Tatsunami stable

History

The stable is one of the most prestigious in sumo. It was founded in 1876 by Onigazaki, but the current incarnation dates from 1915. In the 1930s, led by former komusubi Midorishima (1878-1952), the stable produced the 35th Yokozuna Futabayama, the 36th Yokozuna Haguroyama and ozeki Nayoroiwa, and ended the Dewanoumi stable's long period of dominance in sumo. Futabayama left to found his own stable in 1941. After Haguroyama married the previous coach's daughter, he became the new head in December 1952 while still an active yokozuna. Haguroyama produced several strong wrestlers, including ozeki Wakahaguro and sekiwake Annenyama. Annenyama in turn married Haguroyama's daughter and succeeded to the leadership of the stable upon his father-in-law's death in 1969.

Annenyama produced Asahikuni, an ozeki in the 1970s, and sekiwake Kurohimeyama. Asahikuni retired in 1979 and left to found Oshima stable in 1980, despite his stablemaster's opposition to the move. By the early 1980s the strength of the stable had declined and it was without any sekitori until Koji Kitao was promoted to juryo in 1984. Kitao became the 60th Yokozuna Futahaguro in 1986, the first grand champion the Tatsunami ichimon had produced in decades, but at the end of 1987 Anneneyama and Futahaguro had a row which ended with the yokozuna storming out and slapping his stablemaster's wife as he left. Futahaguro was expelled from the Sumo Association as a result.

In the early 1990s the stable produced top division wrestlers such as komusubi Daishoho and maegashira Daishoyama, both amateur champions from Nihon University. Asahiyutaka of Oshima stable married Annenyama's daughter in 1995 and became the new head of Tatusnami when Annenyama reached the mandatory retirement age of 65 in 1999. However the two had a falling out and after Asahiyutaka was divorced, Annenyama sued him for 175 million yen as Asahiyutaka had obtained the Tatsunami elder name for free instead of having to pay the market value, although the award was reversed. Annenyama also attempted to evict Asahiyutaka from the stable premises.

In April 2011 the stable's only sekitori, the Mongolian wrestler Mokonami, was forced to retire after being found guilty of match-fixing. As of September 2016 there are 15 wrestlers, all in the lower divisions, although Meisei earned promotion to juryo after the tournament.

The stable's success was reflected in its postwar status as the leading stable in its ichimon or group of stables, which was called Tatsunami-Isegahama ichimon until 2006, when it became simply Tatsunami ichimon (reflecting the decline of the old Isegahama stable under former ozeki Kiyokuni's leadership). However, in 2012, due to the head coach voting against the ichimon's will in the Japan Sumo Association's board elections, Tatsunami stable moved to the Takanohana ichimon.

Ring name conventions

Many wrestlers at this stable have taken ring names or shikona that end with the character 浪 (read: nami), which is the last character in the stable's name as well as the elder name of its last several owners.

Owners

Notable active wrestlers

Assistant

Notable former members

Referees

Ushers

Hairdresser

Location and access

Ibaraki prefecture, Tsukuba-mirai City, Tōkōdai Koiwa 4-3-4
5 minute walk from Miraidaira Station on the Tsukuba Express