Former ozeki Chiyotakai has succeeded the late Chiyonofuji as stablemaster Kokonoe, the Japan Sumo Association announced Wednesday.
Chiyotaikai, who was known for his powerful thrusting, won three championships before retiring in 2010. He has been coaching at Kokonoe stable under the name of Sanoyama. The 40-year-old remains the highest-ranked wrestler trained by Chiyonofuji.
Chiyonofuji, a legendary yokozuna who was third in career championships with 31, died Sunday of pancreatic cancer at the age of 61. A farewell ceremony is scheduled on Oct. 1 at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.
The stable has produced three yokozuna, Chiyonofuji, Kitanofuji and Hokutoumi. It is also the leading stable in terms of total championships with 52.
During last month's Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament, the Kokonoe stable fielded 13 wrestlers, with six fighting in either the elite makuuchi division or the second-tier juryo division.