This is a list of all sumo wrestlers who are from the Korea. Due to discrimination encountered from Koreans in Japan, many chose to hide their ethnicity and joined with Japanese names instead. Many ethnic Koreans have found success in the sport with 4 Yokozuna's, Sadanoyama, Tamanoumi, Wakanohana, and Mienoumi, being of Korean descent. The first Korean national to reach the top division was Kasugao in January 2003.
As of 2025, there have been 16 sumo wrestlers from South Korea with the majority coming from Seoul and South Gyeongsang Province (the closest province to Japan). Kasugao is the only wrestler to reach sekitori status while listing his birthplace as Korea, excluding Rikidozan and Chiinoyama, who were promoted in the 1940s, because Korea was a Japanese colony at the time. Over a dozen Zainichi-Koreans (ethnic Korean permanent residents of Japan) have reached the elite sekitori ranks with multiple reaching the Yokozuna and Ozeki rank as well.
This page also includes a separate list of Japanese sumo wrestlers of Korean descent.
South Korean Sumo Wrestlers[]
- Green row indicates wrestler reached the elite sekitori ranks.
| Ring Name | Real Name | Hometown | Debut | Highest Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hakutozan | Park Hangyu | Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province | 1927.10 | Sandanme - |
| Chiinoyama | Shoichiro Toyokawa | South Gyeongsang Province | 1940.01 | Juryo 3 |
| Watenko | Kazuo Hayashi | South Gyeongsang Province | 1966.07 | Sandanme 80 |
| Koraiyama | Seo Gilryang | Busan, South Gyeongsang Province | 1969.03 | Makushita 11 |
| Nankaiyama | Kang Seongyeong | Namhaedo, South Gyeongsang Province | 1969.07 | Makushita 57 |
| Kyoryu | Park Seonhak | Yongin, Gyeonggi Province | 1975.11 | Makushita 15 |
| Kunimiyama | Kim Kiju | Seoul, Gyeonggi Province | 1977.11 | Makushita 27 |
| Kotoyanagi | Shigeki Nishimoto | South Gyeongsang Province | 1983.09 | Jonidan 78 |
| Nanzan | Chae Suhyeong | Seoul, Gyeonggi Province | 1990.01 | Sandanme 54 |
| Harimayama | Hong Sangjin | Seoul, Gyeonggi Province | 1990.05 | Makushita 58 |
| Kasugao | Kim Seongtaek | Incheon | 1998.11 | Maegashira 3 |
| Kaihakuzan | Baek Yoongi | Seoul, Gyeonggi Province | 1999.03 | Sandanme 49 |
| Soranoumi | Kim Sooyong | Seoul, Gyeonggi Province | 1999.05 | Makushita 25 |
| Kuninofuji | Song Kihun | - | 2001.05 | Jonidan 109 |
| Kinryuzan | Kim Jonggeun | North Gyeongsang Province | 2003.05 | Sandanme 42 |
| Yamada | Yu Seongyeong | Muju, North Jeolla Province | 2004.03 | Jonidan 31 |
North Korean Sumo Wrestlers[]
- Green row indicates wrestler reached the elite sekitori ranks.
| Ring Name | Real Name | Hometown | Debut | Highest Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rikidozan | Kim Sinrak | Hongwon County, South Hamgyong Province | 1940.05 | Sekiwake |
Japanese Wrestlers of Korean Descent[]
- Green row indicates wrestler reached the elite sekitori ranks.
| Ring Name | Real Name | Listed Birthplace | Debut | Highest Rank | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amatsunada | Fukuichi Tamura (Jeon) | Ushizu, Saga | 1950.09 | Maegashira 18 | Zainichi Korean, moved to Seoul after retiring from sumo. |
| Sadanoyama | Shinmatsu Sasada | Arikawa, Nagasaki | 1956.01 | Yokozuna | Zainichi Korean |
| Tamanoumi | Taniguchi Masao (born Yun Yigi) | Gamagori, Aichi | 1959.03 | Yokozuna | Zainichi Korean |
| Maenoyama | Kazuichi Kaneshima | Moriguchi, Osaka | 1961.03 | Ozeki | Zainichi Korean |
| Mienoumi | Goro Ishiyama (born Lee Orang) | Matsusaka, Mie | 1963.07 | Yokozuna | Zainichi Korean |
| Wakanohana | Katsunori Shimoyama | Owani, Aomori | 1968.07 | Yokozuna | Zainichi Korean |
| Kaneshiro | Kofuku Kaneshiro | Takanabe, Miyazaki | 1969.09 | Sekiwake | Zainichi Korean |
| Dairyu | Tadahiro Nagamoto (Hwang) | Osaka, Osaka | 1976.05 | Juryo 4 | Zainichi Korean, naturalized in 1997. |
| Wakatosho | Toshio Kanemoto (born Hwang Minbu) | Chiba, Chiba | 1985.07 | Juryo 9 | Zainichi Korean |
| Ganyu | Kenji Hirano (Lee) | Himeji, Hyogo | 1986.03 | Maegashira 1 | Zainichi Korean, naturalized between 1997 and 2000. |
| Shimanoryu | Fukuryu Haruyama | Toyota, Aichi | 1989.03 | Makushita 3 | Third generation Zainichi Korean |
| Wakagoshi | Kawanari Sumita (born Park Yusan) | Shinjuku, Tokyo | 1989.03 | Makushita 58 | Born in Seoul, moved to Japan at age of 13. His mother is Korean and his father is the 45th Yokozuna Wakanohana. |
| Kinkaiyama | Ryusui Matsuyama (born Kim Youngsoo) | Omura, Nagasaki | 1991.03 | Maegashira 6 | Zainichi Korean, naturalized in 2000 |
| Harunoyama | Tatsunao Haruyama | Toyota, Aichi | 1992.03 | Maegashira 10 | Third generation Zainichi Korean |
| Tamarikido | Hideki Yasumoto (born Cho Youngrae) | Edogawa, Tokyo | 1997.03 | Maegashira 8 | Zainichi Korean, his family originates from Daegu. |
| Kihakuriki | Shigeki Kanaya | Osaka, Osaka | 2001.03 | Makushita 47 | Zainichi Korean, initially had birthplace listed as South Korea. |
| Wakatenyu | Bunseki Tomiyama (born Kan Munsoku) | Wakayama, Wakayama | 2001.05 | Sandanme 96 | Zainichi Korean |
| Itsunoshima | Naohide Takebayashi | Bisai, Aichi | 2002.03 | Jonidan 91 | Zainichi Korean |
| Kotokuronuma | Sei Kuronuma (born Mun Sonsu) | Oishida, Yamagata | 2002.03 | Jonidan 96 | Zainichi Korean |
| Yoshimura | Ryuta Yoshimura (born Kim Ryute) | Nagoya, Aichi | 2002.03 | Sandanme 40 | Zainichi Korean |
| Asakomiya | Masahiro Komiya | Toda, Saitama | 2006.05 | Jonokuchi 42 | Zainichi Korean, initially had birthplace listed as South Korea. |
| Tochinowaka | Lee Daewon | Amagasaki, Hyogo | 2007.01 | Maegashira 1 | Born in Japan to a Zainichi Korean father and Korean immigrant mother. Initially had birthplace listed as South Gyeongsang Province. |