is a professional Japanese sumo wrestler from

Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan. It consists of three main island groups—the Okinawa Islands, the Sakishima Islands, and the Daitō Islands—spread across a maritime zone approximately 1,000 kilometers east to west an ...

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

'' 4. He wrestles for Kise stable. 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 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 ...

'' 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 Tottori Jōhoku High School, also commonly known as Jōhoku High, is a private Secondary education in Japan, high school located in Tottori (city), Tottori, Tottori Prefecture, Japan. The school is known for its baseball and sumo clubs, and a ra ...

Tottori Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Tottori Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, least populous prefecture of Japan at 538,525 (2023) and has a geographic area of . ...

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 research university in Japan. Its predecessor, Nihon Law School (currently the Department of Law), was founded by Yamada Akiyoshi, the Minister of Justice, in 1889. The university's name is derived from the Ja ...

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

Sumo career

Kizaki was recruited by former ''

'' Higonoumi, the stablemaster of Kise stable. 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 ...

'' 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. Fo ...

'' 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. Fo ...

'' 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 fr ...

'' 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. Fo ...

'', 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. Fo ...

'' 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 Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...

, where many Okinawans come. During the March 2025 tournament, Churanoumi remained in the group of wrestlers competing for the championship until the ninth day, when he lost to Tokihayate. For his performance during the tournament, however, he was awarded the Fighting Spirit prize.

Fighting style

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

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 ''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