元もと横綱よこづな 白はく鵬ほうの宮城みやぎ野の親方おやかたが日本にっぽん相撲すもう協会きょうかいを退職たいしょくへ 史上しじょう最多さいた優勝ゆうしょう

Former yokozuna Hakuho, who achieved a record 45 tournament victories during his active sumo career, will be leaving the Japan Sumo Association as Miyagino Oyakata.

Miyagino Oyakata was disciplined last February due to a violence issue involving his disciple, and after that, the Miyagino stable was closed and he transferred to the Isegahama stable.

Former Yokozuna Hakuho, now Miyagino Oyakata, set numerous records during his roughly 20-year career, including a record-breaking 45 tournament championships, the most in history, before retiring after the Autumn Tournament four years ago.

After retiring, he took over the Miyagino stable and became its master in July three years ago, but last February, he was disciplined by the Japan Sumo Association with a two-rank demotion and a pay cut due to an assault incident involving his disciple, a former top-division wrestler.

After that, the Miyagino stable was closed, and Miyagino Oyakata, along with everyone from the stable, transferred to the Isegahama stable of the Isegahama group to which they belonged, where he served as an oyakata attached to the stable and provided guidance.

Miyagino oyakata has reportedly expressed his intention to resign from the Sumo Association to those around him, as there is still no prospect of reviving his stable more than a year after its closure. According to those involved, he also held discussions with the Association during the summer tournament, but they could not reach an agreement. He entrusted his resignation letter to a member of his group and left the decision about his future to them.

The Japan Sumo Association accepted Miyagino Oyakata’s resignation at an extraordinary board meeting held on the morning of the 2nd, and Miyagino Oyakata will retire as of June 9th.

Furthermore, the wrestlers who originally belonged to the Miyagino stable will continue to belong to the Isegahama stable.

Miyagino Oyakata is currently staying in Mongolia for personal reasons, and according to those involved, he intends to hold a press conference as early as June 9 after returning to Japan.

The Japan Sumo Association has also approved that former yokozuna Terunofuji, who retired this January, will assume the elder name Isegahama and take over the Isegahama stable.

In line with this, former yokozuna Asahifuji, known as Isegahama-oyakata, who will reach the Japan Sumo Association’s mandatory retirement age of 65 in July, will assume the elder name Miyagino, be rehired, and remain as an oyakata attached to the Isegahama stable.

Factors Behind Retirement Decision: No Prospect for Reestablishing the Stable The movement surrounding Isegahama Stable is also involved. One of the reasons why Miyagino Oyakata decided to retire is that, even after a year since the closure of his stable, there is still no prospect for its reestablishment. In addition, the developments regarding the succession of Isegahama Stable, to which he had transferred, are also involved.

Miyagino Oyakata had been repeatedly cautioned and disciplined during his active career due to his behavior and remarks. Therefore, when he retired after the Autumn Tournament in Reiwa 3 2021, during the Elder Qualification Review Committee that discussed his succession as an oyakata, there were strict opinions such as Even if he becomes an oyakata, he should not be allowed to have his own stable for 10 years.

Ultimately, the succession to the elder name Magaki was approved on the condition of signing a written pledge to follow the associations guidance and abide by its rules and customs.

After becoming a stablemaster in an extremely unusual way, Miyagino Oyakata, who took over the Miyagino stable in 2022, was held responsible for supervising when a disciples violence problem occurred in February last year, when his former master was still in charge. He was also criticized for delaying the report and received a severe disciplinary action himself.

At that time, it is said that some members of the Compliance Committee, who submitted their opinion on disciplinary action to the Sumo Association, even suggested—keeping in mind the existence of the written pledge required to become an oyakata—that “perhaps he should be expelled from the Sumo Association.”

After that, it was decided that all members of the Miyagino stable, including the stablemaster and wrestlers, would transfer to the Isegahama stable of the same group in March last year, and the Miyagino stable was closed.

While serving as an oyakata attached to the stable and training wrestlers, Miyagino Oyakata also learned about stable management and the mindset of a master from Isegahama Oyakata. For each tournament, he was required to report to the Sumo Association on the condition of Miyagino Oyakata and the wrestlers who had transferred from Miyagino Stable, through the director of the Isegahama group to which he belongs.

However, at the board meeting this March, which marked one year since the closure of the Miyagino stable, there was no discussion about reviving the stable. Believing that there was no prospect for its revival, Miyagino Oyakata reportedly expressed his dissatisfaction to those involved, saying, I worked hard for a year, and yet...

Another reason why I ultimately decided to retire at this time is also related to the succession process at Isegahama stable, which I was planning to transfer to.

Since Master Isegahama will reach retirement age this July, it was expected that former yokozuna Terunofuji, who retired in January, would take over the Isegahama stable.

