Takanohana stable

Takanohana stable (貴乃花部屋, Takanohana-beya^?) is a stable of sumo wrestlers, formerly one of the Nishonoseki group of stables, and is now the leader of the Takanohana group, now a newly recognized ichimon. It was known as Futagoyama stable until 2004.

Futagoyama stable was established in 1962 by former yokozuna Wakanohana Kanji I, who branched off from Hanakago stable and converted his home near the Minami Asagaya station into the stable headquarters. Its first sekitori was komusubi Futagodake. It was very strong in the late 1970s and early 1980s when it produced two yokozuna and two ōzeki, one of whom, Takanohana Kenshi, was the stable master's younger brother. From the promotion of Takanohana Kenshi to komusubi in May 1972 until the retirement of Wakashimazu in July 1987 the stable always had at least one wrestler in the titled san'yaku ranks.

Takanohana Kenshi established Fujishima stable upon his retirement as an active wrestler in 1982, and when his elder brother reached the mandatory oyakata retirement age of 65 in February 1993, Fujishima and Futagoyama stable were merged and continued under the Futagoyama name. At its peak in the mid 1990s the merged stable had a yokozuna, two ōzeki, and several other san'yaku regulars. During this period it had 50 wrestlers in total, and ten in the top division: Takanohana, Wakanohana III, Takanonami, Akinoshima, Takatōriki and Toyonoumi (from Fujishima) and Takamisugi, Misugisato, Naminohana and Wakashoyo (from Futagoyama). This unprecedented dominance led to suggestions that the Japan Sumo Association should not have approved the merger, as it gave these wrestlers an unfair advantage over their opponents as they never had to face each other in tournament competition. Takanohana's yokozuna rival Akebono by contrast, had to fight everyone as there were no other wrestlers from his stable in the top two divisions.

...
Wikipedia