is a Japanese male professional

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

player from Okazaki City,

Aichi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,461,111 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the ...

. He is the captain of the Japan men's national volleyball team, and plays as an outside hitter. At club-level, he currently plays for Sir Susa Vim Perugia at the ''SuperLega'' (The highest level of the Italian Volleyball League).

''Ishikawa is the first Japanese male player to win gold medal at the
CEV Champions League The CEV Champions League is the top official competition for men's volleyball clubs from the whole of Europe. The competition is organised every year by the European Volleyball Confederation. Formula (2018–19 to present) Qualification A tota ...
.''

Ishikawa was named as the "Best outside spiker" at the ''FIVB World Cup'' (

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

), ''FIVB Nations League'' (

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

), ''Asian Championship'' (

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

), as well as the "

Most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

" at the ''Asian Championship'' (

''Ishikawa is the first volleyball player to have a wax figure in Japan. Currently, his wax figure is displayed at Madame Tussauds Tokyo.''

Personal life

Ishikawa's father, Mikihisa, is a former track and field sprinter. His mother, Midori, is a former basketball player. His elder sister, Naomi, is a former volleyball player and his sister, Mayu, is a member and also the captain of the Japan women's national volleyball team.

Career

Clubs

Due to the influence of his elder sister, Ishikawa started playing volleyball in 4th grade of Elementary School. His best achievement was the top 8 at the All Japan Volleyball Elementary School Tournament when he was in 6th grade. In 2010, he won the bronze medal at the All Japan Junior High School Volleyball Championship. Then, he was selected as a captain of Aichi Prefecture, and won the silver medal at the JOC Junior Olympic Cup the same year. In High School, he became the first student to win "Triple Crown" at 3 tournaments: Inter-High,

National Polity A polity is a group of people with a collective identity, who are organized by some form of political Institutionalisation, institutionalized social relations, and have a capacity to mobilize resources. A polity can be any group of people org ...

, Haruko Volley for 2 consecutive years. In the 2014–2015 season, Ishikawa played for the Italian team Parmareggio Modena about 3 months after the end of the All Japan Intercollegiate Volleyball Championship. According to an official of the Japan Association, he was the first student to challenge an overseas league through university, and was also the first university freshman to play volleyball in the ''SuperLega''. In the 2015–2016 season, he returned to Japan to continue playing for

Chuo University , commonly referred to as or , is a private research university in Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan. The university finds its roots in a school called Igirisu Hōritsu Gakkō (English Law School), which was founded in 1885, and became a university in 1 ...

's club. In December 2016, he transferred to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

again, played for Top Volley Latina until 2018. During this time, he was an exchange student while actually still playing for his university. After graduating from university in March 2018, Ishikawa signed his first professional contract with the Italian team Emma Villas Siena (The club was ranked up to the ''SuperLega'' in the 2018–2019 season). He moved to Kioene Padova in the next season. He changed club again in 2020, to Allianz Milano. Then, he extended his contract in the 2021–2022 season, continued to stay with the club for the 2022–2023 season, and re-signed for the fourth time for the next season. In the 10th and 11th seasons, he joined Sir Susa Vim Perugia.

''In the 2024–2025 season, Ishikawa and Perugia won the first title at the
CEV Champions League The CEV Champions League is the top official competition for men's volleyball clubs from the whole of Europe. The competition is organised every year by the European Volleyball Confederation. Formula (2018–19 to present) Qualification A tota ...
.''

National team

In 2012, Ishikawa was called for the Japan men's national under-19 volleyball team for the first time, and the Japanese team won the bronze medal at the 2012 Asian Youth Boys Volleyball Championship in

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. He also won the "Best scorer" award at the end of the tournament. In 2013, as the national team representative, Ishikawa competed in the 2013 FIVB Volleyball Boys' U19 World Championship in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, where the Japanese team finished in 17th place. He continued to compete in the 2013 FIVB Volleyball Men's U21 World Championship in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

the same year, where the Japanese team finished in 10th place. In April 2014, Ishikawa entered

(Faculty of Law, Department of Political Science), and was called for the Japan men's national volleyball team for the first time. In September 2014, his debut competition was at the

2014 Asian Games The 2014 Asian Games (), officially known as the 17th Asian Games () and also known as Incheon 2014 (), were a pan-Asian multi-sport event held from 19 September to 4 October 2014 in Incheon, South Korea. On 17 April 2007, Incheon was awarded ...

Incheon Incheon is a city located in northwestern South Korea, bordering Seoul and Gyeonggi Province to the east. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Incheon was home to just 4,700 people when it became an international port in 1883. As of February 2020, ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. The Japanese team won the silver medal after losing to the Iran team with a score of 1–3 in the final. In October 2014, he was part of the Japanese roster for the 2014 Asian Men's U20 Volleyball Championship in

Manama Manama ( ', Bahrani Arabic, Bahrani pronunciation: ) is the capital and List of cities in Bahrain, largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 297,502 as of 2012. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is ...

