Kaiketsu Masateru - After Retirement

After Retirement

Kaiketsu set up his own training stable, Hanaregoma stable, in 1981 after breaking away from Hanakago. Joining him was future yokozuna Ōnokuni. In 1985, when Hanakago stable was wound up, all its wrestlers transferred to Hanaregoma. Other top division wrestlers he trained included Hananokuni, Hananoumi and Shunketsu. He also became a Director of the Japan Sumo Association, responsible for managing the shimpan or judges, and supervising the examination of new recruits. In August 2010 he took over as head of the Association after the resignation of Musashigawa. Following a match-fixing scandal which broke in February 2011 he announced an independent investigation and the cancellation of the March 2011 Osaka honbasho. He insisted that there was no match-fixing in the past, a claim that drew criticism from sumo commentator and former wrestler Mainoumi. He stood down from the post at the February 2012 Sumo Association board elections as the terms are for two years and he will reach the mandatory retirement age in February 2013.