Terunofuji-oyakata is both a fellow Mongolian and seven years younger than Miyagino-oyakata, making him a junior both as a rikishi and as an oyakata.

If the revival of Miyagino stable is not approved before the succession of Isegahama stable, Miyagino oyakata will have to serve under a junior stablemaster.

Regarding this as well, it is said that Miyagino Oyakata expressed his dissatisfaction to those involved, saying, It doesnt matter whether I like him or not, I just dont like it because hes my junior.

On the other hand, the Sumo Association stated that the revival of the stable would be discussed at the board meeting after receiving reports and opinions from the Isegahama group, to which Miyagino Oyakata belongs.

However, there were also opinions such as Its still too early to restore the room, so it has not been included as an agenda item at the regular board meetings so far.

During the Summer Tournament, the association and Miyagino Oyakata had several discussions, and proposals such as transferring to another stable within the same Isegahama group were considered, but no agreement was reached, and ultimately, this led to Miyagino Oyakatas decision to retire.

Former yokozuna Hakuhos Miyagino Oyakata, who is 40 years old

When he came to Japan from Mongolia at the age of 15, he went on to achieve a record 45 tournament victories during his career.

He also holds the all-time records for total wins at 1,187 and for serving as yokozuna for about 14 years, spanning 84 tournaments. Over his roughly 20-year active career, he set numerous records before retiring after the autumn tournament four years ago.

During his active career, he acquired Japanese citizenship, which was necessary to become an oyakata sumo elder in the first year of the Reiwa era. After retiring, he served as Magaki Oyakata, coaching younger wrestlers as an oyakata affiliated with the Miyagino stable. In July of the fourth year of Reiwa, he succeeded to the Miyagino stable and served as its head coach.

Additionally, since 2010, while still active, he has hosted a youth sumo tournament called the Hakuho Cup, making efforts to promote and develop sumo.

On the other hand, even during his active career, he was sometimes criticized for his attitude and remarks. For example, after leading a three cheers during the victory interview at the Kyushu tournament in 2017, he was given a stern warning. Additionally, during the victory interview at the Spring tournament in 2019, he performed a traditional hand-clapping ceremony, which was deemed to undermine the traditions and order of sumo. As a result, he received a disciplinary reprimand from the Sumo Association.

Also, when he retired from active competition, there were some concerns within the Sumo Association about him becoming an oyakata stablemaster, due to critical opinions regarding his fighting style and behavior.

In February last year, the former master of Miyagino stable was held responsible for supervisory negligence due to a violence incident that occurred in the stable, resulting in disciplinary action from the Japan Sumo Association, including a two-rank demotion and a reduction in salary. All members of the stable transferred to Isegahama stable of the same group, and Miyagino stable was closed.

He is a former yokozuna who achieved unparalleled success in the history of professional sumo, but while he made significant contributions to the sumo world, he has also faced much criticism for his words and actions.

A series of retirements among former yokozuna—what is the impact? In professional sumo, there have been a number of cases where former yokozuna have left the Japan Sumo Association before reaching the mandatory retirement age as stablemasters.

Except for the active wrestlers Hoshoryu and Onosato, more than half—six out of the ten most recent yokozuna up to Terunofuji, who retired this January—have already left the Sumo Association.

Of these, Akebono, the 64th yokozuna and the first foreign-born wrestler in sumo history to achieve the rank of yokozuna, served as an oyakata stablemaster attached to the Azumazeki stable after his retirement, guiding younger wrestlers. However, he left the Sumo Association in 2003 and subsequently moved on to activities in other combat sports, such as professional wrestling.

Additionally, Asashoryu, the 68th yokozuna who won 25 championships in the makuuchi division, announced his retirement from active competition and left the sumo world without remaining as an oyakata, due to an incident during a tournament in which he allegedly assaulted an acquaintance while intoxicated.

Furthermore, along with his older brother, the 66th Yokozuna Wakanohana, the 65th Yokozuna Takanohana created an unprecedented sumo boom known as the Waka-Taka Fever, and achieved 22 tournament victories. He led the Takanohana stable, but after a case in 2017 where a former Yokozuna, Harumafuji, assaulted one of his disciples, he came into conflict with the Sumo Association and resigned the following year.

And this time, Hakuho, the 69th Yokozuna who holds the record for the most tournament wins in history, has decided to retire.

As an oyakata, he also showed a strong desire to train the next generation, such as guiding Hakuoho, a makuuchi wrestler, and Kusano, who won back-to-back Juryo championships in the Spring tournament this March and the Summer tournament last month, into the sumo world.

The Sumo Association has once again lost the valuable asset of a former yokozuna, who, in addition to their achievements and fame, is also expected to possess leadership skills based on their extensive experience.