Ishinriki Kōji (born 24 January 1961 as Kōji Iibashi) is a former

sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by th ...

wrestler from

Suginami is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in the Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The ward refers to itself as Suginami City in English. As of June 1, 2022, Suginami has an estimated population of 588,354 and a population density of 17,274 pe ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan. His highest rank was ''

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. Fo ...

'' 1. He was one of the smallest ''

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 fr ...

'' ever at and . After his retirement in 1990 he became a

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

for a number of organizations including

Super World of Sports Super World of Sports, also known as Super World Sports or simply SWS, was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion from 1990 to 1992. Its motto was "Straight and Strong". History Formation In April 1990, Genichiro Tenryu, one of the top sta ...

WAR War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

, Pro Wrestling Crusaders and

IWA Japan The International Wrestling Association of Japan, more commonly known as IWA Japan, was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion operating from 1994 to 2014. History Early years It was formed by Víctor Quiñones as a successor to the W*ING ...

Sumo career

Despite his family having a background in

professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...

he took part in many regional sumo competitions in elementary and junior high school. He entered professional sumo in March 1976, joining Onaruto stable. He was recruited by the former ''

sekiwake , 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 o ...

'' Kōtetsuyama. He initially fought under the ''

shikona A is a sumo wrestler's ring name. The tradition of ring names in sumo dates back to the Muromachi period and established itself during the Edo period, where they were used as a means to hide the identities of the . Given by the master to his di ...

'' of Wakakotetsu, based on his stablemaster's, but in 1984 he became Ishinriki ("renewal power"), the name which he was also to use in pro-wrestling. He had a muscular build quite unlike other sumo wrestlers, but despite his weight disadvantage he managed to reach the ''

'' division in May 1987 and was ranked there for 20 consecutive tournaments, with a 141-159 win/loss record. In March 1990 he defeated two future ''

yokozuna , 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 o ...

,'' Akebono and Wakahanada, and he also looked to have defeated a third, Takahanada, but he was disqualified for a foul. He twice took part in playoffs for the ''jūryō''

championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...

in May and September 1989, but lost both times. He is the only wrestler to twice have the best record in ''jūryō'' but never earn promotion to the top ''

makuuchi , or , is the top division of Professional sumo divisions, 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 ...

'' division. His highest rank of ''jūryō'' 1 west was achieved in November 1989. He retired in July 1990 after a 2–13 record left him facing certain demotion to the unsalaried ''

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. Fo ...

'' division. His overall record was 390 wins against 372 losses over 87 tournaments, with no matches missed.

Wrestling career

With 20 consecutive tournaments as a ''

'' Ishinriki met the minimum requirement of inheriting an elder name in the

Japan Sumo Association The , officially the ; sometimes abbreviated JSA or NSK, and more usually called Sumo Kyōkai, is the governing body that operates and controls Professional sports, professional sumo wrestling, called , in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Min ...

, and his stablemaster was prepared to let him inherit Onaruto stable, but Ishiniriki decided against it, believing he could make more money in professional wrestling. Although his elder brother was active in

All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on October 21, 1972, by Giant Baba after he left the Japanese Wrestling Association to create his own promotion. Ma ...

, Ishinriki instead joined SWS, making his debut in January 1991 in a match against

Jeff Jarrett Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he both wrestles and serves as Director of Business Development. He is also ...

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

. After SWS folded he was a member of its successors NOW and

, but then retired due to kidney problems. He married a fellow professional wrestler from WAR, and opened a

chankonabe Chankonabe (), also known as Chanko or Sumo Stew, is a Japanese stew (a type of nabemono or one-pot dish) commonly eaten in vast quantities by sumo wrestlers while trying to gain weight. Ingredients and consumption The dish contains a '' ...

and

karaoke is a type of interactive entertainment system usually offered in nightclubs and bars, where people sing along to pre-recorded accompaniment using a microphone. Its musical content is an instrumental rendition of a well-known popular song. I ...

restaurant in

Kichijōji is a neighborhood in the city of Musashino in Western Tokyo, Japan. It is centered on a compact commercial area to the north and south of Kichijōji Station, with a full range of shops, restaurants, bars, and coffee houses. The area is a popu ...

