Yesterday we saw news from Justin, over on Twitter, that Michinoku-oyakata intends to close his eponymous heya upon retirement. He turns 65, the mandatory retirement age, in early April. That means the Osaka tournament would be his last as shisho, or stablemaster. Another interesting detail regarding this closure is that he will ask the members of his heya where they would like to be transferred, beginning with the heyagashira, Kirishima.
There has been quite a bit of speculation surrounding the fate of the Michinoku kabu, in particular. Kabu are shares in the Japanese Sumo Association. There are a fixed number of shares available and strict eligibility rules. Among them is the rule that Yokozuna are granted a special 5-year kabu upon their retirement. Essentially, this buys them time to find a permanent kabu. Takanohana was a famous exception where he was granted a permanent Takanohana kabu. That did not end well and might be why Hakuho was not offered a similar privilege. (Chiyonofuji had famously turned down the offer and decided to acquire the Kokonoe-heya, which he held until his death.)
On Kabu
For non-Yokozuna, that means there is a good deal of horse-trading. Some guys, like Endo, acquire a kabu while they are active and loan it out to others. There has not been an independent heya named Kitajin. Endo has loaned his kabu to Shotenro, Kotoyuki, and its current holder, Tenkaiho. Michinoku, himself, retired into the Shikoroyama kabu, owned by Wakabayama before trading into the Katsunoura kabu and finally acquiring Michinoku.
Thus, there are some kabu with storied histories, like Kokonoe, and others with evidently less cachet which seem to be temporary “homes” and trade hands often, like Sanoyama. The last time Sanoyama-beya was displayed outside a stable door was in the 1950s and 60s. Since then, it has been owned by Konishiki, Chiyotaikai, and now, Chiyonokuni. However, it has been loaned out to guys with less illustrious names like Toki, Zaonishiki, Dairyu, and Satoyama.
Michinoku Beya
Which do we have here in Michinoku? While not as legendary as Kokonoe, Sadogatake, or Isegahama, it has been a successful heya under its current leadership since 1997, as well as two other Michinoku-oyakata going back to the mid-1970s. That makes it perfect for a Yokozuna to take it over, right? Maybe not. There have been scandals, including a bullying scandal from last year. Kakuryu was only under the Michinoku banner for a brief time, anyway. Why transfer its skeletons to a guy who is trying to start fresh?
Then, there is Michinoku-oyakata’s own plans. While retirement will be thrust upon him this spring, he can stay on in an advisory (san’yo) role for another five years. Who knows how fun the experience of negotiating these kabu really was? That Katsunoura trade might have been an absolute nightmare. Maybe he bought high and sold low, stung by a rough deal? He is absolutely entitled to sit on the kabu he holds, like Oguruma-oyakata did. Takekaze had to split out into Oshiogawa and Yoshikaze left for Nishonoseki.
The manner in which Michinoku plans to handle the closure seems fair and considerate toward his charges. They will be consulted on where they want to go rather than shuffled off en masse to one stable. Who are they, anyway? Let’s take a look at who we have here.
Michinoku Beya Charges
First, we can take a glimpse of the management team, aka, other coaches, oyakatas, and wakamonogashira. We have two oyakata, Tatsutayama and Urakaze, who fought under the shikona of Sasshunada and Shikishima, respectively and both reached their best rank of Maegashira 1. With them is the Wakamonogashira, Fukunosato. Next up, we have a top level hairdresser in Tokodai and a Makushita yobidashi, Shin.
When we turn to the wrestlers, we have quite the mix, up-and-down the banzuke. Kirishima is at the top, currently Ozeki and the only sekitori in the bunch. We know that it would be a huge feather in ex-Kirishima’s cap if current Kirishima wins the yusho and earns promotion to Yokozuna. Maybe then, Kirishima can sit on his san’yo kabu for five years and pass the name on to a Yokozuna that he brought up, rather than one he inherited from Izutsu.
Next is Yuki in Makushita. He is an often featured assistant for Kirishima at open practices, degeiko, along the jungyo trail, and at other heya events. The bowler and baseball fan is known for his flexing poses in PR pictures. He started his sumo career in 2005 and rose steadily.
Michinoku has three wrestlers in the rough-and-tumble third division: Dainichido, Nikko, and Kamitani. Though currently in sandanme, Dainichido has had a few good stretches in Makushita since starting sumo in 2015. Nikko is still pretty early in his career, having started in September 2020. (That must have been a rough time to start your sumo career.) Most tournaments he has been in Jonidan but lately his judo background has helped him crack into Sandanme. Kamitani started sumo in 2018 and has made it as high as Makushita 19 after claiming a sandanme yusho.
In Jonidan, we have Chikureisen, who started in 2017 and Kirinohana. In Jonokuchi, we have Kirimaru, who has bounced around in the lower two divisions since starting his career in 2001.
