Wikipedia

User:OtharLuin/sandbox6

< User:OtharLuin

Sources

edit















For other uses, see Heya (disambiguation).

 
Sumo wrestlers training in a heya

In professional sumo wrestling, a heya or beya (部屋, lit. 'room'),[a] most commonly and metaphorically translated in English as "stable",[1][3][4] but also known as "training quarters",[4] or "fraternity",[5] is an organization of wrestlers where they train and live in a "quasi-monastic and militaristic lifestyle".[1]

Additionally, all the traditional sports professionals (such as gyōji, yobidashi and tokoyama) must belong to a heya. There are currently 45 sumo stables (as of October 2024),[b] each of which belongs to one of five ichimon (groupings of heya or clans). Heya vary in size, with the largest stables having over thirty wrestlers and smallest just one wrestler. Most heya are based in and around the Ryōgoku district of Tokyo, sumo's traditional heartland, although the high price of land has led to some newer heya being built in other parts of Tokyo or its suburbs.[7]

History

edit
 
Flourishing Activity at the Practice Ground of Hidenoyama's Stable by Utagawa Kuniteru II [ja] (c. 1860)

During the Genroku period various sumo groups concentrated from the countryside to the major cities of Edo, Osaka and Kyoto.[8] These groups were self-organised under the leadership of elders, who welcomed the wrestlers into their homes, which took the name of heya (meaning "fraternity house") in reference to the rooms in which these elders met to organise matches during tournaments.[8] During the Hōreki era, masters began to inherit the names of their predecessors, and heya were gradually referred to by the name borne by the master.[8] Nearly all of the sumo stables founded by the Edo-based sumo association were founded between 1751 and 1781.[3] During this same period, Edo established itself as a major sumo sports center, and wrestlers from other major metropolises emigrated to train with the heya of the Edo-based sumo association.[9]

During the Edo period, all wrestlers were officially attached to a stable, but a formal exception existed for wrestlers who benefited from the patronage of local lords, The latter were considered "borrowed" from the lords rather than officially attached to the stables, thus giving the name kakae-rikishi (抱え力士, lit. 'embraced wrestler' or 'retained wrestler') to the wrestlers and to the system.[10]



Although mostly founded by former wrestlers, some stables dating back to the 17th century were founded by gyōji.[9]






 
The entrance of Tokitsukaze stable still bears the Futabayama Sumo Dōjō (双葉山相撲道場) sign in honor of the stable's founder (written from right to left)

Some stables like Tokitsukaze stable, Miyagino stable were founded by active wrestlers that did not yet secured the possession of an elder share and hence first created a training dojo instead of a proper stable. Other, like Takanohana stable, Kitanoumi stable or Taihō stable were named after the ring name of their founder when they became full fledged stables because the stablemaster received the honor of keeping his shikona as an elder name under the "lifetime share" system.

Organization and running

edit
 
Sumo wrestlers of Naruto stable with, in the centre in suit and tie, stablemaster Naruto (the former Kotoōshū)

Founding a stable

edit

Only retired wrestlers can open stables.[11]

Naming the stable

edit

Heya may only be set up by an oyakata, or elder of the Japan Sumo Association. A heya is always named after the toshiyori kabu (the name of the elder share) owned by its head coach. An elder is obligated to retire and pass on ownership of a heya at age 65. When a new oyakata who has not inherited the retiree's elder name takes over a heya, the name of the heya is generally changed to the new owner's elder name to reflect this. Further oyakata may be attached to the stable.[12] In September 2006 the Sumo Association tightened the rules on opening up new stables. Now only oyakata who spent at least 25 tournaments ranked in san'yaku or 60 tournaments in the top makuuchi division may do so. The criteria for inheriting an existing heya are much less strict – the former Kanechika, for example was able to take over Miyagino stable despite having never fought in the top division at all, as only 12 makuuchi-ranked tournaments or 20 jūryō-ranked tournaments are needed.