in 1994. While still running the restaurant he returned to wrestling in 2006, participating in

and freelance promotions. He frequently appears as a guest on talk shows to discuss sumo. He appeared on the

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...

program "Live TV until the morning" (''朝まで生テレビ!'') to discuss the

Tokitsukaze stable hazing scandal The Tokitsukaze stable hazing scandal occurred in Japan on June 26, 2007, when , a seventeen-year-old junior sumo wrestler who fought under the ''shikona'' of Tokitaizan Takashi, collapsed and died after a training session at Tokitsukaze stable's ...

in 2007, and in 2011 when many top wrestlers were dismissed in a match-fixing scandal he denied that sumo had a problem with gambling and yazuka ties, despite his stablemaster Onaruto making similar claims in a book published shortly after his death in 1996. In August 2015 he said he would likely retire from wrestling the following year, which would mark the 40th anniversary of his sumo career. However, in August 2016 he was promoting a mixed

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establis ...

match also involving Funaki to be held on 6 November at the

Shinjuku Face is an event hall located on the 7th floor of the Humax Pavilion Shinjuku complex, 1-20-1 Kabukicho, Tokyo, Kabukicho, Tokyo, Japan. It mainly hosts mixed martial arts, boxing and professional wrestling events. Shinjuku Face has a capacity of appr ...

. In 2022, he joined his son in Dragon Gate for multiple matches. He teamed with his son Ishin to face

Masaaki Mochizuki is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for Dragon Gate and Pro Wrestling Noah. Mochizuki is a former FIP World Champion and three-time Open the Dream Gate Champion. Professional wrestling career Early years A former karat ...

and his son, Mochizuki Jr., on September 9. He unsuccessfully challenged for the

Open the Triangle Gate Championship The Open the Triangle Gate Championship is a professional wrestling Tag team, trios Championship (professional wrestling), title in Japanese Professional wrestling promotion, promotion Dragon Gate (wrestling), Dragon Gate. It was created on Novem ...

with Ishin and

Don Fujii , better known by his ring name , is a Japanese wrestler who currently works for Dragon Gate. He was one-half of the inaugural Open the Owarai Twin Gate Champions and is also a former two-time Open the Twin Gate Champions with Masaaki Mochizuk ...

on September 19.

Fighting style

In sumo Ishinriki specialized in throwing techniques, with his three most common winning ''

kimarite is the technique used in sumo by a (wrestler) to win a match. It is officially decided or announced by the (referee) at the end of the match, though judge (sumo), judges can modify this decision. The records of are then kept for statistical ...

'' being ''shitatenage'' (underarm throw), ''uwatenage'' (overarm throw) and ''uwatedashinage'' (pulling overarm throw).

Personal life

He is married to former Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling and

LLPW Ladies Legend Pro-Wrestling, also known as LLPW and currently as LLPW-X, is a Japanese independent women's professional wrestling promotion founded in 1992 by Rumi Kazama and Shinobu Kandori. History Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling split in 19 ...

wrestler Utako Hozumi, whom he met during his WAR days. Their sons, Riki and Ishin, are also professional wrestlers who made their debuts at a Dragon Gate tournament in

Ōta, Tokyo is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in the Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The ward refers to itself in English as Ōta City. It was formed in 1947 as a merger of Ōmori, Ōta, Tokyo, Ōmori and Kamata, Ōta, Tokyo, Kamata following Tokyo C ...

on September 20, 2021. Riki, however, retired on June 6, 2022.

Career record

Championships and accomplishments

Universal Wrestling Association The Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) was a Mexican ''Lucha Libre'' or professional wrestling promotion based in Naucalpan, Mexico State that operated from 1975 until 1995. The name of the actual promotion was Promociones Mora y Asociados and ...

UWA World Middleweight Championship The UWA World Middleweight Championship (''Campeonato Mundial de Peso Medio UWA'' in Spanish) is a professional wrestling championship originally created and sanctioned by the Mexican lucha libre promotion Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) ...

( 1 time)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ishinriki, Koji 1961 births Living people People from Suginami Japanese sumo wrestlers Japanese male professional wrestlers Sumo people from Tokyo 20th-century male professional wrestlers 20th-century Japanese professional wrestlers 21st-century male professional wrestlers 21st-century Japanese professional wrestlers UWA World Middleweight Champions 20th-century Japanese sportsmen