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Hishofuji Hiroki

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Hishofuji Hiroki - 飛翔富士 廣樹 (born July 14, 1989) is a former Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Kobe, Hyogo. He made his debut in March 2005 and wrestled for Azumazeki stable. He reached the juryo division in September 2011. His highest rank was juryo 13 and he retired in January 2017.

Career[]

Early Career[]

Hiroki was always a large boy and by the time he had graduated from Hyogo junior high school he was already 190 cm tall and weighted 120 kg. Hiroki was also a notable judoka at the prefectural level. This along with his exceeding size garnered him an invitation to join Nakamura stable. He made his debut in March 2005 and made steady progress up the banzuke. This continued until he reached sandanme in March 2007 recording a mere three losing records on his way there. In July 2007, he was given the shikona "Hishofuji" (飛翔富士).[1]

After a few losing records and bouncing between sandanme and jonidan he returned to steady progress and was promoted to makushita in November 2008. This is where he would spend most of his career. He was helped along by the 2011 match fixing scandal which saw many wrestlers forced to retire, and in September 2011 was promoted to his career high rank of Juryo 13 and become a sekitori.[1]

Juryo Career[]

In his juryo debut, Hishofuji defeated future sekiwake Kotoyuki on the first day. However, he could only produce three more wins in the tournaments and finished with a poor 4-11 record. He was demoted back down to makushita and he never returned back to the salaried divisions.[1]

Later Career[]

In November 2012 with his stable master Fujizakura reaching the mandatory retirement age and closing down the stable he transferred to Azumazeki stable.[2] In late 2013 Hiroki suffered a major right knee injury which would see him sit out for over a year and drop off the banzuke.[3] He would return to the dohyo in January 2015 and start an impressive 22 win streak picking up two lower division yusho (Jonokuchi and Sandanme) in the process. After this though he would put up mediocre records having been troubled by a left ankle issue.[1]

Retirement from Sumo[]

After three consecutive losing records and losing his opening bout of the January 2017 basho he decided to retire. On January 25, 2017, it was announced by the Japan Sumo Association that Hishofuji was retiring from the professional sumo.[4] His danpatsu-shiki, or retirement ceremony was held on March 5, 2017, at a hotel in his hometown of Kobe, Hyogo.[5]

After retiring, he worked as a salesman by day and as a restaurant manager by night. In July 2018, he began coaching the sumo club at Kobe University.[6] On March 15, 2019, he announced on Facebook that he was moving to Los Angeles to develop a company he had established the previous month.[7]

Professional Wrestling Career[]

Screen Shot 2021-02-09 at 3.24.20 PM

Hiroki Sumi tempts Mark Henry to wrestle him in a sumo bout (c. 2018)

He made his professional wrestling debut under his real name of "Hiroki Sumi" at the WWE Greatest Royal Rumble (held on April 27th, 2018, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) where he was the 7th entrant but, was quickly eliminated by Mark Henry.[8] Rumors are that he was added to the royal rumble, because Vince McMahon wanted someone who resembled the late wrestler Yokozuna.[9]

Entertainment Career[]

In July 2020 he appeared on Game On! with Bobby Lee.[10] Hishofuji made a guest appearance in BuzzFeed's video called "We Made A Giant 25-Pound Ramen Bowl For A Sumo Wrestler • Tasty".[11] He also participated in the 2019 US Sumo Open where he won 3rd place in the heavyweight division.[12] In June 2023, Hishofuji spent a month in Dubai performing sumo exhibitions at the Japanese restaurant TABŪ. In addition to the UAE, he has also performed in the United States, Spain, Italy, Germany, the Philippines, and Saudi Arabia.[13]

Acting Career[]

In February 2023, he announced that he participated in the filming of the Netflix series revolving around the world of professional sumo, Sanctuary, in which he plays the role of a wrestler (Shizuuchi).[14] Hishofuji made an appearance in John Wick: Chapter 4 playing the role of a guard in the Osaka Continental alongside fellow retired sumo wrestler Yoshinori Tashiro (former makushita Tooyama).[15] In 2024 he was also cast as main title character in The Wide West, a film starring Alexander Nevsky, about a sumo wrestler's arrival in the United States.[16]

