Otake Stable

Otake stable (大嶽部屋, Otake-beya) is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Nishonoseki group of stables. It was set up in 1971, as Taiho stable, by the 48th yokozuna Taiho Koki on his retirement from wrestling. Taiho passed control of the stable on to his son-in-law Otake (former sekiwake Takatoriki) in 2003, as he was approaching the age for mandatory retirement from the Japan Sumo Association. As the name of Taiho was an ichidai-toshiyori (one-generation elder name) it could not be passed on, so the stable was re-named Otake.

Following the dismissal of the former Takatoriki for his involvement in a scandal over illegal betting, in July 2010 the stable was taken over by the former juryo wrestler Dairyu, who had been working as a coach at the stable under the name Futagoyama.

As of January 2023 it has 14 active sumo wrestlers.

## **History**

Taiho stable was established in 1971 by former yokozuna Taiho upon his retirement. The first sekitori he produced was Shishihō in 1977. His most successful wrestler was Ōzutsu, who reached the rank of sekiwake*.* In May 1981 Taihō was persuaded by the editor of the English language sumo magazine *Sumo World* to accept a foreign wrestler, Philip Smoak of Texas, who was with the stable for just two months.

Taihō passed control of the stable on to his son-in-law Ōtake (former sekiwake Takatōriki) in 2003, as he was approaching the age for mandatory retirement from the Japan Sumo Association. As the name of Taihō was an ichidai*-*toshiyori (one-generation elder name) it could not be passed on, so the stable was re-named Ōtake. In 2004 the Russian Rohō reached the top division, but was dismissed from sumo in September 2008 after failing a test for cannabis.

In January 2010 the stable, along with the Takanohana, Ōnomatsu and Magaki stable, was forced to leave the Nishonoseki ichimon after Takanohana declared his intention to run as an unofficial candidate in the elections to the Sumo Association's board of directors. The ejected stables formed their own group, which gained ichimon status in 2014. In 2018 the stable joined the Nishonoseki group.

Following the dismissal of the former Takatōriki for his involvement in a scandal over illegal betting, in July 2010 the stable was taken over by the former jūryō wrestler Dairyū, who had been working as a coach at the stable under the name Futagoyama. The first sekitori produced by Dairy, was Egyptian Osunaarashi, the first sumo wrestler from the African continent. Ōsunaarashi was forced to retire in March 2018 after being caught driving without a license.

The stable still displays the red tsuna that Taihō Oyakata wore while performing his kanreki dohyo-iri ceremony in 2000.

In January 2018 the grandson of Taihō, Naya Konosuke, joined the stable. Another grandson, Kosei, joined in November 2019, a third joined in 2020. Naya was promoted to jūryō for the January 2021 tournament and changed his name to Ōhō. He is the second member of the stable to reach jūryō since the former Dairyū took over as head coach, following Ōsunaarashi.

## **Ring Name Conventions**

Many wrestlers at this stable take ring names or shikona that include the character 大 (read: o or dai), which is used in the first character of the stable's name and also is in deference to the last two owners, whose former shikona also included this character. Examples of wrestlers who have incorporated this include Osunaarashi, Osuzuki, Daiseiryu and Dairyuki.

## **Owners**

* 2010-present: 17th Otake Tadahiro (iin, former juryo Dairyu)
* 2003-2010: 16th Otake Tadashige (former sekiwake Takatoriki)
* 1971-2003: Taiho Koki (the 48th yokozuna Taiho)

## **Notable Active Wrestlers**

* Oho (best rank maegashira)
* Mudoho (best rank makushita)
* Naya (best rank makushita)
* Daishinkai (best rank sandanme)
* Moriurara (best rank jonidan)

## **Notable Former Wrestlers**

### **Maegashira**

* Osunaarashi (former maegashira)
* Shishiho (former maegashira)
* Owakamatsu (former maegashira)
* Onohana (former maegashira)

### **Juryo**

* Harunafuji (former juryo)
* Dairyu (former juryo)
* Otaka (former juryo)
* Kusatake (former juryo)
* Shoho (former juryo)
* Kaminosato (former juryo)
* Ayanoumi (former juryo)
* Daiden (former juryo)
* Oishida (former juryo)

### **Lower Divisions**

* Denzan (former makushita)
* Kihakuriki (former makushita)
* Tsuyukusa (former makushita)
* Omatsuda (former sandanme)
* Takanoumi (former jonokuchi)

## **Usher**

* Shiro (sanyaku yobidashi) *- Transferred from Oshiogawa stable*
* Goro (sanyaku yobidashi) *- Transferred from Oshiogawa stable*

## **Website**

* Otake stable's website [1]
* Otake stable's Facebook [2]