In 1965, Dewanohana's daughter married active yokozuna Sadanoyama, with the avowed objective of the latter inheriting the Dewanoumi stable following the conclusion of his career.

Due to this founding breaking the unwritten rule of not allowing oyakata independence from the stable (dating back to Hitachiyama), Dewanohana after a long debate permitted the creation and expelled Chiyonoyama from the Dewanoumi ichimon.

[3] Having handed over the Dewanoumi kabu and stable to his freshly retired son-in-law Sadanoyama in March 1968, Dewanohana, now under the name of Musashigawa, was elected rijichō following the sudden death of the previous Association head Tokitsukaze (former yokozuna Futabayama) in December of the same year.

As of 2023 he remains the only former wrestler to ascend to the chairmanship of the modern Japan Sumo Association without having reached at least the rank of ōzeki as an active competitor.

Ichikawa's achievements in serving professional sumo were recognized with the Medal of Honor (Blue Ribbon) in 1970, and the Order of the Sacred Treasure (Third Class) in 1979.