Finances

edit

The Japan Sumo Association helps existing heya by providing their stablemasters with at least ¥55,000 ($550) in training payments monthly for each wrestler in the stable that is not in the sekitori ranks. Extra payments are given every two months for high-ranked wrestlers. The financial help for having a yokozuna in its stable yield ¥300,000 ($3,000). In addition, stablemasters receive "support payments", "maintenance payments" and "training operations payments" based largely on the rank and number of the stable's wrestlers. Therefore, large stables receive around ¥100 million ($1 million) per year. This system provides incentives for elders to recruit and train winning wrestlers.[13]

Continue with Cuyler p.147

Women in the heya

edit

Regional tournaments

edit
 
Nobori banners outside of the training quarters of Takasago stable in Higashiōsaka. The left one bears the name of Asashōryū, while the right one bear the name of the stable.

Stablemates

edit

Recruitment and wrestlers

edit
See also: Rikishi

Most heya have a network of scouts, who may be former wrestlers themselves, friends of the head coach, or supporters of the heya, who keep a look out for any powerful or athletic young men and follow the results of local sumo (and judo) competitions. Most new recruits join at the age of 15 or 16, straight from junior high school.

A wrestler is expected to stay with the heya he joins until the end of his career. There is no transfer system in sumo. The only exceptions are if the coach who originally scouted him leaves to found a new heya, in which case he might be permitted to follow him, or if a heya shuts down due to retirement or death of the stablemaster, mismanagement or financial reasons, the remaining wrestlers are often permitted to transfer to another heya, usually within the same ichimon. Just as with wrestlers, all tokoyama (hairdressers), gyōji (referees), and yobidashi (ushers) are attached to a specific heya where they normally begin and end their careers.

Stables are mainly ran by family because a stablemaster is more likely to give his stable to a relative if the latter achieve sekitori status.[14]

Foreign recruits

edit

Stablemates matches

edit
 
The genkan of Dewanoumi stable

A special rule dictates that wrestlers from the same heya never fight each other in a main tournament, except in playoffs for a yūshō or divisional championship. This notably worked to the advantages of brothers Takanohana and Wakanohana in recent years, as although they both achieved the top rank of yokozuna, they never had to fight each other (excepting one playoff bout in 1995) as they both belonged to the Futagoyama stable.

Leaving the stable

edit

Other personnel

edit

Life in the stable

edit

A strict lifestyle

edit
 
Training session in Tomozuma stable in 1998.

Most wrestlers, and all junior-ranked ones, live in their stable in a dormitory style: training, cleaning, eating, sleeping and socializing together.[15] Since stable members live in a brotherhood similar to a family, they are forbidden to fight another member of their stable during tournaments.[16]

The treatment a wrestler receives in his stable is based exclusively on his ranking.[17] Wrestlers ranked in the lower divisions get up at dawn (usually around four or five) to do morning chores around the building and stretch in preparation for the usual empty stomach morning training.[18][19] Just before the training session, the day's lunch team begin their preparations.[18] The morning exercises done by the wrestlers are designed to exhaust wrestlers and strengthen their fighting spirit, and are repeated every morning without exception.[20] Gradually by rank, the wrestlers join in the training and the stablemaster only appears once the sandanme wrestlers have started training.[18] Sekitori-ranked wrestlers always turn up last at training sessions, often around eight o'clock, and their assistants have to temporarily leave the training to help them put on their mawashi.[19][20] On arrival at the training hall, sekitori are systematically greeted by wrestlers of lower rank than themselves.[20]

