Michinoku stable

{{Short description|Stable of sumo wrestlers}}

Image:Michinoku stable.jpg

The {{nihongo|Michinoku stable|陸奥部屋|Michinoku-beya}} was a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tokitsukaze ichimon or group of stables. It was established in 1974 by former maegashira {{ill|Hoshikabuto Yoshio|lt=Hoshikabuto|ja|星甲良夫}}, who branched off from Izutsu stable, and closed in April 2024, at the time of the retirement of former ōzeki Kirishima, who became the stable head coach in December 1997.

It absorbed Tatsutagawa stable in November 2000 upon the retirement of the stablemaster there.{{cite web | author= | title=Michinoku Kabu History | publisher=Sumo Reference | url=http://sumodb.sumogames.de/Kabu.aspx?kabu=46 | date= | accessdate=2012-09-28}} It lost four top members in April 2011 (Hakuba, Toyozakura, Jūmonji and Kirinowaka), who were forced to retire after being found guilty of match-fixing.{{cite web |author= |date=2011-04-01 |title=Match-fixing wrestlers forced to retire |url=http://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/other/article998770.ece/Match-fixing-wrestlers-forced-to-retire |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015002253/http://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/other/article998770.ece/Match-fixing-wrestlers-forced-to-retire |archive-date=2012-10-15 |accessdate=2012-09-28 |publisher=Times Live}} The retirement of Ryūhō in 2012 left it with no sekitori until Mongolian Kiribayama reached the jūryō division in 2019. Kiribayama reached the top makuuchi division in January 2020, the first for the stable since Hakuba in 2008. In May 2023 Michinoku's old shikona (ring name) of Kirishima was adopted by Kiribayama following the latter's promotion to ōzeki.{{cite web |url=https://www.nikkansports.com/battle/sumo/news/202305310000246.html|title=大関昇進の霧馬山が「霧島」に改名、師匠のしこ名を継ぐ　下の名も改名で「霧島鐵力」|date=31 May 2023|publisher=Nikkan Sports|access-date=31 May 2023}}

After the death of Izutsu-oyakata in September 2019,{{cite web|url=https://www.nikkansports.com/battle/sumo/news/201909170000283.html|title=鶴竜ら井筒親方死去で鏡山親方の一時預かりに|date=17 September 2019|publisher=Nikkan Sports|language=Japanese|accessdate=18 September 2019}} all personnel from Izutsu stable moved to Michinoku on 1 October 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.nikkansports.com/battle/sumo/news/201909270000827.html|title=鶴竜ら力士３人、床山１人の陸奥部屋への転属を承認|date=27 September 2019|work=Nikkan Sports|language=Japanese|accessdate=27 September 2019}} This expanded the stable to 15 wrestlers, the most senior of whom was yokozuna Kakuryū, who retired in March 2021. As of January 2023, it had 12 wrestlers.

In May 2023, Michinoku stable was at the heart of a scandal linked to a case of violence that was made public. A senior wrestler, Kirinofuji, assaulted another young wrestler, Yasunishi, in January 2023 with a frying pan and whipped him with a jump rope. Michinoku stablemaster (former ōzeki Kirishima) took the abusers side by directly allowing the aggressor to remain within his stable and allowing him to perform a hair cutting ceremony in April despite the information being relayed to the Compliance Department.{{cite web|url=https://hochi.news/articles/20230509-OHT1T51310.html?page=1|title=大相撲・陸奥部屋で幕下以下力士が暴力行為|date=10 May 2023|work=Sports Hochi|language=ja|access-date=11 May 2023}} However, since the Sumo Association was informed in January and the victim withdrew his complaint, Michinoku is not subject to any disciplinary action.{{cite web|url=https://www.nikkansports.com/battle/sumo/news/202305090001511.html|title=陸奥部屋で暴力行為「協会には言っています。何も隠していません」と親方　加害者は引退|date=9 May 2023|work=Nikkan Sports|language=ja|access-date=11 May 2023}}

In December 2023 it was announced that Otowayama (the 71st yokozuna Kakuryū), who had remained with Michinoku stable as a coach after his retirement, would break away to establish Otowayama stable.{{cite web |url=https://www.nikkansports.com/battle/sumo/news/202312270000748.html|title=鶴竜親方が年寄「音羽山」襲名　力士２人、床山１人で「音羽山部屋」創設もこの日付で承認される|date=27 December 2023|publisher=Nikkan Sports|access-date=27 December 2023}}

In anticipation of the stablemaster's (former ōzeki Kirishima) 65th birthday, it was announced that the stable would close after the March 2024 tournament, with its wrestlers to be distributed within the Tokitsukaze ichimon.{{cite web |date=2 March 2024 |title=陸奥部屋が春場所後に閉鎖へ　親方65歳定年迎え　霧島ら力士らは時津風一門へ移籍へ |url=https://www.nikkansports.com/battle/sumo/news/202403020000115.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302062426/https://www.nikkansports.com/battle/sumo/news/202403020000115.html |archive-date=2 March 2024 |access-date=2 March 2024 |publisher=Nikkan Sports}} At the March board meeting, it was made clear that the stable would close in April, with half the wrestler retiring.{{cite web |url=https://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2024/03/28/kiji/20240328s00005000649000c.html|title=陸奥部屋閉鎖で霧島の音羽山部屋転籍が決定　神谷と霧乃華は荒汐部屋、日煌は伊勢ノ海部屋へ|date=28 March 2024|publisher=Sports Nippon|access-date=28 March 2024}} Among the other half, the stable leading wrestler, Kirishima, transferred to Otowayama stable. In the same report, it was also announced that one of the stable's coach, Urakaze, would be transferred with two other wrestlers to Arashio stable. The stable's other coach, Tatsutayama was announced as transferring to Oitekaze stable. Finally, one last wrestler is said to be transferred to Isenoumi stable.{{cite web |url=https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20240328/k10014405431000.html|title=大相撲 親方定年で陸奥部屋閉鎖 大関 霧島が音羽山部屋に移籍|date=28 March 2024|publisher=NHK|access-date=28 March 2024}}