Maikeru Shuki - 舞蹴 修樹 (born July 15, 1998) is a former Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Fukui City, Fukui. He made his debut in September 2017 and wrestled for Futagoyama stable. His highest rank was makushita 29 and he retired in May 2024.
Early Life[]
Maikeru "Michael" Hayashi was born on July 15, 1998, in Fukui City to a Japanese father and a Filipino mother. Hayashi took the name Maikeru (transliteration of Michael in Japanese), because his mother was aiming for the hope to have him become famous like Michael Jackson.[1]
His father is a big fan of sumo and Hayashi began practicing sumo at a local sumo club during his third year of elementary school. During his second year of junior high school, he joined Fukui Norin High School's sumo club and was in the judo club as well. He went on to attend Fukui Norin High School and participated in many prefectural and national high school sumo competitions. During his final year of high school, Hayashi tore his right knee's anterior cruciate ligament during the Inter-High School sumo tournament and had to undergo surgery. He was later recruited into Fujishima stable by Futagoyama Oyakata (former ozeki Miyabiyama).[1]
Career[]
He made his professional debut in September 2017 and initially wrestled under his surname "Hayashi" (林) before switching his shikona to his given name "Maikeru" (舞蹴) in July 2018. In April 2018, he transferred to the recently established Futagoyama stable. He was promoted to makushita in May 2019 and had only posted one losing record at the time. However, Maikeru was unable to establish himself as a makushita regular and fell back down to sandanme on multiple occasions.[2]
In January 2022, Maikeru posted a 6-1 record and was promoted to a career-best makushita 29 for the March 2022 tournament. However, Maikeru was unable to establish himself in makushita as he was still hindered by his knee injury from high school.[3]
Retirement from Sumo[]
After winning his final match in May 2024, Maikeru retired from sumo after the May 2024 tournament. His retirement ceremony, or danpatsu-shiki, was held on May 26, 2024, at his stable's after-tournament party. After his retirement, Maikeru will attend a vocational school to obtain a qualification to become a judo therapist.[3]
Fighting Style[]
Maikeru defeats Shosei by yorikiri (force out)
Maikeru is proficient in both yotsu-sumo (grappling) and oshi-sumo (pushing and thrusting) techniques. His most often used winning kimarite is yorikiri (force out), followed by oshidashi (push out).[4]
Record[]
Division Results[]
- Total: 142-131/273 (40 basho)
- Makushita: 36-55/91 (13 basho)
- Sandanme: 91-70/161 (23 basho)
- Jonidan: 9-5/14 (2 basho)
- Jonokuchi: 6-1/7 (1 basho)
Shikona History[]
- Hayashi Maikeru (2017.09 - 2018.05)
- Maikeru Shuki (2018,07 - 2024.05)
Gallery[]
(c. 2024)