 by former komusubi Arakuma. It was led from 1929 by former sekiwake Kiyosegawa. His daughter married the sixth head, the 38th yokozuna Terukuni Manzō who led the stable from 1961 until his death in 1977. He had already made arrangements to pass control over to former ōzeki Kiyokuni Katsuo, who he recruited, before his death.

Initially Kiyokuni had some success, overseeing the late blooming Kurosegawa's rise to komusubi in 1980 and also producing Wakasegawa who reached the top division in 1983. However, On August 12, 1985 Isegahama's wife and two children died in the Japan Airlines Flight 123 disaster. He was never the same again and the stable began to deteriorate. He was demoted from his position in the Sumo Association after giving an outspoken interview to the *Shūkan Gendai* in 2004 in which he criticised the attitude of amateur college champions and foreigners in sumo and made allegations of match-fixing and steroid abuse. By the time he reached the mandatory retirement age of sixty-five in November 2006, there were just two active wrestlers in Isegahama stable left, compared with dozens when he took over. Much to his chagrin he had not even been able to persuade his nephews, Tamanoshima and Tamamitsukuni to join, the two eventual sekitori opting for Kataonami stable instead. With no long term successor to Kiyokuni available, former maegashira Katsuhikari took on the Isegahama name, but he dissolved the stable, which dated back to 1859, on February 1, 2007. Its two remaining wrestlers moved to Kiriyama stable.

A different incarnation of Isegahama stable was founded as Ajigawa stable in 1979, before being re-named by yokozuna Asahifuji in November 2007. Asahifuji's decision to switch to the Isegahama name can be seen as an attempt to restore his ichimon*'*s reputation (the ichimon was known as Tatsunami-Isegahama for many years before becoming solely Tatsunami; as a result of the success of the renamed stable the ichimon is now solely known as Isegahama).

## **Owners**

* 1930-1953: 5th Isegahama Kandayu (former sekiwake Kiyosegawa)
* 1953-1977: 6th Isegahama Manzo (the 38th Yokozuna Terukuni)
* 1977-2006: 7th Isegahama Seinosuke (former ozeki Kiyokuni)
* 2006-2007: 8th Isegahama Toshio (former maegashira Katsuhikari)

## **Notable Former Wrestlers**

### **Sekiwake**

* Bishuyama (former sekiwake)
* Kairyuyama (former sekiwake)

### **Komusubi**

* Wakasegawa (former komusubi)
* Kurosegawa (former komusubi)

### **Maegashira**

* Asasegawa (former maegashira)
* Wakasegawa (former maegashira)
* Kiyomigawa (former maegashira)
* Katsuragawa (former maegashira)
* Katsuhikari (former maegashira)
* Saisu (former maegashira)
* Hirosegawa (former maegashira)
* Onomori (former maegashira)
* Osegawa (former maegashira)
* Teruzakura (former maegashira)
* Shinko (former maegashira)
* Kiyonomori (former maegashira)
* Tensuiyama (former maegashira)
* Sakurakuni (former maegashira)
* Hakuryuyama (former maegashira)
* Akisegawa (former maegashira)
* Azumaumi (former maegashira)

### **Juryo**

* Onosaki (former juryo)
* Terunohana (former juryo)
* Shiraiwa (former juryo)
* Oyazaki (former juryo)
* Ushiwakamaru (former juryo)
* Mikiyama (former juryo)
* Seionada (former juryo)
* Kiyonofuji (former juryo)
* Sekinohana (former juryo)
* Hiyama (former juryo)
* Kiyomidake (former juryo)
* Kiyononada (former juryo)
* Tobishima (former juryo)
* Kunimiyama (former juryo)
* Terunoumi (former juryo)
* Hidenishiki (former juryo)
* Shinzan (former juryo)

### **Lower Divisions**

* Kiyonomine (former makushita)
* Kuninosato (former makushita)
* Shosho (former sandanme) - *later* *transferred to Kiriyama stable*
* Seiko (former jonidan)
* Kuniminato (former jonidan)