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

, and led the team to finish in 5th place. In September 2015, Ishikawa participated in the 2015 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Cup in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

for the first time. The Japanese team finished in 6th place but he still won the "Best outside spiker" award of the FIVB's tournament as a member of the senior national team. In July 2017, Ishikawa participated in the 2017 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship in Gresik,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

for the first time because he was not called to the tournament in

. The Japanese team won the gold medal, and he also won the "Most valuable player, Best Outside Spiker" double award of the AVC's tournament as a member of the senior national team. In 2021, Ishikawa became the captain of the Japan men's national volleyball team, and was assigned to lead the team at the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

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 ...

. The Japanese team finished in 7th place after losing to the Brazil team with a score of 0–3 in the quarterfinals. In September 2021, he led the team to win the silver medal at the 2021 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship, and won the "Best outside spiker" award as a captain of the senior national team. In July 2023, Ishikawa and the Japanese team won bronze medal at the 2023 FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League after defeating the Italy team with a score of 3–2 in the 3rd place match. He also won the "Best outside spiker" award as a captain of the senior national team. In August 2023, he led the team to win the 10th gold medal at the 2023 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship, and won the "Most Valuable Player" award as a captain of the senior national team.

Highlights

* Ishikawa was selected as a member of "Team CORE" of『Project CORE』in June 2014.

''『Project CORE』was a project launched by the JVA with the aimed to "revitalize volleyball, deliver courage and excitement" to the people of Japan toward 2020 as well as the future beyond.''

* Ishikawa was selected as a member of「TEAM JAPAN symbol athletes」in June 2022.

''「TEAM JAPAN symbol athletes」are athletes the representative of TEAM JAPAN and certified by the JOC as the symbol of "athletes that everyone admires". Their mission is to actively cooperates with the JOC's Olympic Movement promotion projects and marketing activities, and plays a role in conveying the value of sports to society.''

Commercial value

* Ishikawa signed an advisory contract with the Japanese sportswear brand『DESCENTE』and『SKINS』of Descente Ltd. in April 2018. Then, he signed another an advisory contract with the brand『MOVESPORT』of the company in September 2024. * Ishikawa signed a support contract for the amino acid brand「VAAM」of Meiji Co., Ltd. in September 2018. * According to an Italian sports newspaper published in 2022, the President of Allianz Milano, Lucio Fusaro revealed that more than 60 season tickets were purchased from Ishikawa's fans in Japan and Thailand to support the team despite the fact that they could not go to Italy to watch the games live. * Ishikawa signed an advisory contract with the Japanese necklace brand「Colantotte」in October 2022. * Ishikawa signed an ambassador contract with the Italian medical bedding brand「Fabe」in July 2023. * Ishikawa appointed as「

Tod's Tod's S.p.A. is an Italian fashion house specialized in footwear, apparel, and related accessories headquartered in Marche. It is majority controlled by businessman Diego Della Valle. Founded in 1920 by Filippo Della Valle, a cobbler, it was co ...

」Brand Friend of the Italian luxury fashion house in July 2024. * Ishikawa signed a partnership contract with the Japanese beauty brand「POLA」in August 2024.

Physical condition

Injuries

* In 2011, Ishikawa had abdominal muscle strain after the quarterfinals of the National High School Comprehensive Athletic Meet Volleyball Tournament. * In March 2016, Ishikawa had a left knee inflammation at the training camp, where the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

were to be played. In June 2016, he twisted his right ankle at the 1st World Olympic Qualification Tournament while playing against the Australia team. * In September 2017, Ishikawa injured his right knee ligament at the 2017 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Grand Champions Cup while playing against the France team. * In September 2021, Ishikawa had a backache and lower back pain before participating in the 2021 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship. * In July 2022, Ishikawa sprained his left ankle during practice for the quarterfinals of the 2022 FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League. * In January 2025, Ishikawa suffered a minor muscle cramps while playing against Itas Trentino team.

COVID-19

In December 2020, Ishikawa was positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

when he was playing volleyball in Italy. He recovered after nearly 20 days of home treatment. However, his taste and smell were still experiencing abnormal symptoms.

Individual awards

Tournaments

Student level

Athlete level

* 2012 Asian Youth Boys Volleyball Championship – Best scorer * 2015 Memorial of Hubert Jerzy Wagner – Best receiver * 2015 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Cup – Best outside spiker * 2016 1st World Olympic Qualification Tournament – Best outside spiker * 2017 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship – Most valuable player * 2017 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship – Best outside spiker * 2019 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship – Best outside spiker * 2019 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Cup – Best outside spiker * 2021 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship – Best outside spiker * 2023 FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League – Best outside spiker * 2023 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship – Most valuable player * 2024 FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League – Best outside spiker * 2024 Italian Super Cup – Most valuable player

