Takasago stable


Takasago stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Takasago group of stables. It is correctly written in Japanese as "髙砂部屋", but the first of these kanji is rare, and is more commonly written as "高砂部屋". The stable was established by former maegashira Takasago Uragorō as Takasago Kaisei-Gumi in 1873 and joined the Tokyo Sumo Association in 1878. Takasago stable has produced many successful wrestlers, including six yokozuna and the first non-Japanese ōzeki, American Konishiki, as well as the 33rd Kimura Shōnosuke, the tate-gyōji or chief referee.
In February 2002, the stable merged with Wakamatsu stable, with Wakamatsu's coach, former ōzeki Asashio, taking over. Future yokozuna Asashōryū was among the wrestlers transferring over. The demotion of Asasekiryū to the makushita division for the January 2017 tournament saw the stable without any sekitori for the first time since 1878. However, at the end of that tournament Asanoyama earned promotion to the jūryō division, ensuring sekitori representation once again from March. As of January 2020, it had 20 wrestlers.

Ring name conventions

Most wrestlers since the mid 1990s and all since 2003 at this stable have quickly taken ring names or shikona that begin with the character 朝, meaning morning, in deference their coach and the stable's owner, the former Asashio, as well as many of his predecessors who had the same shikona in their active years. For example, the wrestler formerly known as Tamaki changed his shikona to Asagyokusei when he was promoted to jūryō in July 2019.

Owners

Tokyo, Sumida ward, Honjo 3-5-4
10 minute walk from Honjo-azumabashi Station on the Toei Asakusa Line