Tochikamiyama Ryuichi

Tochikamiyama Ryuichi - 栃神山 龍一 (born January 11, 2001) is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Iruma, Saitama. He made his debut in January 2019 and currently wrestles for Kasugano stable. His highest rank as of 2023 is makushita 3.

## **Early Life**

Ryuichi Kamiyama initially played soccer and was often placed as the goalkeeper due to his size. He later stopped attending soccer practice and his parents recommended that he try out martial arts. Kamiyama initially tried out karate but was disliked the sport and found sumo to be much more suited for him. In addition to sumo, Kamiyama was also a member of a local swimming club and can still swim comfortably for several hundred meters without any problems.

He began sumo wrestling during his second year at Kaneko Elementary School and was a member of a local sumo club in Iruma, Saitama. His first official sumo match was at the Ise Jingu Shrine where he faced off against the future Onosato. In addition to regional sumo tournaments, Kamiyama also participated at the Hakuho Cup during his time in elementary school. He went on to attend Iruma Shiritsu Kurosu Junior High School where he mastered his sumo wrestling ability. Upon graduating junior high school, he had won 100 consecutive matches in his prefecture and even earned the title of Junior High School Yokozuna in 2015 after winning the National Junior High School Sumo Championship.

Kamiyama then attended Saitama Sakae High School which is known for its strong sumo program. His high school classmates included the future Kitanowaka, Nishinoryu, and Nihonyanagi. In his second year, he injured his right ankle in a match against Amartuvshin Amarsanaa. His achievements in the high school sumo scene include winning the team championship at the Inter-High School Athletic Sumo Competition, 3rd place at the Individual High School Inter-High Competition, the team championship at the National Sports Festival, and runner-up at the National Sports Festival Individual Competition.

## **Career**

After graduating high school, Kamiyama joined Kasugano stable because Kasugano Oyakata (former sekiwake Tochinowaka) had been keeping track of him since the second grade. He made his professional debut in January 2019 and was given the shikona "Tochikamiyama" (栃神山). In May 2019, Kamiyama won the jonidan yusho with a perfect 7-0 record. He breezed through the bottom three divisions and was promoted to makushita in September 2019 after only one tournament in each of the previous divisions. However, upon reaching makushita, Tochikamiyama struggled to progress up the rankings at a swift pace. He still gradually progressed up the ranks, reaching makushita 8 by July 2021.

In November 2021, Tochikamiyama defeated Nishikawa who was his senior at Saitama Sakae High School. Despite winning, Tochikamiyama injured his left hand and his sumo became lackluster afterwards. In September 2022, he faced off against returning former ozeki Asanoyama, but was easily muscled out. In January 2023, he was promoted to the rank of makushita 3 and juryo promotion was finally within grasp. In this tournament, he faced off against juryo-ranked Hakuyozan, but lost and subsequently finished with a 3-4 record. Prior to the May 2023 tournament, Tochikamiyama had suffered a ligament injury during practice and barely managed two wins in the tournament. He was demoted to the lower half of makushita in July 2023 where he finished with a strong 6-1 record.

## **Fighting Style**

Tochikamiyama is proficient in both yotsu-sumo (grappling) and oshi-sumo (pushing and thrusting) techniques. His most often used winning kimarite are oshidashi (push out) and yorikiri (force out), followed by uwatenage (overarm throw).

## **Record**

### **Division Results**

* **Total:** 112-84/196 (29 basho)
* **Makushita:** 93-82/175 (25 basho)
* **Sandanme:** 6-1/7 (1 basho)
* **Jonidan:** 7-0/7 (1 basho)
* **Jonokuchi:** 6-1/7 (1 basho)

## **Gallery**

Tochikamiyama gets recruited into Kasugano stable (c. 2018)Tochikamiyama gets measured upon joining sumo (c. 2019)Tochikamiyama defeats Okinohama to win the Jonidan Yusho (c. 2019)Tochikamiyama wins his first Jonidan Yusho (c. 2019)Tochikamiyama defeats Mudoho (c. 2020)Tochikamiyama in Juryo as a Makushita visitor (c. 2023)
## **Sources**

* Tochikamiyama Ryuichi Japanese Wikipedia Article
* Tochikamiyama Ryuichi Rikishi Information