[sumo] Fwd: [Sumo news] - Isegahama beya new premises

[Jeff A]

Here's an old one from Moti.

Gaijingai

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Moti Dichne <niramiai at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Sep 29, 2026 at 2:17 AM
Subject: [Sumo news] - Isegahama beya new premises
To: Sumo Newsletter2 <sumo-newsletter2 at googlegroups.com>


Grain of salt- Shukan Post..

Construction is underway for the "New Isegahama Beya" on a site near
Ryogoku Kokugikan, the venue that buzzed with excitement during Aki basho.
Isegahama Oyakata currently heads his heya in Tachikawa, Sumida Ward, but
that is merely a temporary location. A leased plot of approximately 440
square meters in Ryogoku was secured last January; the plan is to erect a
mixed-use building that will house the stable as well as restaurants and
other facilities. The project is estimated to cost a total of 2.5 billion
yen, covering land lease fees and construction costs." Equipment had
already been brought in and construction work had begun during the
tournament period. An information session for local residents had been held
earlier, on August 20. An attendee recounted: "We were told that the
scheduled start date, originally August 1, had been slightly delayed, and
that completion is now set for May 25, two years from now. At the first
briefing in late April, it was explained that the building would house a
heya and serve as living quarters for the rikishi, but the name of the heya
wasn't mentioned. I thought it might be revealed this time, but the
specific name still wasn't disclosed."

According to the blueprints for the new seven-story building obtained by
Shukan Post, the first floor features a training area with a *dohyo* ; in
addition to the formal raised seating area (agari-zashiki) at the front,
there are 78 spectator seats arranged in a U-shape. The second floor is
designed for a restaurant with a stage, featuring an open atrium extending
up to the third floor that allows a view down onto the stage. The fourth
and fifth floors are also designated for restaurant space, while the sixth
and seventh floors appear to be residential quarters for the Oyakata and
rikishi. Reports have noted (and local residents are aware) that the
representative of the company holding the land lease and acting as the
project owner is  Isegahama Oyakata's wife; however, the information
session reportedly involved a series of puzzling exchanges.

The aforementioned resident says, "Even when residents ask for the specific
name of the heya, the response is always that they 'can't disclose it yet.'
While they insist they have to wait for an official announcement from the
heya itself, they give a wry smile and say, 'As you all know...' Everyone
understands that it is Isegahama beya." Although the representative of the
development company changed last autumn to a man who runs restaurants, he
told this magazine, "I imagine they will hold a press conference once [the
heya] is confirmed," suggesting they are waiting for the right moment for a
major announcement. The resident continued, explaining what they were told
regarding the complex's tenants: "They explicitly stated that the
restaurants wouldn't be 'flashy' and that they wouldn't do 'fake sumo
shows' on stage. It seems the plan is to keep the atmosphere true to the
Ryogoku area."

As for the Isegahama beya itself, it has absorbed the former Miyagino beya,
becoming the largest force in the sumo world with 32 members, including six
rikishi in Makuuchi. With four assistant Oyakata, it also wields
significant influence within its ichimon. "They have many promising young
rikishi: Ozeki candidate Atamifuji and Hakunofuji, who made his debut in
Sanyaku at the September tournament, are both 23, while 'Yokozuna-killer'
Yoshinofuji is 25. There is also Toshinofuji, a favorite protégé whom
former Yokozuna Hakuhou allowed to use a variation of his own shikona,
debuting as Seihakuhou and Asahifuji, who took the shikona of the previous
Isegahama Oyakata (now Miyagino Oyakata) from his active days," notes a
reporter covering sumo. Will the new building possess a grandeur befitting
such a powerful stable.
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