Heya
A heya ( Japanese 部屋 , "room") describes in professional Japanese Sumo ( Osumo ) a sports stable , d. H. a unit of athletes, management and employees. The heya are not only used for practicing the sport in the associated training rooms , but represent community- like communities of the wrestlers belonging to them. In addition to sumo fighters ( rikishi ), the heya also belong to members of related professions such as Gyōji (referee) and Tokoyama (specialized hairdressers). The oyakata ("elders"), former wrestlers, are responsible for the sporting direction of the heya . Oyakata , who also own the heya - this only applies to just under half - are also known as shisho . The wives of the respective Oyakata take over as Okamisan traditional organizational tasks in the barn.
Life in the heya is organized hierarchically. The lower- tier rikishi live in communal shelters and do everyday chores, including preparing the traditional chanko -nabe stew for the community. The fighters of the two top leagues are exempt from such duties and are even allowed to live outside the heya. This is all the more true for the highest ranking rikishi in a stable, the so-called heyagashira .
Most Heya are located in the district Sumida in Tokyo . However, some heya also have their seat outside, e.g. B. in Chiba .
The number of heya approved by the Japanese Sumō Association ( Nihon Sumō Kyōkai ) is limited by the number of shares it issues, called kabu . The acquisition of such a share and the takeover of a heya is linked to certain rules. Some particularly traditional sumo stables such as B. the Dewanoumi-beya can look back on several hundred years of history.
All of the currently 46 heya belong to one of the currently five Ichimon ( 一 門 ), in which groups of stables are united that work together organizationally. These are: Nishonoseki (15 heya), Dewanoumi (13 heya), Tokitsukaze (eight heya), Tatsunami (five heya) and Takasago (five heya). For example, an Ichimon's heya drive after an hon basho in a shared car in the winning parade and sometimes train together. Ichimon typically arise from the splitting off of new heya who remain attached to their original stable.
Heya is the usual Japanese word for "room" or "room" and is therefore a jargon that is only understood in the sumo context. An alternative and unmistakable name is the long form Sumō-Beya ( 相撲 部屋 ).
