Musashigawa stable (2013)

Musashigawa stable (2014)

The Musashigawa stable (Japanese: 武蔵川部屋, Hepburn: Musashigawa-beya) is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ichimon or group of stables. It is an off-shoot of the better known stable of the same name set up by former yokozuna Mienoumi in 1981, which is currently known as Fujishima stable. Former yokozuna Musashimaru branched off from that stable in April 2013 after taking on the elder name of his former head coach and started a new stable using the Musashigawa name.[1] It is located in the same building as the defunct Nakamura stable.[2]

Musashigawa stable is the second stable in sumo history to be founded by a foreign-born former sumo wrestler after Takamiyama's Azumazeki stable.[3] The head coach's nephew, Fiamalu Penitani, was a wrestler at the stable under the shikona of Musashikuni, reaching the makushita division,[4] but he retired in 2019 due to injury problems. The stable was also home to the half Japanese, half African-American wrestler Ichiro Young (Wakaichiro). Musashigawa stable began with just four wrestlers, but had expanded to 19 by May 2019.[5] In January 2023 the stable had 16 wrestlers.

  1. ^ "Musashigawa stable makes some history". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  2. ^ Gunning, John (4 November 2020). "Sumo stables housed in older structures becoming rare sight". The Japan Times. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  3. ^ "新生武蔵川部屋が看板披露「涙出そうだ」". nikkansports.com. Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  4. ^ Lewis, Ferd (1 May 2017). "Musashikuni earning his way up the ranks". Honolulu Star Advertiser. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  5. ^ Gunning, John (15 May 2019). "Sumo 101: Americans in sumo". Japan Times. Retrieved 16 May 2019.