Otowayama stable (音羽山部屋, Otowayama-beya) is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tokitsukaze ichimon, or group of stables. It was formed by the 71st YokozunaKakuryū in December 2023 after he became independent from Michinoku stable. As of September 2024, the stable has 6 wrestlers.
History
On 27 December 2023 the Sumo Association announced that Kakuryū would inherit the Otowayama elder stock, which had been vacated earlier in the year by former maegashiraTenkaihō.[1] Additionally, he was given approval to branch off from Michinoku stable and form his own stable, Otowayama stable, with two wrestlers and a senior tokoyama going along.[1] Creating the first incarnation of the Otowayama stable in 78 years.[2] The stable is located in a three-story building in Sumida, Tokyo that was previously used by the local government before being renovated for use by sumo wrestlers.[3] In April 2024, the stable inaugurated its nameplate, featuring calligraphy by Kyoto's Kiyomizu-dera's head priest Mori Kiyonori, a priest known for writing the emblematic kanji of the years in Japan.[4]
During the same month, the stable housed the transfer of ōzekiKirishima and the former head coach of Michinoku stable (former Kirishima Kazuhiro) following the closure of the latter after Kazuhiro reached the mandatory retirement age set by the Japan Sumo Association.[5]
