Churanoumi Yoshihisa

Churanoumi Yoshihisa (Japanese: 美ノ海 義久, born 6 May 1993 as Shinji Kizaki (木﨑 信志, Kizaki Shinji)) is a professional Japanese sumo wrestler from Okinawa Prefecture who debuted in March 2016. He has won three lower-division championships and reached the top makuuchi division in January 2024. His highest rank is maegashira 4. He wrestles for Kise stable. His younger brother was his stablemate at Kise under the shikona Kizakiumi (木崎海) until his retirement in August 2020.^[1]

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.^[2] Originally intending to enter Chūbu Norin, he changed his mind and attended Tottori Jōhoku High School in Tottori Prefecture after visiting that school for a training session.^[3] One of his classmates, whom he defeated in individual competition, was future makuuchi champion Ichinojō.^[4] He attended Nihon University,^[5] where he was a member of their sumo club and a classmate of Tsushimanada.^[6]

Kizaki was recruited by former maegashira Higonoumi, the stablemaster of Kise stable.^[3] Ineligible to start higher on the banzuke 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 division and won six of his seven matches. He then moved up the rankings, winning the jonidan championship in July and the sandanme championship in September with perfect records.

In May 2019 Kizaki was promoted to sekitori status with the rank of jūryō, having just won the makushita championship. Upon this promotion he changed his shikona, or ring name, from his birth surname to Churanoumi.^[7] 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.^[5]

In November 2023 Churanoumi was promoted to the top makuuchi division.^[8] He told reporters that he was happy to receive the top-division promotion before the tournament in Kyushu, where many Okinawans come.^[8]

Churanoumi uses pushing and thrusting techniques, with his top kimarite 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.

• List of active sumo wrestlers

• Churanoumi Yoshihisa's official biography (English) at the Grand Sumo Homepage