Personal Life[]

  • Hishofuji's favorite food is chocolate and ice scream.[17] Hishofuji is known for his large appetite. When he was promoted to makushita in September 2008, his stable's support group brought him out for dinner and he ate 238 pieces of sushi in one sitting. In addition, on the night of Day 12 of the July 2015 tournament, he ate a garlic-loaded bowl of ramen served in a basin-sized bowl, two whole fried chickens, and five servings of curry rice.[18]
  • While preparing for his role in Sanctuary, Hishofuji's weight increased to 260 kg (573 lb), exceeding his weight during his active sumo career. By August 2023, he had slimmed down to 230 kg (507 lb).[19]
  • On December 19, 2020, Hishofuji's silk mawashi was stolen in Los Angeles.[20]

Fighting Style[]

Hishofuji's Fighting Style

Hishofuji defeats Masutenryu by yorikiri (force out)

Hishofuji is a yotsu-sumo wrestler, preferring grappling techniques to pushing and thrusting. His most common winning kimarite is a straightforward yorikiri, or force out, and he uses a hidari-yotsu grip on the mawashi or belt, with his right hand outside and left hand inside his opponent's arms.[21][22]

Record[]

Division Results[]

  • Total: 234-197-47/431 (69 basho)
  • Juryo: 4-11/15 (1 basho)
  • Makushita: 113-114-19/227 (35 basho)
  • Sandanme: 50-34-14/84 (14 basho)
  • Jonidan: 56-35-7/91 (14 basho)
  • Jonokuchi: 11-3-7/14 (3 basho)

Championships[]

  • 1 Sandanme Championship (March 2015)
  • 1 Jonokuchi Championship (July 2015)

Shikona History[]

  • Sumi Hiroki (2005.03 - 2007.05)
  • Hishofuji Hiroki (2007.07 - 2017.01)

Gallery[]

JSA Profile Pictures and Tegata[]

Career Overview[]

See Also[]

External Links[]

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Hishofuji Rikishi Information
  2. ↑ Sumo Forum: Nakamura beya folding
  3. ↑ Daily Sports: Hishofuji re-emerges on the 20th anniversary of the earthquake
  4. ↑ Nikkan Sports: Former juryo wrestler Hishofuji retires after the first tournament
  5. ↑ Nikkan Sports: Former juryo wrestler Hishofuji thanks his family at hair-cutting ceremony
  6. ↑ Kobe Shimbun: A former Juryo wrestler sent a DM to a sumo club asking if he could practice
  7. ↑ FaceBook: I moved the place of residence in United States Los Angeles from Japan...
  8. ↑ Nikkan Sports: Former Hishofuji makes WWE debut, hints at teaming up with Shinsuke Nakamura
  9. ↑ 411 Mania: Possible Reason For Why Hiroki Sumi Debuted At Greatest Royal Rumble
  10. ↑ Yahoo! Life: Bobby Lee Gets Sumo Slammed
  11. ↑ Tasty: We Made A Giant 25-Pound Ramen Bowl For A Sumo Wrestler • Tasty
  12. ↑ USA Sumo: 2019 US SUMO OPEN – 19th Annual
  13. ↑ Arab News: Sumo wrestler Hishofuji "delighted" to perform in Dubai
  14. ↑ Nikkan Sports: Part 2 of the interview with former wrestler Hishofuji, who appeared in "Sanctuary"
  15. ↑ Hiroki Sumi IMDB Profile
  16. ↑ Nikkan Sports: Former Juryo Hishofuji star Hiroki Sumi to star in US film "The Wide West"
  17. ↑ Nikkan Sports: Hishofuji hopes to return to Juryo for the first time in four years
  18. ↑ Nikkan Sports: Former juryo wrestler Hishofuji wins 21 straight matches to become sandanme champion
  19. ↑ Takatoriki Beya: Hiroki Sumi, who played Shizuuchi in Sanctuary, joins the channel!
  20. ↑ Inside Sport Japan: Hiroki Sumi has blue silk mawashi stolen in Los Angeles.
  21. ↑ Hishofuji JSA Profile
  22. ↑ Hishofuji Kimarite Information
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