is a professional Japanese sumo wrestler from

Okinawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city o ...

who debuted in March 2016. He has won three lower-division championships and reached the top ''

makuuchi , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...

'' division in January 2024. His highest rank is ''

maegashira , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...

'' 13. He wrestles for

Kise stable , also known as Kimura Sehei stable, was a heya (sumo), heya or stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tatsunami ''ichimon'' or affiliated group of stables. History The original Kise stable (which had no connection to the current incarnation found ...

. His younger brother was his stablemate at Kise under the ''

shikona A is a sumo wrestler's ring name. The tradition of ring names in sumo dates back to the Edo period, where they were used as a means to attract customers and hide the identities of the ''rikishi''. Like standard Japanese names, a ''shikona'' co ...

'' Kizakiumi (木崎海) until his retirement in August 2020.

Early life

Kizaki started sumo wrestling in elementary school in his native Okinawa. While in elementary school, he trained with high school students at Chūbu Norin High School, where his uncle was the sumo coach. In his second year of junior high school he placed in the top 16 in the National Junior High School Sumo Tournament. Originally intending to enter Chūbu Norin, he changed his mind and attended Tottori Jōhoku High School in

Tottori Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Tottori Prefecture is the least populous prefecture of Japan at 570,569 (2016) and has a geographic area of . Tottori Prefecture borders Shimane Prefecture to the west, Hirosh ...

after visiting that school for a training session. One of his classmates, whom he defeated in individual competition, was future ''

'' champion Ichinojō. He attended

Nihon University , abbreviated as , is a private university, private research university in Japan. Its predecessor, Nihon Law School (currently the Department of Law), was founded by Yamada Akiyoshi, the Minister of Justice (Japan), Minister of Justice, in 1889. ...

, where he was a member of their sumo club and a classmate of Tsushimanada.

Sumo career

Kizaki was recruited by former ''

Higonoumi Higonoumi Naoya (born 23 September 1969 as Naoto Sakamoto) is a former sumo wrestler from Kumamoto, Japan. After his retirement he opened up Kise stable. Career A former amateur champion at Nihon University, he turned professional in 1992, joini ...

, the stablemaster of

. Ineligible to start higher on the ''

banzuke A , officially called is a document listing the rankings of professional sumo wrestlers published before each official tournament (''honbasho''). The term can also refer to the rankings themselves. The document is normally released about two w ...

'' under the ''tsukedashi'' system at the time, Kizaki's '' maezumo'' took place at the March 2016 tournament. In the following tournament he was officially ranked at the bottom ''

jonokuchi Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win–loss records in official tournaments. For ...

'' division and won six of his seven matches. He then moved up the rankings, winning the ''

jonidan Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win–loss records in official tournaments. Fo ...

'' championship in July and the ''

sandanme Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win–loss records in official tournaments. For ...

'' championship in September with perfect records. In May 2019 Kizaki was promoted to ''

sekitori A ''sekitori'' (関取) is a ''rikishi'' (力士, sumo wrestler) who is ranked in one of the top two professional divisions: ''makuuchi'' and ''jūryō''. The name literally translates to having taken the barrier, as only a relatively small fract ...

'' status with the rank of ''

jūryō Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win–loss records in official tournaments. For ...

'', having just won the ''

makushita Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win–loss records in official tournaments. For ...

'' championship. Upon this promotion he changed his ''

'', or ring name, from his birth surname to Churanoumi. After suffering a ten-loss record he was immediately demoted back to ''makushita'', where he stayed until he was promoted to ''jūryō'' for the second time in January 2020. Aside from one tournament in July 2021 spent in ''makushita'', he remained in the ''jūryō'' division; in September 2023 he won 10 of 15 matches for the first time in his career. In November 2023 Churanoumi was promoted to the top ''

'' division. He told reporters that he was happy to receive the top-division promotion before the tournament in

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...

, where many Okinawans come.

Fighting style

Churanoumi uses pushing and thrusting techniques, with his top ''

kimarite ''Kimarite'' ( ja, 決まり手) is the technique used in sumo by a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) to win a match. It is officially decided or announced by the ''gyōji'' (referee) at the end of the match, though judges can modify this decision. The rec ...

'' being ''oshidashi'' (frontal push out) and ''yorikiri'' (frontal force out). He most commonly uses a ''hidari-yotsu'' grip, where his left hand is inside his opponent's right arm.

Career record

References

External links