Around eleven, the wrestlers all head for the baths-in descending order of rank, so that the sekitori always benefit from a clean bathroom.[21] When the sekitori practice is at its height, the stable cooks begin to prepare the first and major meal of the day (usually chankonabe).[21] In most stables the cooking brigade is supervised by one of the oldest and most experienced of the low-ranking wrestler, often affectionately referred to as ojii-chan (おじいちゃん, lit. 'grandpa').[21] Wrestlers eat by turns according to rank.[22] The sekitori are served by makushita wrestlers, who are in turn served by sandamme wrestlers, and so on down to the youngest apprentices.[22] The lowest ranks, who were up and working before anyone else, must patiently and hungrily wait until all of the others have finished and gone upstairs to have a siesta-like nap.[22]

From traditionally rooted in Japanese daily life to new evolutions

edit
 
A charity sale of chankonabe (stew) by Kise stable wrestlers (left: Ura, then relegated to sandanme) in 2018.

From old sport to a need to evolve to inspire new generations

Being more of a neighborhood center with Asahiyama stable (2016)



Most heya allow visitors to watch early morning training (keiko) free of charge, although rules vary from stable to stable as to the size of the group and whether advance notice or a Japanese speaker are required.[23][24]

The ichimon

edit


Each heya belongs to an ichimon (一門, lit. 'clan' or 'family'), a grouping of stables that are affiliated.[27]

History

edit

Although the term ichimon did not appeared until the Shōwa era,[28] the system itself dates back to the Edo period.[29] Originally, ichimons were called kumiai (組合, union), with the meaning of an "itinerant group". Before the Shōwa era, the operation of professional sumo revolved around these independant groups under the patronage of the sumo association.[29] Without earned wages, wrestlers belonging to the stables of a particular union were largely dependent on the income from tours organized by the said union. These tours were organized by the unions themselves, and there was no association-wide tour system.[28]

The clan system became even more important at the end of the Taishō era. At the time, professional sumo was shaken by social movements and the tournament system, where wrestlers competed according to banzuke (sumo ranking sheet) divisions (east or west) and were forbidden to face wrestlers from the same division, offered little diversity in the matches.[30] In 1932, the last major wrestlers' strike in history broke out with the Shunjuen Incident. That movement called for fundamental reform within the newly created Japan Sumo Association.[31] Following the resignation of a significant number of wrestlers, the association acceded to a number of their demands and created the clan competition system, allowing more wrestlers to compete against each other in matches, the only restriction being that wrestlers from the same clan couldn't compete against each other.[30] Following political pressure to reform the association in 1957, the clan competition system was abolished to introduce a round-robin tournament system and the current system, based on stables, was adopted in 1965.[28] Because of the traditional construction of professional sumo, the clan system was able to survive because of the master-student relationship, while modern factions have been built on the basis of personal relationships.[29]

Of the five current clans, not all enjoy the same aura or influence within the association. The powers of the various clans have also evolved with the association itself. The Dewanoumi ichimon enjoys a reputation as a pillar of the association's history.[29] Led by prominent figures in the sport such as former yokozuna Hitachiyama, this clan had a policy of centralization, not allowing any oyakata to become independent of the stable until Tochigiyama's independence in 1925.[29] After the war, however, it was the Nishonoseki ichimon that gained influence, led by then-young figures like Taihō and Kotozakura I. In the 90s, the WakaTaka boom (若貴ブーム) was also initiated by wrestlers from the clan. The Tokitsukaze ichimon is also an influential clan, thanks in part to former yokozuna Futabayama and to the efforts of Yutakayama Katsuo. Although the Takasago ichimon is the oldest of all the clans, it's also the smallest. Although large part of its influence is due to Kokonoe stable and its emblematic wrestler Chiyonofuji, the clan seems to be losing momentum with the lack of iconic wrestlers in recent years.[29] Finally, the Isegahama ichimon is one of the smallest and lacks influence, notably because its stables had few links with each other before the clan was founded.[29] Despite being the clan of origin of wrestlers such as Hakuhō and the current sole yokozuna, Terunofuji, the Isegahama clan is the only one to have never acceded to the association's chairmanship.[32]

Operation

edit

The ichimon are encouraged to support each other.[27]