Provincial

*2021 Aichi Sports Achievement Award *2024 Aichi Sports Achievement Award

University

*2014–2015 61st Student Athletic Association Award【Excellent Player Award】 *2014–2015 61st Student Athletic Association Award【University President's Award】 *2014–2015 32nd Chuo University President's Award【Field of sports (individual)】 *2015–2016 62nd Student Athletic Association Award【Excellent Player Award】 *2015–2016 62nd Student Athletic Association Award【University President's Award】 *2015–2016 33rd Chuo University President's Award【Field of sports (individual)】 *2017–2018 64th Student Athletic Association Award【Special Award】 *2017–2018 64th Student Athletic Association Award【University President's Award・Special Award】 *2017–2018 35th Chuo University President's Award【Field of sports (individual)】 *2021–2022 39th Chuo University President's Award【Field of sports (OB, OG)】

Other

*''anan'' Award 2023 – Athlete division *''GQ'' Men of the Year 2024 – Best Team Award

National honours

Trophies & medals

* 2012 Asian Youth Boys Volleyball Championship Bronze_medal_with_cup

3rd place *

Runner-up * 2015 Memorial of Hubert Jerzy Wagner Silver_medal_with_cup

Runner-up *

2016 Asian Men's Volleyball Cup The 2016 Asian Men's Volleyball Cup, so-called 2016 AVC Cup for Men was the fifth edition of the Asian Men's Volleyball Cup, a biennial international volleyball tournament organised by the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) with Thailand Voll ...

3rd place * 2017 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship Simple_cup_icon

Champion * 2019 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship Bronze_medal_with_cup

3rd place * 2021 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship Silver_medal_with_cup

Runner-up * 2023 FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League Bronze_medal_with_cup

3rd place * 2023 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship Simple_cup_icon

Champion * 2024 FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League Silver_medal_with_cup

Runner-up

Awards

*2021–2022 70th Japan Sports Award「Best Award by Competition Group」 *2023–2024 57th TV Asahi Big Sports Award「Big Sports Special Contribution Award」 *2023–2024 72nd Japan Sports Award「Best Award by Competition Group」 *2023–2024 JOC Sports Award – Annual Award「Special Achievement Award」 *2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Outstanding Achievement Award *2024 Sports Merit Award *2024–2025 73rd Japan Sports Award「Best Award by Competition Group」

Clubs achievements

Junior

Trophies & medals

*2010 All Japan Junior High School Volleyball Championship Bronze_medal_with_cup

3rd place *2010 National Prefectural Competition Junior High School Volleyball Tournament (JOC Junior Olympic Cup) Silver_medal_with_cup

Runner-up *2011 National High School Comprehensive Athletic Meet Volleyball Tournament (Inter-High) Bronze_medal_with_cup

3rd place *2012 National High School Comprehensive Athletic Meet Volleyball Tournament (Inter-High) Simple_cup_icon

Champion *2012 National Sports Festival Volleyball Competition (National Polity) Simple_cup_icon

Champion *2013 All Japan Volleyball High School Championship (Haruko Volley) Simple_cup_icon

Champion *2013 National High School Comprehensive Athletic Meet Volleyball Tournament (Inter-High) Simple_cup_icon

Champion *2013 National Sports Festival Volleyball Competition (National Polity) Simple_cup_icon

Champion *2014 All Japan Volleyball High School Championship (Haruko Volley) Simple_cup_icon

Champion *2014 Spring Kanto University Volleyball League Simple_cup_icon

Champion *2014 All Japan Intercollegiate Volleyball Championship Simple_cup_icon

Champion *2015 Spring Kanto University Volleyball League Simple_cup_icon

Champion *2015 Autumn Kanto University Volleyball League Simple_cup_icon

Champion *2015 All Japan Intercollegiate Volleyball Championship Simple_cup_icon

Champion *2016 Autumn Kanto University Volleyball League Simple_cup_icon

Champion *2016 All Japan Intercollegiate Volleyball Championship Simple_cup_icon

Champion *2017 Spring Kanto University Volleyball League Silver_medal_with_cup

Runner-up *2017 All Japan Intercollegiate Volleyball Championship Bronze_medal_with_cup

3rd place

Awards

*2013 Alumni Club Activity Encouragement Award *2013 Toyoake City Sports Award *2014 Alumni Club Activity Encouragement Award *2014 Toyoake City Sports Award *2014–2015 61st Student Athletic Association Award【Excellent Group Award】 *2014–2015 32nd Chuo University President's Award【Field of sports (group)】 *2015–2016 29th Shibuya Kenichi Encouragement Award【Physical education field】 *2015–2016 62nd Student Athletic Association Award【Excellent Group Award】 *2015–2016 33rd Chuo University President's Award【Field of sports (group)】 *2016–2017 63rd Student Athletic Association Award【Excellent Group Award】 *2016–2017 34th Chuo University President's Award【Field of sports (group)】 *2017–2018 64th Student Athletic Association Award【Effort Group Award】 – ''The only award of club that Ishikawa didn't contribute gold medals.''