Kise stable (2003)

Kise stable (木瀬部屋, Kise-beya) is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ichimon or group of stables. It was established in its current form in December 2003 by former maegashira and Nihon University amateur champion Higonoumi, who branched off from Mihogaseki stable. The stable's first top division wrestler was Kiyoseumi in January 2008. Its foreign recruit, Georgian Gagamaru, in May 2010 earned promotion to the top division. It is a popular destination for wrestlers with collegiate sumo experience like its stablemaster, and the retirement of Gagamaru in November 2020 opened up another spot for a foreigner.[1]

Following the demotion of Kise-oyakata (or stablemaster) in May 2010 after a scandal involving the selling of tournament tickets to members of the yakuza, Kise stable was dissolved with all 27 of its wrestlers moving to the affiliated Kitanoumi stable.[2] Kise was allowed to reestablish the stable in April 2012. All former members, as well as newcomers Jōkōryu and Sasanoyama (now Daiseidō), joined the reconstituted stable. Jōkōryu reached the rank of komusubi in 2014, but has since fallen greatly down the ranks due to injury, and Daiseidō in September 2017 became the eleventh wrestler from Kise to reach jūryō since its founding in 2003.[3] As of January 2021, it has 29 wrestlers, making it one of the largest in sumo; seven of them are sekitori (salaried ranks).

Kise stable's first makuuchi championship was delivered by Tokushōryū in the January 2020 tournament. The 33-year-old won from the bottom-most makuuchi rank of maegashira 17, after spending all but one of the previous 12 tournaments in the jūryō division.[4]