List of clans

edit

Known transfers between clans

edit

See also

edit

Notes

edit
  1. ^ When coming second in a compound word, heya is pronounced "-beya" due to a Japanese phonological tendency called rendaku. For example, Kokonoe stable is called "Kokonoe-beya" and a sumo stable is referred to as "sumo-beya".[3]
  2. ^ As of October 2024, the stables are distributed by clans as follow with (from most to least) Nishonoseki (17 stables), followed by Dewanoumi (14), Isegahama (5), Tokitsukaze (5) and Takasago (4).[6]

References

edit

Citations

edit
  1. ^ a b c Gunning, John (18 September 2018). "Sumo 101: Heya (Stables)". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 16 April 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  2. ^ Newton & Toff 2000, p. 110.
  3. ^ a b c Cuyler 1979, p. 72.
  4. ^ a b "Sumo stable". Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary (4th ed.). Kenkyusha Limited. 1990. ISBN 4-7674-2015-6.
  5. ^ Buckingham 1994, p. 82.
  6. ^ "List of elder stocks by occupation and attachment to sumo stables and clans". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  7. ^ Cuyler 1979, p. 137.
  8. ^ a b c Ikeda, Masao (1998). "相撲部屋". The Revised New Edition of the World Encyclopaedia (in Japanese). Heibonsha. ISBN 4582040012. Retrieved 23 February 2024 – via Kotobank.
  9. ^ a b Cuyler 1979, p. 73.
  10. ^ Cuyler 1979, p. 76.
  11. ^ West 1997, p. 176.
  12. ^ Gunning, John (2018-09-18). "Sumo 101: Heya (Stables)". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  13. ^ West 1997, p. 99999.
  14. ^ Buckingham 1994, p. 130.
  15. ^ Schilling 1994, p. 25.
  16. ^ Kenrick 1969, p. 58.
  17. ^ Cuyler 1979, p. 139.
  18. ^ a b c Cuyler 1979, p. 140.
  19. ^ a b Newton & Toff 2000, p. 112.
  20. ^ a b c Cuyler 1979, p. 141.
  21. ^ a b c Cuyler 1979, p. 142.
  22. ^ a b c Cuyler 1979, p. 143.
  23. ^ Gilhooly, Rob (15 April 2001). "Free sumo stable visits available". Japan Times. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  24. ^ Gunning, John (21 February 2024). "Texan newcomer helps dispel the myth that sumo is a closed world". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 22 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  25. ^ West 1997, p. 175.
  26. ^ Gunning, John (12 May 2019). "Sumo 101: Ichimon". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 21 October 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  27. ^ a b Hall 1997, p. 97.
  28. ^ a b c "相撲部屋の一門の変遷" [The evolution of the sumo clans]. Sumo Magazine [ja] (March 2012). Baseball Magazine, Inc.: 94.
  29. ^ a b c d e f g "大相撲の一門とは その成り立ちと各一門の歴史や特徴を解説" (in Japanese). Spaia Sports. 8 February 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  30. ^ a b "第 153 回常設展示 「国技・相撲」-近代以降の事件と名力士-" [153rd Permanent Exhibition "Sumo, the national sport" - incidents and famous wrestlers since the modern era] (PDF). Sumo Magazine [ja] (in Japanese). 2 (February 1965). Baseball Magazine, Inc. – via National Diet Library.
  31. ^ Cuyler 1979, pp. 112–113.
  32. ^ "【甘口辛口】口止め工作まで発覚した北青鵬問題　力士獲得ルートを確保した宮城野親方の手腕も使い方誤れば小賢しい隠蔽に…" (in Japanese). Sankei Sports. 25 February 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2024.

Bibliography

edit
edit
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sumo stables.

* Category:Japanese martial arts terminology Category:Sport in Japan Category:Sumo terminology

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:OtharLuin/sandbox6&oldid=1256131757"